Robic and Wyss continue their duel at the top
The leading male soloists were bolstered as they hit sections with more net descent in them, after tough times in Colorado and New Mexico. At the front of the race, Jure Robic headed over the halfway mark. While his rivals take the opportunity to rest in the dead of night, the Slovenian seems comfortable to ride through the darkness, resting later instead.

However, he needs all the time buffers he can get, as second-placed Daniel Wyss incessantly keeps up the pressure. Over the last day, the gap between the two has been constant, yo-yoing between 45 minutes and two hours. That is insanely close almost 1,400 miles into the race. The RAAM average speed record could tumble this year, with both men so highly-motivated to give their all. Halfway through RAAM, at TS #25 in Pratt, KS, Jure Robic is above record pace.

As the rest of the field spaces out slightly, this duel is still raging. Robic is neither moving away from Wyss, nor is Wyss making up time on the four-time winner.

Gulewciz is the big mover
Marko Baloh has been riding solidly in third, now around six hours down on Robic. However, the big mover is fourth-placed Gerhard Gulewicz. Knowing that the last two days matter as much as the first two, the Austrian has kept up his steadt pace to overtake Christoph Strasser for fourth. With five days to go, he may have paced things perfectly to make an assault on the top three, quite different to his lightning-fast opening pace in the 2008 race.

Ailments and fatigues
However, ailments and fatigue are starting to catch up with all our soloists: leader Jure Robic allegedly has a sore throat and sixth-placed Pete Oyler is wearing a neck brace and is looking increasingly fragile. Meanwhile, after he and his whole crew all napped, Christoph Strasser dropped from third to fifth. The young Austrian cannot afford to keep slowly losing time; using the ‘ten percent’ rule, eighth-placed Ben Popp could yet challenge him for Rookie of the Year.

Still very close mid-table
After his strong early pace, Peter Oyler will have to keep an eye out for the massing pack behind him. From seventh-placed Tony O’Keeffee – really coming into his own as the race progresses - to fourteenth man Christopher Gottwald, there are a group of riders within five hours, all motivated to aim higher and riding strongly. Every middle-pack position is still to play for, regularly changing as certain riders take rests. As they all head onto the flats of Kansas in the coming day, injured Oyler may cede his position as he slows and takes more rest.

Jean Marc Velez is third official DNF
Frenchman Jean Marc Velez is the third abandon of the male solo race. He napped on the road to Chama, NM, the 16th time station and his last of the race. After 934 miles at 12.02mph average, the Frenchman can hold his head high. Sadly, France now can claim no more solo competitors, as Patrick Autissier abandoned the race yesterday.

Sanz Garcia and Bradley slipping off the pace
Julian Sanz Garcia has also fallen off the pace, not passing a time station since 1635 yesterday. Unless he is taking a mammoth snooze, it is very possible that he has registered DNF and it has not come up yet. More news on the plucky Spaniard tomorrow.

Last man Bill Bradley has battled bravely to the 14th time station at Durango, where it became known that his average speed has dropped below the necessary 10mph. Almost 800 miles behind Robic, he still deserves just as much credit for his sterling effort. It will be another tough day for him tomorrow, over some of the race’ s hardest climbs in Colorado and New Mexico.

Tomorrow…
The field is really splitting up, with ones and twos reaching certain time stations within hours of one another. The top three are well over the climbs and on the Midwest flats of Kansas, hoping for favourable winds and cool weathers.

For the close pack from seventh to eighteenth, it’s over the race’s biggest climb at Taos (2600 feet) before some pleasant net downhill sections to boost the morale and the average speed. In the next day, they too will close in on the halfway point at 1,500 miles.

1. Jure Robic (Slo) 1503.40 miles – TS #25 – 3 days 20 hours 03 minutes (16.33mph)
2. Dani Wyss (Swi) 1471.50 miles – TS #24 – 3d 19h 53m (16.01mph)
3. Marko Baloh (Slo) 1393.80 miles – TS #23 – 3d 19h 55m (15.16mph)
4. Gerhard Gulewicz (Aut) 1311.50 miles – TS #22 – 3d 18h 59m (14.41mph)
5. Christoph Strasser (Aut) 1229.30 miles – TS #21 – 3d 16h 28m (13.90mph)
6. Peter Oyler (Can) 1140.40 miles – TS #20 – 3d 16h 27m (12.89mph)
7. Tony O’Keeffee (Can) 1140.40 miles – 3d 20h 29m (12.33mph)
8. Ben Popp (Usa) 1097.20 miles – TS #19 – 3d 18h 35m (12.11mph)
9. Claudio Clarindo (Bra) 1097.20 miles – 3d 20h 14m (11.90mph)
10. Franz Preihs (Aut) 1044.10 miles – TS #18 – 3d 11h 08m (12.56mph)
11. Michael Cook (Usa) 1044.10 miles – 3d 11h 52m (12.45mph)
12. Jim Rees (Gbr) 1044.10 miles – 3d 13h 00m (12.28mph)
13. Richard Newey (Gbr) 1044.10 miles – 3d 14h 39m (12.05mph)
14. Christopher Gottwald/Miles for Mentoring (Usa) 1044.10 miles – 3d 14h 54m (12.01mph)
15. Daniel Rudge (Gbr) 1044.10 miles – 3d 18h 21m (11.56mph)
16. Kevin Kaiser (Usa) 983.20 miles – TS #17 – 3d 16h 37m (11.09mph)
17. Julian Sanz Garcia (Spa) 934.20 miles – TS #16 – 3d 01h 02m (12.79mph)
18. Bill Bradley (Usa) 814.00 miles – TS #14 – 3d 11h 23m (9.76mph)

RAAM Women's Solo
The race is still very tight between the three remaining female soloists. The time differences are experiencing what I'd term a "sleep crescendo": as Janet Christiansen rests, rivals Genovesi and Wooldridge catch up to three and four hours. However, as they then take their breaks, Christiansen’s lead stabilises. It stands at about six hours currently.

1. Janet Christiansen (Usa) 1331.50 miles - TS #22 - 4d 20h 02m (11.30mph)
2. Daniela Genovesi (Bra) 1229.30 miles - TS #20 - 4d 17h 47m (10.8mph)

RAAM Women's Solo 50-59
1. Ann Wooldridge (Gbr) 1140.40 miles - TS #21 - 4d 18h 33m (10.73mph)

RAAM Men's Solo 50-59
Frenchman Dominique Briand continues his good RAAM ride, in first place for solo 50-59. Hermann Bachmann has had a fine day though, maintaining his eight-hour deficit after the heights of New Mexico. However, when he snatches some sleep, the gap will reopen.

1. Dominique Briand (Fra) 983.20 miles - TS #17 - 3d 14h 29m (11.37mph)
2. Hermann Bachmann (Swi) 934.20 miles - TS #16 - 3d 13h 55m (10.87mph)

RAAM Men's Solo 60-69
Oldest soloist Paul Danhaus is still enjoying a game of cat-and-mouse with leading woman Janet Christiansen, which has been going on for days now. He leads her by several hours on the road.

Although he has enjoyed some net descent time sections, Danhaus can be proud that his average speed of 11.72mph is higher than that of the two 50-59 male competitors.

1. Paul Danhaus (Usa) 1311.50 miles - TS #22 - 4d 15h 57m (11.72mph)

RAAM Teams
Yesterday, just after 1200 PDT in Oceanside, CA, the RAAM teams started their race. From philanthropist two-up riders to ultra-competive eight-man teams, they're all on the road to Annapolis. The eight-men will be hoping to average 22mph as they do rapdifire changeovers all the way; it should take the eight winners around five days for the 3,016-mile journey.

RAAM - 8-Person Open
The early pace-setters were Team Type 1. They were on fire, both metaphorically and literally: their main SUV’s catalytic converter set the car on fire as it stopped on dry grass in Arizona, miles after TS #5. Comprising of diabetics, the team narrowly finished second to BMC in 2008 and have come back, vowing to take victory AND break the average speed record. As they entered Prescott, AZ, their average was bang on 25.00mph. One clear challenger is emerging: Team ViaSat, who are 48 minutes in arrears.

Though the race is still young, the other eight-up teams are already averaging 2mph less. The Donate Life teams of Give Hope and Liverators are currently vying for third spot.

1. Team Type 1 369.70 miles – TS #6 – 15h 52m (25.00mph)
2. Team ViaSat 369.70 miles – 16h 40m (23.80mph)
3. Team Donate Life – Give Hope 346.30 miles – TS #5 – 15h 14m (22.73mph)
4. Team Donate Life – Liverators 346.30 miles – 16h 38m (20.82mph)
5. Bike M.A.D 346.30 miles – 17h 19m (20.00mph)
6. Team Vera Bradley 293.70 miles – TS #4 – 15h 16m (19.24mph)
7. Team Type 2 293.70 miles – 15h 20m (19.15mph)
8. The Caledonian Chaing Gang 293.70 miles – 15h 24m (19.07mph)

RAAM - 4-Person Male
Team Surfing USA may be the celebrity outfit in the RAAM pack, but they proved themselves more than equal to the challenge. The quartet, consisting of pro surfer Laird Hamilton, Rage Against The Machine bassist Tim Commerford, Ironman participant Jason Winn and fitness mogul Don Wildman, were provisional leaders through Salome, averaging 24.24mph.

Close rivals within 90 minutes include Team Strong Heart, Team RANS and OC Quattro. With pacing so important, there is still everything to race for with barely 10% of race distance covered; all the standings can still change. An overly-fast start is fatal a few days down the road.

RAAM – 4-Person Male 50-59
Lone 50-59 male quartet Georgia Chain Gang are underway in their race. Heading into Arizona, they were going strong, with a healthy average of 19.34mph as the rolling desert awaited them.

1. Georgia Chain Gang – 293.70 miles – TS #4 – 15h 11m (19.34mph)

RAAM – 4-Person Male 75+
Great Grand PAC Masters continue their fine ride. Now into Kansas, the seventy-year odds have averaged 14.42mph for 1311.50 miles.

1. Great Grand PAC Masters 1311.50 miles – TS #22 – 3d 18h 58m (14.42mph)

RAAM 4-Person Mixed
Things are very tight in the early stages for the four-person mixed teams. Going through Congress, Arizona, the leading two teams were separated by just 23 minutes.

1. All Wheels 4 Fibromyalgia 346.30 miles – TS #5 – 16h 25m (21.09mph)
2. Team Human Science 346.30 miles – 16h 48m (20.61mph)
3. Sami’s Team 293.70 miles – TS #4 – 15h 15m (19.26mph)

RAAM 4-Person Mixed 50-59
Lone mixed 50-59 team Buchholz goes America have started their RAAM adventure well; their speed would currently put them comfortably mid-table in the four-person male standings.

1. Buccholz goes America – 346.30 miles – TS #5 – 17h 21m (19.96mph)

RAAM 2-Person Male
Adventures for the Cure have taken the initiative over rivals E-HUB TEAM, going through Congress 1h 12 minutes faster. However, an advantage like that can easily be wiped out by a few bad hours of cycling. It will be interesting to see how the battle between these pairs plays out in the coming days.

E-HUB TEAM has a fine pedigree: it comprises of Slovenians Erik Rosenstein and Tomas Percic, who won the two-man challenge with Marko Baloh in RAAM 2008.

1. Adventures for the Cure 346.30 miles – TS #5 – 15h 12m (22.78mph)
2. E-HUB TEAM 346.30 miles – 16h 24m (21.12mph)

RAAM 2-Person 50-59
1. Team Reaching Heights 293.70 miles – TS #4 – 15h 10m (19.36mph)

RAAM 2-Person Mixed
1. SpinVox Adventures 293.70 miles – TS #4 – 16h 37m (17.68mph)

Race Across the West
For all but two brave women soloists, the Race Across the West is over for 2009. The other competitors, whether solo or in a team, have crossed the line after almost four days of arduous cycling.

RAW – Men’s Solo
It’s a case of last man standing in the men’s solo race. After Joe Mann called it quits after the twelfth time station, it was down to Dallas Morris to make it to the finish in Taos and take the title. The Canadian slowed considerably as he went through Colorado, and there was slight doubt that he would make the time cut. However, Morris powered through the pain to reach Taos in just under four days. What a ride.

1st Dallas Morris (Can) 1044.10 miles – TS #18 – 3d 18h 37m (11.52mph)
DNF Joe Mann (Usa) 719.10 miles – TS #12 – 2d 10h 30m (12.29mph)
DNF Mike Wilson (Usa) 491.10 miles – TS #8 – 1d 17h 50m (11.74mph)
DNFTim Richardson (Gbr) 346.30 miles – TS #5 – 1d 03h 15m (12.71mph)

RAW – Women’s Solo
Leslie Holton and Jennifer Swaney are battling through Durango and Pagosa Springs on towards Taos. Holton has cemented a lead of around six hours. With 150 miles to go, it will be a case of trying to block out the intense pain and fatigue and making it to New Mexico.

1. Leslie Holton (Usa) 679.50 miles – TS #11 – 2d 18h 02m (10.29mph)
2. Jennifer Swaney (Usa) 634.80 miles – TS #10 - 2d 18h 21m (9.57mph)

RAW - Men's Solo 50-59
DNF Gary Johnson (Usa) 437.90 miles - TS #7 - 1d 11h 50m (12.22mph)
DNF John Caton (Usa) 346.30 miles - TS #5 - 23h 39m (14.64mph)

RAW – Women’s Solo 50-59
DNFLinda Guerette (Usa) 232.60 miles – TS #3 – 15h 50m (14.69mph)

RAW – 2-Person Male
(See yesterday's daily wrap-up)
1. RAO – GVHBikes 1044.10 miles – TS #18 – 2d 10h 56m (17.72mph)
DNF Team Wisconsin – TS #6 – 1d 2h 14m (15.12mph)

RAW – 2-Person Female
Team Project Athena are the 2009 RAW 2-person female winners, crossing the line in Taos after 2 days 22 hours and 1 minute. However, respect must go to second-placed finishers Team Fitista, who came back superbly in the last day and a half to almost snatch victory, finishing just under two hours behind.

RAW – 4-Person Male
Even closer was the battle between Wildcats Four Brett and Bicycle's John. In the final section, the Wildcats just upped their pace to consolidate a victory by 1h 29 minutes. A fine effort by both teams.

1. Wildcats Four Brett 1044.10 miles – TS #18 – 2d 20h 56m (15.15mph)
2. Bicycle’s John 1044.10 miles – 2d 22h 25m (14.83mph)