Press ReleaseFebruary 23, 2007 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Contact: Brett Walker
Phone: 603-648-2899
Fax: 603-648-6647
info@teamwalker07.com NH Cyclist Wins 24-Hour Florida Bike Race Most Granite Staters fly to Florida in February to escape the New England winter and lay on the beach. Salisbury, New Hampshire cyclist Brett Walker flew there to see how far he could pedal a bicycle in 24 hours. 467.5 miles, as it turned out - more than enough to win the 24-hour non-drafting division (yes, bikes sometimes draft like race cars) of the Sebring 12/24 ultra-cycling competition - so named because much of it takes place on the internationally-famous Sebring International Speedway. Pedaling past lakes, orange groves, and grazing cattle by day, and on a racetrack lit with blinking red lights by night, cyclists were buffeted by 10-15 mph winds throughout the race. These, together with a sub-freezing start and a late-race downpour, caused Walker to barely miss breaking the 40-44 age group record for the course. But the less than ideal conditions (decidedly unsuitable for sunbathing) did not stop him from blowing away the competition, outdistancing his closest rival by a whopping 30 miles. Walker's Sebring racetrack victory, convincing as it was, was not an end in itself, however; it was a chance for him to assess his mid-winter fitness and rev up for the upcoming Race Across America (RAAM). The 26th edition of RAAM, dubbed "the world's toughest bicycle race", will begin on June 10 in Oceanside, California and finish over 3,000 miles away in Atlantic City, New Jersey. After victories in Sebring and the Adirondack 540 in September - the second in record time - Walker has proven himself a strong contender for the prestigious and arduous transcontinental race. He will attempt to be the first NH cyclist to complete RAAM in the grueling solo division. | 