Congratulations to Chris Miller who set the fastest time in the Florida W-E crossing in the Male, 50-59, Standard bike Categories. This is now the overall record for any age group.

Record Attempt: Florida- West to East 

Name of rider: Chris Miller 

Date and Time: Saturday, May 11, 2024 6:48 AM  

Start location: FL/AL state line on US 98 bridge over Perdido River  

End Location: End of Atlantic Blvd in Neptune Beach 

What were conditions like?: Weather conditions were perfect with temps between 65-90 degrees and  mostly crosswinds throughout the day, though the roads were littered with tree limbs from a severe  storm the prior day. 

Why did you want to do this record?: Between Covid cancellations, illnesses, injuries, and some  very misplaced cycling priorities, it had been a while since I attempted any Ultra event and with all of  the above now behind me I was itching to get back at it. I decided on the West to East record in my  home state of Florida because I absolutely love the area of North Florida that this route takes you  through. The temps are more moderate this time of year than where I live in Tampa, the roads tend to  have lower traffic and they also have a larger percentage of wide shouldered roads than most other  areas of Florida have. 

What equipment did you use?:  

Bike: BMC TimeMachine2 

Wheels: HED Tri Spoke, HED 80, Renn Disc 

Tires: Continental GP5000 Clinchers 25mm 

Tubes: Vittoria Competition Latex 

Groupset: Dura Ace 11 Speed Mechanical 

Pedals: Shimano SPD 

Helmet: Ekoi Aero 16 

Hydration: Profile Design HSF Aeria 

GPS: Wahoo Roam and RWGPS Phone app.  

What did you eat and drink?: Gatorade and Ensure until I had gastrointestinal issues around mile  200, and then just Gatorade and a little flat Coke after that. 

What was the best part?: Finishing! 

What was the hardest part?: The last 20 miles after I hit a pothole and went down hard injuring my  left side ribs and shoulder. Hardest 20 miles I ever rode.  

Did anything unusual happen?: Other than crashing, the only other unusual things I encountered  were gastrointestinal issues, which I’ve never had before during an Ultra, and the amount of storm  debris left in the road shoulder which lasted approximately 200 miles.  

Finish time and location: Total time was 20 hours, 39 min, and 24 seconds. Finish location was the  end of Atlantic Ave in Neptune Beach.