Race Across America

[xoxoxoBruce]

It's happening, the Michael Matthews Foundation team started in Oceanside, California on Saturday, and plan to cycle 3,000 miles, 24 hours a day to Susan G. Campbell Park, City Dock, Annapolis, Maryland between June 20 and 24.

In case you want to eyeball Pippa, Kate's sister, who's on the Matthews team, here is a 61 page pdf with the whole route. Very complete, even moon phases, odd obstacles, and parade sections.

[Gravdigr]

Originally Posted by xoxoxoBruce

...3,000 miles, 24 hours a day...

They're gonna bike for 200 hours straight (assuming 15 mph)? Non-stop?

[xoxoxoBruce]

Relay, that's why teams.

[glatt]

Yeah. I was gonna say. 24 hours a day is only good for one day, if that.

[Gravdigr]

I saw "team", but, teams usually compete against each other.

Also, I was/am too lazy to read through 61 pages to find the info I needed to avoid asking the question...


ETA: So, are they competing against other relay teams, or is the word 'race' also misleading?

[footfootfoot]

This race has no stages, unlike the Tour de France. You can race anytime you want, most riders have support winnebagos with chefs and massueses and hot showers and shit. They can snooze for a bit, get a rubdown, some noms and then they are off again.

Never heard of teams doing the ride. I suppose the team mates can break the wind for the lead rider, always putting a fresh rider in front, if that is allowed. Otherwise teams don't make much sense to me since this is essentially a race against the clock.

Maybe I should follow the link. Again.

[xoxoxoBruce]

From wiki.

As noted above, unlike most multi-day bicycle races such as the Tour de France, RAAM has no stages, i.e., there is no specified distance to travel each day. Also, with the abandonment of the Enduro concept, there are no designated rest periods for food and sleep. Actually, sleep is optional.

The clock runs continuously from start to finish as in a time trial, and the final overall finish time includes rest periods. Thus, the winner is the rider who can best combine fast riding with short and infrequent stops. The winner usually finishes in eight to nine days, after riding approximately 22 hours per day through the varied terrain of the United States.

The addition of the 8-person team division has enabled finish times of slightly over five days.[9] Each racer or team has a support crew that follows in vehicles to provide food, water, mechanical repairs and medical aid. During the night, a vehicle with flashing lights is required to follow each rider to ensure safety.

Having to ride continuously for days with little to no sleep puts this event in the ultramarathon category. The continuous physical output places considerable strain on the competitors as well as their support crews. As many as 50% of solo participants drop out due to exhaustion or for medical reasons. In addition, the race takes place on open roads, forcing participants to deal with sometimes dangerous traffic conditions. This represents another major difference between RAAM and more traditional bicycle road races.