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The Race Across America (RAAM)
(View Brett's RAAM bio
here)
The Race Across America (RAAM) is the ultimate race of
truth: a 3,000+ mile time trial, meaning no drafting and
no teammates to help share the work. Once the race
starts, the goal is simple: get across the country as
quickly as possible. In the traditional division*,
racers can ride as long as they want, sleep as much or
as little as they want, and rest anywhere along the
route. But once the clock starts, it doesn’t stop until
the racer reaches the finish line.
To be competitive, a traditional solo racer must
complete at least 300 to 350 miles each day, as the
winner is expected to cross the country in about 9 days.
To be considered an “official finisher,” all traditional
solo racers must finish the race no more than 48 hours
after the first finisher. That means that racers have a
maximum of 11 to 12 days to finish.
The 2007 Race Across America route is expected to be
similar to the 2006 route. It will start in
Oceanside,
California, pass through 16
states, covering 3043 miles, and end in Atlantic City, New
Jersey.
Last year’s route included nearly 108,600 feet of
climbing, which is roughly the distance from the ground
to the edge of space, and almost four times the altitude
of Mt Everest. There is talk of adding an additional 100
miles to the 2007 course.
Although solo RAAM is a time trial, one racer riding the
entire distance, it is not a solo effort. Each racer
must be supported by a crew whose job it is to keep the
rider supplied with food and water, to navigate, carry
spare parts and bikes, repair any mechanical issues, and
motivate the rider. Crewing for a RAAM racer is arduous,
as crew members closely trail the rider for hours with
little sleep and few personal comforts.
Most solo racers have two or more support
vehicles. Without the help of a competent crew, a RAAM
racer has no chance of reaching
Atlantic City.
2007 will be the 26th year of the race. RAAM
was started in 1982 when four riders lined up on the
pier in Santa
Monica and raced to New York. (In its first year, the Race Across
America was called the Great American Bike Race).The
winner was Lon Haldeman, who finished in 9 days, 20
hours and 02 minutes. Since then the race has been run
every year, always west to east.
*In 2006 a new division was added, the Enduro division.
Enduro racers are required to take a minimum of 40 hours
off the bike at specified control points.
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