Race Across AMerica : Secrest Extends His Advantage to Two Hours

Mike Secrest of Flint, Mich. continued to lead the Race Across AMerica bicycle competition Monday night, as he passed through the checkpoint in Navajo, Ariz. at 6:15 p.m. PDT, more than two hours ahead of the second-place rider.

Secrest, a professional cyclist, took advantage of a strong tailwind to ride out of the blistering Arizona desert and into the cooler northern Arizona mountains.

Lon Haldeman of Harvard, Ill. moved to second. Haldeman passed through Navajo at 8:38 p.m. PDT. The two cyclists were among the 25 riders who started Sunday morning from the Huntington Beach Pier. Haldeman overtook Jonathan Boyer of Pebble Beach, who was two minutes out of second place. Michael Shermer of Hollywood was in fourth and passed through the Navajo checkpoint at 9:08 p.m. PDT.

Rob Tempelin of San Diego, the United States Cycling Federation’s Southern California Best All-Around Rider in 1980, was in fifth, up a place from Sunday. He is about 65 miles behind Shermer.

Dwight Callaway, 39, of Denver, N.C. had dropped out of the race suffering from heat exhaustion, but returned and was in 23rd place. Meanwhile, the heat claimed another rider Monday as a racer dropped out in Blythe, Calif.

Jim Penseyres of San Juan Capistrano moved up to 13th place, approximately 115 miles behind the leader. Penseyres is a Vietnam veteran who lost his left leg when he stepped on a land mine. Dennis Brock of Costa Mesa remained in 16th place late Monday night.

The leading woman, Shelby Hayden-Clifton of Greensboro N.C., is in eight place overall.