Austrian Christoph Strasser wins the Race Across America

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Christoph Strasser, of Austria, earned his 2nd Race Across America solo win Wednesday, reaching Annapolis in a record time of 7 days, 22 hours and 11 minutes. His average speed for the 2989-mile bicycle race from Oceanside, California, was 15.56 mph, besting the 27-year-old record set by Pete Penseyres.

After nearly 3,000 miles, record-breaking bike ride ends in Annapolis
By Jonathan Pitts, The Baltimore Sun
8:53 p.m. EDT, June 19, 2013

Somewhere on a lonely road in Kansas, about halfway through his 2,989.5-mile bicycle trek across the United States, Christoph Strasser, a 30-year-old former bike messenger, made a decision.

He wouldn’t simply win the Race Across America, the famously grueling coast-to-coast ultra-marathon cycling competition now in its 32nd year. He would break its long-standing record for speed.

When he crossed the finish line Wednesday at Annapolis City Dock, grimacing and holding high the red-and-white flag of his native Austria, Strasser achieved both goals.

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