11 Days 5 Hours 8 Mins

Daniel has finished, he was able to walk and talk and seemed more or less the same as 12 days ago...dare I say it I think he gained some weight!!! Alice has been feeding him at 15 minute intervals and he looks great on it! He consumed 93,000 calories on RAAM...

So now he's selling the bikes, buying a boat and moving on...

Dan has the bit between his teeth and has been cycling since 5am with one aim, to finish today. It looks like he'll make it somewhere between 9 and 10:30. The RV has arrived in Annapolis with some of the crew, we'lll make our way to finish line and greet them when they come in. Happy Birthday to crew member Anne for today. I have a strange feeling celebrating the race and celebrating birthdays may be put on hold until tomorrow.

After the usual 6 hour break Daniel started his final cycle (final for a week or so at least!) this morning. It's 8am (EDT) and he has 180 miles to go. He wants to finish today so all going well he should pull in to Annapolis between 8pm and midnight...

Daniel had a fantastic day on Saturday. He is still smiling and still peddaling!!. Pauline left on Saturday to fly to Annapolis to be there at the finish line. I am sure quite a few of us all wish we were there too!!

Communication with the crew is dwindling as they concentrate on the matter in hand and as the cell coverage is patchy at best. A text message this morning was the only contact in the last 18 hours. Daniel is cycling well, still in the foothills before the Appalacians. Unlike some of the other racers who are in "zombie" mode now through lack of sleep Daniel is acting as normal, chatting etc.

Day 10

Daniel is going well although he's feeling tired at the moment...surprisingly enough. He started strongly this morning, has had a bit of a dip but has had a rest and some food and is on his way again. I noticed on some other racer's blogs that now that the heat is on the sleep is greatly reduced until they finish on Saturday/Sunday or Monday. Daniel is going to continue as usual tonight and tomorrow night, he wants to finish in good time but more importantly in good shape. He has just over 500 miles to go. The Appalacians are coming up tomorrow. One advantage, going through this tough section is that he has done most of it before when he cycled in an 8-person RAAM team in 2007.

Day 9 - 1am

8 1/2 days in and still smiling

Avoiding saddle sores!

Daniel has stopped for the night, planning on the usual 5-6 hour break. He started the day feeling low both physically and mentally. The combination of Hammer Electrolytes and good crew "chat" has meant he has gone from strength to strength during the day, starting the day in recovery mode from yesterday's "crash" and finishing with a 20mph climb up as hill...as you do. He sounded great, the crew has been reading him all the comments from the blog and it has really spurred him on. He's feeling very confident about the next few days...and as he says he only has 700 miles to go.