Race Across America

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Race Across America 2007 starts in Oceanside (California)
The Slovenian and five-time winner Jure Robič at the 2007 RAAM

The Race Across America (RAAM) is an annual, ultra-long cycle race that runs from the west coast of the United States to the east coast . The aim is to cover a distance of around 4800 to 5000 km with a total difference in altitude of around 52,000 meters within a fixed time limit on a route that varies from year to year.

Race mode

There are around 57 checkpoints (time stations (TS), some of which are checkpoints) that you have to pass through. In order to finish the race successfully, a time limit must be observed: For teams, this limit is 216 hours (9 days), for male individual drivers it is generally 288 hours (12 days), for the individual ratings men 60+ and women, however, 309 hours (12 Days 21 hours). - As of 2019, Rules 2018. The race time runs according to EDT - Eastern Daylight Saving Time Zone and non-stop. In addition, four control points on the track must be reached within a certain time from the start of the race.

  • Each driver is accompanied by a car with sleeping facilities and a team of support staff.
  • Nine classes (divisions) cover solo men, solo women and teams (M, F or mixed) up to eight people.
  • Six categories (categories) are available for different wheel types: road bike, tandem, recumbent, HPV (disguised recumbent), hand-bike ; one category is open.

That means an average speed of around 17 km / h, including all breaks, sleep and traffic-related stops. Each participant can choose when and where to take a nap. He has to weigh up between the value of additional driving time and the possibility of regeneration through sleep. Most participants sleep an average of about two hours a day. Whether participating in the Race Across America leads to permanent damage due to the physical and mental strain is controversial.

The RAAM was held for the first time in 1982, then under the name Great American Bike Race , with four participants. Over the years, the RAAM has been expanded to include women’s and various team and age ratings (seniors).

Outstanding participants

The most successful participant in the men's individual race is Austrian Christoph Strasser , who won the RAAM six times and the only one three times in a row (2017, 2018, 2019). The Slovenian Jure Robič achieved five victories . Rob Kish has become a legend, having competed 20 times at the RAAM up to 2005, reached the finish line 19 times and celebrated a total of three victories. The Austrian Wolfgang Fasching also achieved three victories . In 2006, the Swiss Dani Wyss was the first rookie to win . In 2012, a Swiss man again achieved this feat, this time Reto Schoch , as did Austrian Severin Zotter in 2015 and German Pierre Bischoff in 2016 . In 2013, Christoph Strasser was the first solo athlete to win the race in under eight days (winning time 7 days 22 hours 11 minutes) and again undercut this record the next year with 7 days, 15 hours and 56 minutes.

The American Seana Hogan won the women's ranking six times between 1992 and 1998 and achieved four wins in a row.

Michael Nehls used a special tactic in 2008: Instead of restricting sleep to a minimum, he drove around 400 km every day for around 15 hours and thus had around six hours of sleep every night, minus food breaks. He finished seventh. According to his own statements, he was never overtaken while cycling ("on the road").

The Austrian team Crataegutt Seniors , consisting of four seniors with an average age of over 70, finished the 2014 race at an average speed of almost 30 km / h in 7 days and 4 hours. The team consisted of the Lower Austrians Herbert Lackner, Anton Gierer, Lothar Färber and Josef Schalk.

Many participants associate the RAAM with a donation project. The Rotary team Rotary Raams Polio raised over $ 3 million in donations to help eradicate polio through its participation in 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2019.

If you look at the nations of origin of the winners, the USA clearly dominated in the 1980s and 1990s. Since the year 2000, almost only Europeans have won, all of whom come from the area of ​​the countries bordering the Alps . From 1982 to 2019, the USA won 15 men's singles in 38 competitions , the next strongest nation is Austria with eleven wins, six of them by Christoph Strasser. Slovenia achieved five wins, three wins went to Switzerland, two to New Zealand, one each to Germany and Liechtenstein. In the women's singles , at least one participant crossed the finish line 27 times in 36 competitions from 1982 to 2017. A woman from the USA has won 18 times, six wins went to Seana Hogan. Three victories (from 2012) went to three Swiss women. With Alexandra Meixner , an Austrian crossed the finish line for the first time (second) in 2017.

Deaths and accidents

So far there have been two deaths during the races. In 2003, team member Brett Malin was killed in a collision with a truck. The accident occurred near Pie Town ( Catron County ). In 2005, RAAM pioneer and solo participant Bob Breedlove died in a collision with an oncoming vehicle near Trinidad, Colorado . The course of the accident has not yet been clarified, as Breedlove was traveling alone, his escort vehicle drove a few kilometers behind him.

On June 18, 2018, the Austrian Thomas Mauerhofer, who was in third position, collided in Illinois when turning left due to a collision with a car on the opposite side of the road when it was red; his first participation thus ended with a broken 6th cervical vertebra.

Winner men singles

  • 1982 Lon HaldemanUnited StatesUnited States
  • 1983 Lon Haldeman -2-United StatesUnited States
  • 1984 Pete PenseyresUnited StatesUnited States
  • 1985 Jonathan BoyerUnited StatesUnited States
  • 1986 Pete Penseyres -2-United StatesUnited States
  • 1987 Michael SecrestUnited StatesUnited States
  • 1988 Franz SpilauerAustriaAustria
  • 1989 Paul SolonUnited StatesUnited States
  • 1990 Bob FourneyUnited StatesUnited States
  • 1991 Bob Fourney -2-United StatesUnited States
  • 1992 Rob KishUnited StatesUnited States
  • 1993 Gerry TatraiAustraliaAustralia
  • 1994 Rob Kish -2-United StatesUnited States
  • 1995 Rob Kish -3-United StatesUnited States
  • 1996 Danny ChewUnited StatesUnited States
  • 1997 Wolfgang FaschingAustriaAustria
  • 1998 Gerry Tatrai -2-AustraliaAustralia
  • 1999 Danny Chew -2-United StatesUnited States
  • 2000 Wolfgang Fasching -2-AustriaAustria
  • 2001 Andrea ClavadetscherLiechtensteinLiechtenstein
  • 2002 Wolfgang Fasching -3-AustriaAustria
  • 2003 Allen LarsenUnited StatesUnited States
  • 2004 Jure RobičSloveniaSlovenia
  • 2005 Jure Robič -2-SloveniaSlovenia
  • 2006 Daniel WyssSwitzerlandSwitzerland
  • 2007 Jure Robič -3-SloveniaSlovenia
  • 2008 Jure Robič -4-SloveniaSlovenia
  • 2009 Daniel Wyss -2-SwitzerlandSwitzerland
  • 2010 Jure Robič -5-SloveniaSlovenia
  • 2011 Christoph StrasserAustriaAustria
  • 2012 Reto SchochSwitzerlandSwitzerland
  • 2013 Christoph Strasser -2-AustriaAustria
  • 2014 Christoph Strasser -3-AustriaAustria
  • 2015 Severin ZotterAustriaAustria
  • 2016 Pierre BischoffGermanyGermany
  • 2017 Christoph Strasser -4-AustriaAustria
  • 2018 Christoph Strasser -5-AustriaAustria
  • 2019 Christoph Strasser -6-AustriaAustria

Winner women singles

  • 1982 - none at the start
  • 1983 - none at the finish (one started)
  • 1984 Shelby Hayden-CliftonUnited StatesUnited States
  • 1985 Susan Notorangelo-HaldemanUnited StatesUnited States
  • 1986 Elaine MariolleUnited StatesUnited States
  • 1987 Casey PattersonUnited StatesUnited States
  • 1988 Cindi StaigerUnited StatesUnited States
  • 1989 Susan Notorangelo-Haldeman -2-United StatesUnited States
  • 1990 Nancy RaposoUnited StatesUnited States
  • 1991 Cathy EllisUnited StatesUnited States
  • 1992 Seana HoganUnited StatesUnited States
  • 1993 Seana Hogan -2-United StatesUnited States
  • 1994 Seana Hogan -3-United StatesUnited States
  • 1995 Seana Hogan -4-United StatesUnited States
  • 1996 - none at the finish
  • 1997 Seana Hogan -5-United StatesUnited States
  • 1998 Seana Hogan -6-United StatesUnited States
  • 1999 - none at the start
  • 2000 Cassie LoweAustraliaAustralia
  • 2001 Cassie Lowe -2-AustraliaAustralia
  • 2002 - no goal
  • 2003 - none at the finish
  • 2004 - none at the start
  • 2005 Cat MountainsSwedenSweden
  • 2006 Shanna ArmstrongUnited StatesUnited States
  • 2007 - none in target
  • 2008 - no goal
  • 2009 Daniela Figueiredo GenovesiBrazilBrazil
  • 2010 Barbara BuatoisFranceFrance
  • 2011 Leah GoldsteinIsraelIsrael
  • 2012 Trix ZgraggenSwitzerlandSwitzerland
  • 2013 Cassie SchumacherUnited StatesUnited States
  • 2014 Janice SheufeltUnited StatesUnited States
  • 2015 Isabelle PulverSwitzerlandSwitzerland
  • 2016 Nicole ReistSwitzerlandSwitzerland
  • 2017 Sarah CooperUnited StatesUnited States
  • 2018 Nicole Reist -2-SwitzerlandSwitzerland
  • 2019 Daniela Figueiredo Genovesi -2-BrazilBrazil

Records

Fastest times in each class

category Participants / team year distance time Average
speed
Men singles AustriaAustria Christoph Strasser 2014 4860.2 km 7 days 15 hours 56 minutes 26.42 km / h
Women singles United StatesUnited States Seana Hogan 1995 4686 km 9 days 04 hours 02 minutes 21.30 km / h
tandem United StatesUnited States Bob Breedlove / Lon Haldeman 1992 4685 km 8 days 08 hours 08 minutes 23.41 km / h
Team of 2 GermanyGermany Heinemann XP Team (Anders Asberg & Axel Fehlau) 2014 4860.2 km 6 days 09 hours 41 minutes 31.62 km / h
Team of 4 United StatesUnited States Team action sports 2004 4761 km 5 days 08 hours 17 minutes 37.11 km / h
Team of 4 ( HPV ) United StatesUnited States Team Lightning / Tim Brummer 1989 4685 km 5 days 01 hour 08 min. 38.67 km / h
4-person women under 50 GermanyGermany Quattra Bavariae (Monika Dietl, Nicole Bretting, Steffi Steinberg, Christine Waitz) 2017 4960 km 6 days 15 hours 19 minutes 31.01 km / h

Record winner men's singles

  • 2 wins: 1983 Lon HaldemanUnited StatesUnited States
  • 3 wins: 1995 Rob KishUnited StatesUnited States
  • 4 wins: 2008 Jure RobičSloveniaSlovenia
  • 5 wins: 2010 Jure RobičSloveniaSlovenia
  • 6 wins: 2019 Christoph StrasserAustriaAustria

Record winner women singles

  • 2 wins: 1989 Susan Notorangelo-HaldemanUnited StatesUnited States
  • 3 wins: 1994 Seana HoganUnited StatesUnited States
  • 4 wins: 1995 Seana HoganUnited StatesUnited States
  • 5 wins: 1997 Seana HoganUnited StatesUnited States
  • 6 wins: 1998 Seana HoganUnited StatesUnited States

See also

Since 2014, the Trans Am Bike Race (TABR) has been taking place at about the same time as RAAM , a west coast-east coast USA race (in 2016 also in the opposite direction), in which the participants ride unsupported and unaccompanied, i.e. usually get a room to stay overnight to take. Recumbents and velomobiles are also allowed in this race .

More "Race Across ..." cycling races:

  • Race across the Alps (RATA)
  • Austria Race across Burgenland
  • Race Across Italy
  • Ultracyclingdolomitica - Race across the Dolomites
  • Race Across Australia (RAAUS)
  • Race Across Mühlviertel

The RACE (The Race across Europe), on the other hand, is a cycling tour operator.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. 2013 Race Information & Fact Sheet. ( Memento of August 12, 2013 in the Internet Archive ) In: raceacrossamerica.org , accessed on June 23, 2013.
  2. ↑ Conditions of Participation 2014 (page 9) accessed on June 18, 2014.
  3. Race Across America 2018 - Rules January 20, 2018, accessed June 17, 2019.
  4. Birgit Lutz-Temsch: Destroyed the myth? ( Memento from November 25, 2009 in the Internet Archive ) In: Süddeutsche Zeitung , May 17, 2010.
  5. Home - Team Crataegutt Seniors. Archived from the original on July 14, 2014 ; accessed on July 16, 2019 .
  6. Archived copy ( Memento from July 14, 2014 in the Internet Archive )
  7. Final results accessed on July 10, 2019
  8. ^ RAAM rider killed in New Mexico. In: velonews.com , June 18, 2003 ( Memento of October 5, 2008 in the Internet Archive )
  9. Outside Magazine , November 2006: Tragedy on Wheels-Wrecked (cont.) ( Memento from December 19, 2007 in the Internet Archive )
  10. Broken cervical vertebra: bike ace Tom Mauerhofer drowned in the USA! krone.at, June 20, 2018, accessed on June 21, 2018.
  11. http://www.andreahofmann.at/2018/05/22/race-across-italy/
  12. ^ The RACE (The Race across Europe) facebook.com, accessed July 30, 2018.