The Santa Barbara-based Team Kalyra Women’s Cycling pedaled into Annapolis, Maryland early Sunday morning, marking the end of the 3,000-mile Race Across America that the four women began a week earlier in Oceanside, California.
Jill Gass, Avalon Jenkins-Balker, Lisa Tonello, and Sonia Ross finished first in the 50-59 age group. All four riders knew what to expect, having competed in past years.
The quartet covered 3,005 miles of ground in seven days, 10 hours and 35 minutes. The course took the riders from the start in Southern California across Arizona through Flagstaff, before adjusting slightly north to move through southern Colorado and Durango on the way towards middle America.
Kalyra crossed into Kansas shortly after the 72-hour mark. Another 72 hours and the team had traveled 2558 miles all the way to Athens, Ohio. A day later, the riders had cut through West Virginia and a portion of Maryland to make it to Hanover, Pennslyvania. The final 90 miles to Annapolis was knocked out in six hours as the team crossed the finish line just before 4 a.m. local time.
Race Across America is considered much more grueling than a traditional “stage” race because there are no breaks. A team or individual’s time is continuously measured from the starting gate to the finish line.
