British ultra-cyclist Mike Hall has won the inaugural edition of the Trans Am Bike Race after riding more than 4,000 miles self-supported from Astoria, Oregon to Yorktown, Virginia.
The 33-year-old from Harrogate took slightly more than two and a half weeks to cover the coast-to-coast route, arriving at the finish a little after midnight and taking to Twitter to express his relief at completing it.
Finally done at 00:30 this morning. Trans Am has no more unridden miles to taunt me with. Phew.
— Mike Hall (@Normally_Human) June 25, 2014
Hall rode a total distance of 4,406 miles at an average moving speed of 13.1 miles per hour. While that’s slower than the 14.0 miles an hour currently posted by second placed Jason Lane, who still has around 170 miles to go, Hall took shorter breaks than the Canadian – spending an additional 27 hours in the saddle.
In third place at the moment is 23-year-old Briton Ed Pickup from Salisbury, who is more than 400 miles from the finish, but 240 miles ahead of what is turning out to be a close battle for fourth place being led – just – by the leading woman in the race, round-the-world Guinness World Record holder, Juliana Buhring.
You can find out more information on the race and track riders’ progress on its website as well as through its Facebook group.
Simon has been news editor at road.cc since 2009, reporting on 10 editions and counting of pro cycling’s biggest races such as the Tour de France, stories on issues including infrastructure and campaigning, and interviewing some of the biggest names in cycling. A law and languages graduate, published translator and former retail analyst, his background has proved invaluable in reporting on issues as diverse as cycling-related court cases, anti-doping investigations, and the bike industry. He splits his time between London and Cambridge, and loves taking his miniature schnauzer Elodie on adventures in the basket of her Elephant Bike.