JANET CHRISTIANSEN A DNF: “Disappointed, but wants to be able to ride another day.”

Vic Armijo / Somewhere West of Prescott, AZ

This morning at 5:00 a.m. RAAM Headquarters took a call that ended women’s age 50+ racer Janet Christiansen’s third RAAM. “She was one who made the call,” reported HQ Director Barbara Franklin, “She was within 20 miles of Time Station #7 (Prescott, AZ). Christiansen asked that her DNF not be posted immediately to the RAAM website, “She wanted to be the one to tell her crew,” Franklin said.

I spoke with her crew chief, Bill Osborn, “It was exhaustion and dehydration from yesterday,” he said, referring to Wednesday’s 100+ degree temperatures in the deserts of California and Arizona. “And having a lot of problems with her knee,” he said, referring t an old injury that had bothered her some during RAAM ’09. “It was fine at the start but at the end of the first day she was feeling it,” he said, “And by this morning she was just done and didn’t feel like she wanted to jeapordize her knees and her cycling future.”

Actually Christiansen’s RAAM 2011 may not quite be over. She still wants to be on the course and be part of RAAM and is talking with RAAM organizers about riding along with an official and possibly being “deputized” as an official herself.

Janet’s RAAM record is now three starts, 2 DNFs and 1 2^nd place. It’s always tough to see a rider drop out, but in light of her issues it seems that she made the right decision. We in RAAM Media 1 salute you Janet.