Trans Am Bike Race / TransAm / TABR

I mean, whats's an official record? If it's what Nathan says, then any crossing roughly following the route would count he's so chill about it all. You have to detour sometimes as roads are closed, if it's a minor detour then I think it shouldn't impact the record but if the detour, say, cut out a whole mountain pass or important segment or whatever then it'd be questionable. I'm not sure what Tour Divide rules are on this but I know they asterisk any records that were set when detours happened - I just don't know if they have a threshold for "detour" on that.
I reckon, so long as you're mostly on the required route and the detour was unavoidable due to road closure then it's a record.

He's about to head into the rollers in Missouri so his lead will likely reduce while the others are on the flat (pending wind direction/strength).

Lead now up to 443 miles that Abdullah's in the 'rollers'. No idea if the others have a headwind.

Omar's nearly caught Keith (but may stop at Newton, which Keith has already passed, so perhaps he was resting there).

Lea's riding among six riders who are quite close together and is currently lying in fifth.

+30mi, after 2nd place just had 6hr stop at Newton.

Abdullah's lead has shrunk to a shocking 350 miles. I imagine he's just had a good rest, though.

He'll be getting the Cave-in-Rock ferry today.

Lea's back in 11th after briefly being overtaken by someone yesterday. I think Jennifer Ziel has made up a few places and is now in 15th. There's about a 200 mile gap between Lea's lot and Jennifer's, though.

Abdullah's lead has shrunk to a shocking 350 miles.

#hippyisalwaysright

He's heading into fkndog territory.

Lead creeping up again, 360 miles.

#hippyisalwayswrong

It'll probably drop again if Abdullah has to wait for the ferry.

#hippyisalwaysright

Creeping up, doesn't mean it didn't fall.

#hippyisalwaysright

Intrigued by the ultra distance races; interesting that the leader (AZ) seemed to smash a 400 miles gap in the field very early on and is simply maintaining that gap rather than increasing it (even taking into consideration elevation/rest fluctuations). Does this suggest he's perhaps not maximised his superiority and could have more slowly generated an even more considerable gap in the amount of time that's elapsed this far?

He’s based the strategy on Kristof A’s of getting a healthy lead and just doing the same as second place.

He could have done more maybe but Keith etc haven’t pushed him.

I’m currently riding the route in the opposite direction and now in Afton, VA. Any suggestions for something nice to do for AZ and any of the others as they pass? Was thinking of leaving some snacks by the side of the road but not sure he’d stop...

He didnt just smash open a lead. He gradually opened it over a week.
Hes probebrly still going as hard as before. However hes fatiguing so his speed is lower thus his initial advantage (speed) has been reduced.

Kristof doesnt aim to open a lead early on, hes just faster and better disciplined so happens to open a lead.

Do not assist racers. That's support.

Just write a message on the road to all racers, or stand and cheers.

Giving racers food is support.

Yeah, irregular catch ups probably confused me confusion/distortion; more that he rather suddenly stopped building a lead and immediately went to maintaining it. Like I said, first real interest/perusal if such a race and find it fascinating - as @Thrasher said, if different circumstances could probably lead by more it just struck me as an interesting tactic that possibly didn't utilise, to it's absolute maximum, his enormous ability (basing it no knowledge of cycle racing whatsoever!) of that was his aim

Oh shit yeah of course! Now I feel dumb... will write a message as suggested

His lead has gone up again ... to 468 miles (while Keith is resting, although Abdullah now seems to be resting, too).

He may be fatiguing, but probably not as much as the others. :)

He seemed to go very slowly up to the Cave-in-Rock ferry for a while--did that have anything to do with ferry timings?

I don’t want to cause any trouble/start a fight, but how is it not ok to give riders food but acceptable to give them your brake pads as I believe happened to you on the HT550?

My guess from the start is that AZ has been riding his own race. At one of the early well known stops he didn't need a thing from them. Reminds me of Evan, I think AZ's had that record as his marker and hasn't given second place a thought.

Outside

A person that knows about the race and riders, finding them to specifically give them food; clearly support and private assistance.

A random guy outside a shop that knows nothing about the racer or rider, who enquires what a fellow cyclists issue is. And without being asked, offers to give their own brake pads to said rider. Not support, but just lucky coincidence.

Hopefully you can see the difference.

I can see the difference but I would definitely say it’s a grey area at best. They cannot offer the same support to other riders and the rules state-

Only use commercial services that are available to all challengers - no private resupply, no private lodging

Given that I'm involved I'll let someone else explain it.

I'm black and white and a lot harder on these things than most, and this was legit.
The point is anyone else could have been there at that moment in time and had that opportunity. I didnt ask for, or seek it out. Some people call it trail magic, but I don't like that. It's just beautiful circumstance. As an aside, had this guy know about me, or the race I would not have taken the pads. But my tracker was off and he didnt have a clue.
Where as someone that came to meet me, to give me brake pads, is clearly private resupply. As would be a dotwatcher coming out to give a rider food. I will never take food from dotwatchers as it is private resupply.
Sometimes you just get a bit of luck. And if theres any unfair thought, I'd just spend 16 hours sitting around because of the issue. So I'd already been self penalised pretty reasonably.

Keith Morical went off course between Chester and Perryville last night for about three hours--was he following the original route and hadn't got the memo about the re-routing?

https://trackleaders.com/transam19i.php?name=Keith_Morical

He is just approaching the ferry (seems to be resting in Elizabethtown), with Abdullah still more than 450 miles ahead. Lea still in 11th, with Jennifer Ziel about 200 miles behind her.

Apart from Omar's early heat-enforced rest and subsequent catch-up, this has so far been a remarkably consistent and even race.

483 miles at the moment. Never an exact science with irregular tracker updates. Keith seems to have lost a bit of time because of the ferry (as did Abdullah, I think), which Omar's approaching at the moment.

Not much change further back, just the usual small position changes. Lea in 12th, with Jennifer 200 miles behind her.

Only about 500 miles to go for Abdullah.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ADN1lLEp3H0

Well, he's going like a train ...