The world comes through Fort Scott

Supporters of the Race Across America gather Monday evening at the Hudecek-Ashwill residence, 21 N. Caldwell, which serves as Time Station 30. The local family opens up their home as a hospitality and information center for competitors, their support teams, and fans of the race.

Scott Nuzum/Tribune

As competitors, their support teams, media and fans travel across the country during the Race Across America cross-country bicycle race, many anticipate stopping at Time Station 30.

The Hudecek-Ashwill family has once again opened up their home at 21 N. Caldwell not only as a check-in point for the races, but as a hospitality and information stop. TS 30 has been dubbed “The Rejuvenation Station” for this reason.

Martin and Kristi Hudecek-Ashwill and their sons, Martin and Adam Ashwill, were the first along the coast-to-coast route to offer up their house as a rest stop. They provide food and water provided by local sponsors, a screen where everyone can check on the progress of the riders, Snow Cones, and even a place for anyone who needs to snooze for a bit.

Even competitors who were not able to finish, such as Norway’s Coop “Johnny” Stausholm, who had to pull out of the race shortly after passing Time Station 10 in Tuba City, Ariz., still made their way to Fort Scott to check in to show their appreciation and to visit for a while.

Jeremy Rider, one of the volunteers at the Fort Scott Time Station, escorts Svata Bozak and his support team to the station while holding the flag of the Czech Republic. Bozak is competing in the Solo Male division.

Scott Nuzum/Tribune

Racers began to pass through late Saturday night as Solo Men’s leader Christoph Strasser of Austria passed through at a breakneck pace. On Monday night, the RAAM website showed he was already in Indiana while no one else had yet left the state of Missouri. As of Tuesday evening, when this was being written, Strasser had passed TS 44 at Athens, Ohio, while the second-place rider, Mark Pattinson of the United Kingdom, was over 400 miles behind at TS 37 in Effingham, Ill.

Solo women’s leader Sarah Cooper of the United States, made a short rest stop at a local motel Monday evening then stopped at the time station on her way out to greet the Ashwills. Adam, the younger son, has become a fan of hers and she wanted to make sure to stop and visit.

Anyone who wants to know anything about the race just needs to ask Adam, who follows the race as closely as anyone.

Almost every solo rider, male or female, has already passed through Fort Scott. Over the course of the next two days, the team competitors will be passing through. There are two-rider, four-rider and eight-rider teams. The soloists left the starting line at Oceanside, Calif., over a week ago while the teams, who can go at a faster pace, left on Saturday. The finish line is in Annapolis, Md.

The Tribune will publish more photos in Saturday’s edition.

On the Web:

Live tracking of the competitors: trackleaders.com

RAAM website: www.raceacrossamerica.org

RAAM on Facebook: search for “RAAMraces”

RAAM on Twitter: @RAAMRaces