‘Lightning’ Bike Team Drops Out Near End of Cross-Country Race

A team of bicyclists that included a San Juan Capistrano man zipped to victory after departing Orange County last weekend in the first cross-country test of high-tech bikes.

Another team, featuring Seal Beach bike shop owner Greg Miller, abandoned the race Thursday with about 130 miles to go, despite leading most of the way.

Led by ultra-endurance cycling champ Pete Penseyres of Fallbrook and his brother, James, of San Juan Capistrano, the four-man squad took turns piloting a bike named Lightning to the finish line in New York City’s Battery Park, covering the 3,000-mile race course in 5 days, 1 hour and 8 minutes.

The team, riding the bike Gold Rush America, was passed by Lightning on Thursday morning and then took a wrong turn onto a heavily traveled highway in Pennsylvania. The team members decided to pull out because of concerns for their safety in the traffic, according to Trisha Nerney, a spokeswoman for the Race Across America.

Long a test of endurance for cyclists on traditional bikes, the Race Across America this year introduced a new division for such high-tech vehicles as Lightning and Gold Rush America. Pete Penseyres won the endurance test twice before switching to the “human-powered vehicle” division this year.