RACE ACROSS AMERICA NOTEBOOK : Raposo Earns Replay of Savannah Celebration

It was Nancy Raposo’s turn for a Savannah-style welcome Wednesday night.

Raposo of Newport, R.I., pedaled into Rousakis Plaza at 7:06 p.m. (PDT) to win the women’s division of the Race Across America in 10 days, 10 hours and 6 minutes.

A crowd of curious passersby, several TV crews and newspaper reporters were on hand to watch Raposo finish the 2,922-mile race from Irvine to Savannah. It was a scene similar, though a bit smaller, to that which Bob Fourney, the men’s winner, experienced early Tuesday morning.

Raposo, 33, was one of two veterans in the field of six women riders. In 1988, she finished third. This year, Raposo was the first woman and 16th finisher overall.

Cheryl Marek of Seattle, the other RAAM veteran, passed time station No. 43 at Tuskegee, Ala., at 7 p.m. (PDT), in second place. Michelle Grainger of Portland, Ore., was in Uniontown, Ala., at 5:58 p.m.

Marek had 365.4 miles left to ride and Grainger 488.9.

Jim Penseyres of San Juan Capistrano had fewer than 100 miles left to ride at 9 p.m. (PDT). He passed Reidsville, Ga., 82.6 miles from Savannah, at 7:02 p.m.

He is in 17th place. Because he’ll finish more than 48 hours behind Fourney, Penseyres will be considered an unofficial finisher.

Wednesday’s finishers with finishing times (EDT): Al Muldoon of St. Joseph, Mich., 1:05 a.m. in fourth place; Darrell Bowles (Tempe, Ariz.), 8:14 a.m.; Rick Kent (Houston), 9:17 a.m.; David Kees (Auburn, Calif.), 10:15 a.m.; Mike White (Cincinnati), 12:50 p.m.; Todd Mumbauer (Butte, Mont.), 1:22 p.m.; Tom Seabourne (Mt. Pleasant, Tex.), 3:30 p.m.; David Meridith (Downers Grove, Ill.), 4:01 p.m.; David Tysen (Ludlow, Vt.), 5:30 p.m. Phillippe Vetterli (Birmendorf, Switzerland), 7:18 p.m; Les Drake (Carpenteria, Calif.), 9:12 p.m.; Terry Wilson (Indianapolis), 9:37 p.m.