Photo by Bruce Friedland
The Race Across America is going to be a little shorter this year after organizers decided to move the bicycle race finish line to Annapolis, Maryland, from its traditional finish in Atlantic City.
The change won't make that much difference to the sleep-deprived and strength-depleted endurance bicyclists as they cross the finish line, however. The 2008 route is 3,008 miles, only 34 miles shorter than last year's race.
In its 26th year, the world's most famous endurance cycling race is scheduled to start at the Oceanside pier on June 8 for solo competitors and June 11 for teams. Last year's solo winner, Jure Robic, wrapped up his ride in 8 days, 19 hours, and 33 minutes.
Annapolis
This is going to be a great opportunity for Annapolis, a colonial-era city on the Chesapeake Bay that's celebrating its 300th anniversary next year.
It's the state capital (State House, above) of Maryland and home of the US Naval Academy. It also a trendy boating town for sailing, though it still has its hardscrabble docks for fishing and shellfish fleets.
Good bicycling
I lived there for about 8 years in the '70s and '80s, and it's where my lifelong passion for bicycling got its start. At that time, there were plenty of quick routes out of town to ride through the rolling countryside to waterfront burgs like Shadyside and Deale, or west through tobacco country to the Patuxent River.
I've heard the traffic has increased (where hasn't it?), but a network of rail-to-trails has been built. There's the popular 13-mile Baltimore & Annapolis Trail; it connects to a second trail, the 11-mile loop around the BWI airport. A third rail-trail project, the Washington Balitmore and Annapolis Trail, is underway. Eventually it will be part of a 22-mile link from Annapolis to Washington. Two sections are built and others are being planned.
Check BikeWashington.org for more information on these trails.
Finish line choice
RAAM organizers chose the city after meeting with reps from several contenders and visiting their cities. They expect the relationship with Annapolis to last for years, according to a press release.
In addition to the welcoming attitude shown by Mayor Ellen Moyer, the city sits between Washington and Baltimore, two cities with big bike club and strong bicycling interests. The city also is home to the Annapolis Triathlon, which ran for the first time Sept. 9, 2007.
Two area bike shops are heavily involved in the planning. RAAM credits Parker Jones of Capital Bicycle in Annapolis and Larry Black of Mt. Airy Bicycles of College Park with taking an active interest to bring the finish to Annapolis.
There's more information at Race Across America, including other route changes from last year and how to register.
(Click RAAM keyword for more stories about the endurance race.)
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