(Update: Monday, June 11 — Some of the amazing men and women who Race Across America)
More than 220 bicyclists are setting off from Oceanside, California, to endure the best approach to winning the 3,043-mile Race Across America — keep your seat in the saddle.
Over the next 8 to 14 days, the cyclists will cross hot deserts, cold mountain passes and windy prairies on their way to Atlantic City. In addition to extremes of weather and cycling conditions, they'll also face their own conditioning and suffer the bizarre side-effects of sleep deprivation.
Actually, just 24 25 men and 5 women are competing in the solo divisions this year. The remaining cyclists are competing in two-person men, women, mixed and recumbent divisions; four-person men, women and mixed divisions; eight-person division; and the 24 hours of RAAM division (the first 500 miles to Flagstaff).
Individually, the competitors include three returning solo champions — Wolfgang Fasching (1997, 2000, and 2002), Jure Robic (2004 and 2005) and Daniel Wyss (2006). There also are 46 cyclists over the age of 50, and others with transplanted organs and one with a prosthetic leg.
To win, the solo riders will average about 15 mph over the course of the race, averaging 20 hours or more per day on the bike. A winning four-person team will average something like 23 mph over the course.
RAAM started in 1982 with four competitors. Incredibly, given the improvements in cycling equipment and fitness training over the years, the solo record average speed of 15.4 mph set in 1986 by Pete Penseyres still stands.
The west-to-east race course crosses California, Arizona, Utah, Colorado, Kansas, Missouri, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, West Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey. (More RAAM route information)
The race starts are staggered so the winners will arrive in Atlantic City around the same time. Solo cyclists set off at 9 a.m. on Sunday; the teams start at 2 p.m. Tuesday.
Daily updates are available on the RAAM homepage.
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