Day 3 - Friday 12 September

8:30 am - Five riders headed out from Byers overnight, and four of them have now made it to the finish: Ken Bonner, Larry Ide, Tom Knoblauch, and John Schlitter. Cold, at times drenching, rains have moved in with a cold front, and accompanied these riders for most or all of those final 103 miles. They arrived in various states of chills, sogginess, and general rough condition, but they can be proud of their performances!

10:30 am - Atwood-to-Idalia is beset by heavy rains and reduced visibility, temps in the low 50's ("Just like PBP'07," Charlie Henderson points out, as he patrols that stretch).

1:23 pm - Things are brightening up. The showers are thinning out and some places even have sun peeking through. Half a dozen riders in two groups headed out from Byers late morning.

And here's a heartwarming story: Charlie reports that nine cold and soggy riders descended on the cafe in Idalia this morning. The proprietors gave them blankets and dried their clothes while they ate. Now that's small town spirit!

Ken Bonner, who bested his previous finishing times (in 2002, 2004, 2005, and 2006) despite "100km of drenching rain" at the finish, felt conditions on balance were very favorable, at least for the Last Chance! He reminded me that 2006 had a big tailwind going out, which was better than nothing, oh, and no storms to speak of, so he'd been happy about that. This year, Ken had a similar tailwind outbound, tailwind on much of the return, cool temps ideal for cycling, and limited troublesomely strong sun. So he's not complaining about a few soggy hours at the end.

3:16 pm - Leslie Sutton reports from Byers: "I'm back at my coin op washer 'desk'. Roberto [Trevisan] and [Vincent Muoneke] are in excellent spirits after hot showers and hot food. They arrived at 13:05 and just departed at 14:35 as the sun started peaking out of the clouds and warming us up. Roberto reports that the drivers here are very courteous and the smooth roads are a treat. Jim [Solanick]'s clothes are hanging on the pipes in here (utility room) and they are just about dry, so I think he wil be on his way soon as well."

Note: I've added Leslie's photo of Roberto Trevisan departing Byers to the Flickr group photo pool.

7:15 pm - The next four riders have now come in, riding together and showing lots of camaraderie: Henk Bouhuyzen, Tim Feldman, Catherine Shenk, and Dick Wiss. The weather has brightened up ahead of schedule, making for a scenic finish with the sun setting over the cloud-bedecked Front Range. As Henk, Catherine, and Dick registered with the UMCA as aspirants to be RAAM qualified, they are now. A strong performance and congratulations!

-jle