CYCLING RACE ACROSS AMERICA : Defending Champion Fourney Has One-Hour Lead on Kish

Bob Fourney of Denver continues to lead the Race Across America as riders completed one week of the cross-county bicycle race that started July 27 in Irvine.

Fourney, the defending champion, had passed through Uniontown, Ala., at 5:26 p.m. (PDT) Saturday, according to race headquarters. Uniontown is 2,443 miles into the 2,930-mile race. If Fourney continues his current pace of 13.8 m.p.h. and 332 miles per day, he is expected to reach the finish line in Savannah, Ga., about 4:30 a.m. Monday.

Rob Kish of Port Orange, Fla., continues in second place, having made up about 40 minutes in the past day. He is an hour behind Fourney, having passed through Uniontown at 6:27 p.m. Fourney took the lead Tuesday in the mountains of his native Colorado and Kish has been in second place since.

Fourney and Kish finished first and second last year.

In the women’s division, Cathy Ellis of Cambridge, Mass., continues to lead and appears to be on her way to a wire-to-wire victory. Ellis rode past Stephenville, Tex., at 4:51 p.m., 1,754 miles into the race. She is averaging 10 m.p.h. and 239 miles per day. Ellis is expected to arrive in Savannah, Ga., Thursday evening.

The mixed tandem team of Cherie and Tom Moore of Orange reached Stephenville at 5:19 p.m.

The tandem team of Lon Haldeman of Harvard, Ill., and Tom McKenna of Capron, Ill., dropped out of the race Saturday because McKenna is suffering from heat exhaustion.