Kurt's lost a bit of speed recently due his lung issues (which I hope are resolved soon); as Jo's graph shows, he's normally at 18 and quite frequently a good bit more. Steve's average has fluctuated hugely due to his various travails, but it seems his 'natural' speed is around 16mph. With something like 240 mpd being the presumed target through the late summer, that's 15 hours a day on the road, plus stopping time, which probably doesn't leave enough time for adequate rest. I've seen reference to Steve using HR to keep the fatigue stress down, which has perhaps limited his speed. It's a problem - too fast and burn out, too slow and insufficient miles? I think if I were in his shoes, I'd do the same: at least ride for the full year even if the distance isn't quite there, rather than have to finish early with fewer (but faster) miles.