Race Across America - Solo 2018

The solo riders are well into their second day of riding in RAAM 2018.

The Japanese entrant, Hirokazu Suzuki (ずっちゃ to friends), seems to be doing well, solidly in the middle of the pack (upper middle). In 1 day and 7 hours, he had ridden over 407 miles and passed Congress, Arizona. He is on track for a "projected" finish of 10 days and 8 hours. Wow. Suzuki-san "wrote the book" on successful randonneuring in Japanese, literally.

Suzuki-san has a support team including many of the key Japan audax members -- starting with Maya Ide.

The RAAM leader is perennial champion Christoph Strasser. At 614 miles already, he is WAY ahead of everyone else, around 100 miles ahead of the 2nd place rider.

You can track them all on the leaderboard here.

http://www.raceacrossamerica.org/live-tracking.html


(P.S. It was only this January that Jerome and I joined a 200km brevet Suzuki-san also rode. Shockingly, we finished ahead of him, though I think he was riding that day with his spouse on a kind of "warm down" from the previous day's training).

Update: After 3 days and 10 hours, Zuccha is in 8th place, with nearly 1000 miles covered and a large group of riders lapping at his heels, though he was once in the midst of that pack. Not sure about sleep schedules, etc., but will check back tomorrow. Meanwhile, Christoph Strasser is around 250 miles ahead of the 2nd place rider!

Update: Zuccha made it to West Virginia before his race ended. He started to fall behind schedule once across the Mississippi, and faced the hilliest part of the course through the Appalachians, when he was hit by a case of Shermer's neck -- where the neck muscles can no longer fully support the weight of the human head. Solo RAAM is hard, almost inhuman.