This morning at 8:03 AM, the iron Slovenian Jure' Robic won his third RAAM in the last four years. This will be his last and he certainly went out in style. As his crew commented during the race :

"No one can beat Jure' but Jure'"


He averaged over 300 miles a day, and was on Pete Penseyeres record pace of 15.4 mph for more than 1/2 the race.



At 61 years old Pete completed another RAAM, this time as part of a team.

Jure' finished with close to a 4 hour lead over 2nd place ........



Which looks like it will be Wolfgang Fasching who has 1 hour lead over Gerhard Gulewicz with "just" 70 miles to go. Both riders went through some very tough times (now isn't that an understatement?) toward the end. Fasching has been riding the last 2 days with a neck brace. Rough translation from his website :

"In the last night Wolfgang caravan inserted an two-hour break. In the past six days he slept altogether approximately five hours. By the last two days with continuous rains it cooled the neck. Yesterday he had large problems to keep his head upright. Thus he naturally lost at speed. Today get's better, but not yet optimally. Wolfgang did not have such a problem so far ever, but the Race Across America writes its own laws", describes Doris.…"







Fasching held off a hard charging Gerhard Gulewicz (--->). Who himself was in the depths of battle with last years winner Dani Wyss. They leap frogged repeatedly over the last 400 miles. With just 65 miles to go Gulewicz leads Wyss by about 2 hours. From the Gulewicz site, written on Friday :

"Gerhard had today a break-down. It works completely exhausted, can hardly more at the saddle sit and torments himselves from mile to mile - which hardly helps. The distance to Wyss grew therefore on 3 hours. Between the two physicians therefore a controversy broke out. The one wants it medically worked up, which other one wants times to let it sleep , in order to be able to then attack with something recovered again. The arrears to Wyss do not mean under any circumstances that it is impossible to catch up. On the remaining miles still much can happen… "

Read this on course report by Perry Stone. Gulewicz is riding with a left knee bandaged which he hurt on a fall.

From the Dani Wyss crew on Monday :

"Monday, 18. June, 17,50 o'clock, it reminds you - we have the clothes wash now are we again on the way and we had rather far to drive again caught up.
Before it however we have, and which becomes also the team and the fans about gulewicz to understand, would go in reverse it them also so, to have we been pleased first gerhard to catch up itself. it is a large fight the two supplies themselves and both earns our all respect here.
The projection/lead at estimated 50-60 minutes. dani looks still sensational and nothing interprets daruaf which it its combat spirit would have lost. on the contrary. if one sees this ramp as steep here now it looks at the whole very loosely. "








Further back in the field even more drama is unfolding, so stay tuned, 'cause these guys are really getting a SERIOUS



RideOn

(and I hope you are too)


JB

side note - Got some early AM fat tire miles in this AM, then hit the 7:15er with the (huge)skinny tire crowd. Like bringing a knife to a gun fight. One tug and back on to the dirt I went.