RAAM
There are probably a few of you out there that know that I rode a bike across this great country a few years back. So when I mention these folks understand that I have experienced the pain and pleaseure, though not at their level. I departed from San Diego, CA and ended up in Jacksonville, FL and it only took me 27 days!! Which comes out to a little over 100 miles a day. Impressive right? Not really, not even close.
If you want ot be impressed you should check out these guys. The Race Across AMerica is a group of elite cyclists that literally race across the U.S., they started in Oceanside, CA and end in Annapolis, MD a full 3000 miles and most cover it in as few as 7 days!!! These guys and gals are nuts!!!
Check out this quote from their site , it says it all.
“This is a Race. Unlike other famous races, like the Tour de France, RAAM is not a stage race. The race is one stage, live to the very end. In RAAM, once the clock starts on the west coast, the clock doesn’t stop until each racer reaches the finish line on the east coast. RAAM is 30% longer than the Tour de France and racers finish in half the time with no rest days. The race format is essentially a time trial, commonly called racing against the clock or the race of truth. Unlike the Tour de France, there is no drafting or taking shelter from the wind. It’s an all out solo challenge.” 
While I was driving through the southwest we ran into a few of them and here is one of the shots we got, from the truck with the windows up and A/C blasting. Most of these were taken around Mexican Hat, Utah where the winds were fierce and the heat was brutal.
Hail to the warriors!!
5 comments
I was crewing for David Holt until he dropped out a 1,000 miles into the race. I think it was 103 degrees when we were in Mexican Hat. It’s hard to explain just how tough it is. I made it 2,000 miles in 2006.
UltraRob, Thats cool you were crewing for David. Was it a tough decision for him to throw in the towel or was he simply beat down from exhaustion? Also, how do you get the gig? And I have always wondered how the sag works for these guys, can you explain a daily routine? Thanks.
Just checked out UltraRob’s blog and it answered most of my questions. So check it out here.
Although I think I answered most of your questions with the RAAM FAQ and other posts, I didn’t really write about how to get on a crew. A lot of solo racers have to try pretty hard to come up with crew. There’s always somebody looking for more crew. Sometimes it gets posted on the RAAM website, sometimes they post to the ultracycling list. If you don’t find anyone that way, the RAAM headquarters should be able to get you in contact with someone that’s looking.
Crewing is anything but a vacation. Former winner Allen Larsen crewed and thought it was harder than racing. I think that’s because he was crew chief. I’ve said that instead of staging big brother they should just put cams in RAAM vehicles. You bring 8-9 people together that in a lot of cases haven’t met, throw them in vehicles and don’t let them sleep much. It isn’t always pretty.
With the crew, you have 2-3 people in the follow vehicle at all times. During the day they can stop for a few minutes but at night they can’t stop unless the racer stops.
Another vehicle has a couple more people as back up and to run and get supplies. The others are in the RV. Some of the time it’s parked but it also has to get down the road. When the rider stops for a sleep break, everybody is out of the RV except for one person to make sure he’s OK.
I don’t think I ever got to sleep more than 4 hours at a time. Some of that time was while the RV was in motion which doesn’t make for good sleeping.
wow, you guys/gals are amazing! i want to learn more! thanks for that awesome insight to RAAM UltraRob!!
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