Sebring, Florida: A record number of Cruzbike racers, seven, turned up to race on February 13-14 at one of the most popular races in the world that allow recumbents to compete. Approximately 1 out of 3 recumbent racers were on a Cruzbike.
In the 24-hour non-drafting RAAM qualifier, Ben Tomblin placed first among three recumbent racers with a very solid 464.3 miles.
In the 12-hour race, Kevin Gambill put in an astounding 276.6 miles, which not only took first place but broke the long-standing recumbent course record set by John Schlitter (269.5 miles) in 2006. In addition, he set the OVERALL course record including the 271.4 mile record set by Kurt Searvogel on a standard bike. Kevin hasn’t even been riding his V20 very long. Last year he came in third place with 257.0 miles on a RWD recumbent.
Larry Oslund was on a great pace in the same race for the first 100 miles, but had a tire blowout and he wrecked (again!), dislocating his shoulder. Larry came back to the track after his visit to the ER to check on his Cruzbike team mates. What a guy.
Paul Gagnon came in 3rd place (of 5 racers) in his age-group, with 187.2 miles. I was helping crew at one point in the afternoon when he pulled up with a muscle cramp in his left calf. I was very impressed that he was able to keep going. Paul is also relatively new to the Cruzbike, but doing great on it.
Hardy Swinson did 5:05:01 in the 101.5 miles Century event, which is especially impressive because he had to stop for two flats.
Maria Parker decided to race the 12-hour event event on a Silvio S30, to showcase that you can still be quite fast on a bike designed for comfort. The suspended bike took her 241.5 miles, despite stopping a few times along the way to chat with people. Her mileage was still good enough for 2nd place overall among the women.
I placed 2nd overall in the Century event, finishing in 4:14:51. That time was 40 seconds slower than last year, but I missed a turn this year, and had to stop for a red light.
That's my quick wrap-up of a great weekend of Cruzbike racing. It was great to see old Cruzbike friends, and meet new ones.
Jim
In the 24-hour non-drafting RAAM qualifier, Ben Tomblin placed first among three recumbent racers with a very solid 464.3 miles.
In the 12-hour race, Kevin Gambill put in an astounding 276.6 miles, which not only took first place but broke the long-standing recumbent course record set by John Schlitter (269.5 miles) in 2006. In addition, he set the OVERALL course record including the 271.4 mile record set by Kurt Searvogel on a standard bike. Kevin hasn’t even been riding his V20 very long. Last year he came in third place with 257.0 miles on a RWD recumbent.
Larry Oslund was on a great pace in the same race for the first 100 miles, but had a tire blowout and he wrecked (again!), dislocating his shoulder. Larry came back to the track after his visit to the ER to check on his Cruzbike team mates. What a guy.
Paul Gagnon came in 3rd place (of 5 racers) in his age-group, with 187.2 miles. I was helping crew at one point in the afternoon when he pulled up with a muscle cramp in his left calf. I was very impressed that he was able to keep going. Paul is also relatively new to the Cruzbike, but doing great on it.
Hardy Swinson did 5:05:01 in the 101.5 miles Century event, which is especially impressive because he had to stop for two flats.
Maria Parker decided to race the 12-hour event event on a Silvio S30, to showcase that you can still be quite fast on a bike designed for comfort. The suspended bike took her 241.5 miles, despite stopping a few times along the way to chat with people. Her mileage was still good enough for 2nd place overall among the women.
I placed 2nd overall in the Century event, finishing in 4:14:51. That time was 40 seconds slower than last year, but I missed a turn this year, and had to stop for a red light.
That's my quick wrap-up of a great weekend of Cruzbike racing. It was great to see old Cruzbike friends, and meet new ones.
Jim
