alan@mtxinu.UUCP (Alan Tobey) (07/23/85)
We're having some difficulty getting "official" results from the RAAM organizers, but here's another update from our intrepid reporter Vance Vaughan along the route: As of 9 AM on Tuesday, July 23, the leaders have passed into New Mexico from Arizona, heading for Gallup and Albuquerque. Yesterday's higher altitudes around Flagstaff brought cooler weather (high 80s), with about the same expected today. After 36-48 hours on their bikes, the riders have begun taking sleep breaks, typically of about 2 hours. Michael Secrest is still the leader. A USA Today story today says he'd consulted a sleep-deprivation study center to determine how little he could sleep without hallucinating -- he's shooting for two hours a day. Last year he publicly (and rather mean-spiritedly) blamed his second-place finish on his crew letting him get 7 hours sleep at a crucial point in the race -- though he finished far more than 7 hours off winner Pete Pensayres' time. Last year he was unable to continue his fast early pace, but he has trained seriously for this year's RAAM. About 40 minutes behind Secrest is Jonathan Boyer. Perhaps another half-hour back are Lon Haldeman and Michael Schermer, riding fairly close together (RAAM rules prohibit riders from actually accompanying each other more than briefly). A surprising fifth is Sue Notorangelo, well ahead of the majority of the men in the race. Shelby Hayden-Clifton is 7th, and Elaine Mariolle is about 12th. All of the first dozen or more are still in contention. Places should begin to shift more dramatically as the riders begin to take serious rests. And as Pete Pensayres said last year, "the race really begins at the Mississippi."