Paul Danhaus was feeling strong, well into his inaugural Race Across America.
The brutal cycling event is a non-stop, 3,000-mile journey from Oceanside, California to Annapolis, Maryland. Most solo riders get about an hour of sleep per day, then spend the rest of the time pedaling across the nation. The winners typically finish in about eight days.
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Danhaus was about 1,000 miles into the 2009 race, rolling through the plains of Kansas, when he suddenly felt something weird.
"I just remember I was just having trouble keeping my head up," Danhaus said. "I was thinking 'Geez, I must be tired.' And then it dawned on me."
He may have been tired, but that wasn't why his head wasn't staying up. Instead, Danhaus was suffering from Shermer's Neck, a fascinating ailment that affects cyclists who ride unusually long distances.
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To sum it up cleanly, Shermer's Neck is a condition where the neck muscles fail from fatigue and can no longer support the head. It is not a gradual ailment, either: after first feeling the symptoms, the neck will usually give out within two hours.
Danhaus had about an hour's notice before his neck stopped working. He still had about 2,000 miles left in the race.
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History
The Race Across America started in 1982, when it was called the Great American Bike Race. F003cstrong>More: Solutions for Common Cycling Aches and Pains
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