RACE ACROSS AMERICA NOTEBOOK : Muldoon Tunes Up for Challenge of Open Road

Al Muldoon is a classical music fan and the Race Across America offers him plenty of chance to broaden his repertoire.

As the 34-year-old electrical engineer from St. Joseph, Mich., was seen going down the backroads of West Texas, his arms conducted with an imaginary baton music being played over a speaker on the top of his van.

But not everyone along the road seems to enjoy Muldoon’s musical taste.

“The cows don’t like Beethoven,” said Jim Muldoon, Al’s brother and crew chief. “They like the Doobie Brothers and Boston.”

A bit later, the crew switched to the Doobies, and a horse looked up.

“See, even the horses like this better,” Jim told Al.

After that, it was back to the matter of the race for Muldoon, who is in third of the men’s division. He was eighth last year.

Almost seven hours up in front, Rob Kish of Port Orange, Fla., continues to streak forward in the lead. He and Bob Fourney of Denver were the only riders to pass through Corsicana, Tex., by 9 p.m. (PDT).

Kish came through at 7:05 p.m. and was near Athens, Tex., 1,883 miles into the race as of 9 p.m. (PDT).

Kish was riding easily in the heat, as he moves along with his shirt off in the 85-degree, humid Texas night.

Six days into the race, Kish has become the first male rider to lead for two consecutive days.

Fourney is second, 1 hour 52 minutes behind the leader. Rich Fedrigon of Chicago is fourth. Kish, Fourney, Muldoon and Fedrigon have traded off in the top four spots for the past three days.

Jim Penseyres of San Juan Capistrano is in 10th place, about 350 miles in back of first.

The women’s field was reduced to four riders Friday when Kay Ryschon of Omaha, Neb., retired in Trinidad, Colo., because of a hyper extended neck muscles. Ryschon led most of the first two days.

Nancy Reposo of Newport, R.I., led for the second consecutive day. She was near Cone, Tex., the mid-point of the race at 9 p.m. (PDT) Friday.

Cheryl Mack of Seattle is second, more than 100 miles behind and Michelle Grainger of Portland, Ore., who is in third, 150 miles out of the lead.

The men’s tandem division was reduced to one team Friday when Lon Haldeman of Harvard, Ill., and Pete Penseyres of Fallbrook had to withdraw. Penseyres suffered from saddle sores and altitude sickness most of Thursday.

Penseyres and Haldeman had each won the individual RAAM twice, and were trying to break the tandem record they set in last year’s RAAM. The pair made it across the country in 7 days 14 hours 55 minutes.

Bob Breedlove of Des Moines, Iowa and Roger Charleville of Cincinnati now will chase the record. They are 1,497 miles into the race in Post, Tex., where Post Cereals were started. The tandem race started Monday, a day after the individuals race began.

Lacy Atkins contributed to this story.

RACE ACROSS AMERICA, AUG.10 STATUS:

Temperature: 95 degrees

Conditions: partly cloudy, afternoon thundershowers

Leader: Rob Kish, 35, of Port Orange, Fla.

Location: Athens, Texas, 1,883 miles into the race.