Race Across America
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 Haldeman
- 1983 Lon Haldeman -2-
- 1984 Pete Penseyres
- 1985 Jonathan Boyer
- 1986 Pete Penseyres -2-
- 1987 Michael Secrest
- 1988 Franz Spilauer
- 1989 Paul Solon
- 1990 Bob Fourney
- 1991 Bob Fourney -2-
- 1992 Rob Kish
- 1993 Gerry Tatrai
- 1994 Rob Kish -2-
- 1995 Rob Kish -3-
- 1996 Danny Chew
- 1997 Wolfgang Fasching
- 1998 Gerry Tatrai -2-
- 1999 Danny Chew -2-
- 2000 Wolfgang Fasching -2-
- 2001 Andrea Clavadetscher
- 2002 Wolfgang Fasching -3-
- 2003 Allen Larsen
- 2004 Jure Robič
- 2005 Jure Robič -2-
- 2006 Daniel Wyss
- 2007 Jure Robič -3-
- 2008 Jure Robič -4-
- 2009 Daniel Wyss -2-
- 2010 Jure Robič -5-
- 2011 Christoph Strasser
- 2012 Reto Schoch
- 2013 Christoph Strasser -2-
- 2014 Christoph Strasser -3-
- 2015 Severin Zotter
- 2016 Pierre Bischoff
- 2017 Christoph Strasser -4-
- 2018 Christoph Strasser -5-
- 2019 Christoph Strasser -6-
Winner women singles
- 1982 - none at the start
- 1983 - none at the finish (one started)
- 1984 Shelby Hayden-Clifton
- 1985 Susan Notorangelo-Haldeman
- 1986 Elaine Mariolle
- 1987 Casey Patterson
- 1988 Cindi Staiger
- 1989 Susan Notorangelo-Haldeman -2-
- 1990 Nancy Raposo
- 1991 Cathy Ellis
- 1992 Seana Hogan
- 1993 Seana Hogan -2-
- 1994 Seana Hogan -3-
- 1995 Seana Hogan -4-
- 1996 - none at the finish
- 1997 Seana Hogan -5-
- 1998 Seana Hogan -6-
- 1999 - none at the start
- 2000 Cassie Lowe
- 2001 Cassie Lowe -2-
- 2002 - no goal
- 2003 - none at the finish
- 2004 - none at the start
- 2005 Cat Mountains
- 2006 Shanna Armstrong
- 2007 - none in target
- 2008 - no goal
- 2009 Daniela Figueiredo Genovesi
- 2010 Barbara Buatois
- 2011 Leah Goldstein
- 2012 Trix Zgraggen
- 2013 Cassie Schumacher
- 2014 Janice Sheufelt
- 2015 Isabelle Pulver
- 2016 Nicole Reist
- 2017 Sarah Cooper
- 2018 Nicole Reist -2-
- 2019 Daniela Figueiredo Genovesi -2-
Records
Fastest times in each class
| category | Participants / team | year | distance | time | Average speed |
| Men singles |
Christoph Strasser
|
2014 | 4860.2 km | 7 days 15 hours 56 minutes | 26.42 km / h |
| Women singles |
Seana Hogan
|
1995 | 4686 km | 9 days 4 hours 2 minutes | 21.30 km / h |
| tandem |
Bob Breedlove / Lon Haldeman
|
1992 | 4685 km | 8 days 8 hours 8 minutes | 23.41 km / h |
| Team of 2 |
Heinemann XP Team (Anders Asberg & Axel Fehlau)
|
2014 | 4860.2 km | 6 days 9 hours 41 minutes | 31.62 km / h |
| Team of 4 |
Team action sports
|
2004 | 4761 km | 5 days 8 hours 17 minutes | 37.11 km / h |
| Team of 4 ( HPV ) |
Team Lightning / Tim Brummer
|
1989 | 4685 km | 5 days 1 hour 8 min. | 38.67 km / h |
| 4-person women under 50 |
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 Haldeman
- 3 wins: 1995 Rob Kish
- 4 wins: 2008 Jure Robič
- 5 wins: 2010 Jure Robič
- 6 wins: 2019 Christoph Strasser
Record winner women singles
- 2 wins: 1989 Susan Notorangelo-Haldeman
- 3 wins: 1994 Seana Hogan
- 4 wins: 1995 Seana Hogan
- 5 wins: 1997 Seana Hogan
- 6 wins: 1998 Seana Hogan
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
- Official website
- Ultra Marathon Cycling Association Inc.
- List of books and DVDs about the Race Across America
- Description and link collection for the route of the 2011 race
- Total RAAM Route 2011 (PDF; 854 kB)
- Total RAAM route 2009
Individual evidence
- ↑ 2013 Race Information & Fact Sheet. ( Memento of August 12, 2013 in the Internet Archive ) In: raceacrossamerica.org , accessed on June 23, 2013.
- ↑ Conditions of Participation 2014 (page 9) accessed on June 18, 2014.
- ↑ Race Across America 2018 - Rules January 20, 2018, accessed June 17, 2019.
- ↑ Birgit Lutz-Temsch: Destroyed the myth? ( Memento from November 25, 2009 in the Internet Archive ) In: Süddeutsche Zeitung , May 17, 2010.
- ↑ Home - Team Crataegutt Seniors. Archived from the original on July 14, 2014 ; accessed on July 16, 2019 .
- ↑ Archived copy ( Memento from July 14, 2014 in the Internet Archive )
- ↑ Final results accessed on July 10, 2019
- ^ RAAM rider killed in New Mexico. In: velonews.com , June 18, 2003 ( Memento of October 5, 2008 in the Internet Archive )
- ↑ Outside Magazine , November 2006: Tragedy on Wheels-Wrecked (cont.) ( Memento from December 19, 2007 in the Internet Archive )
- ↑ Broken cervical vertebra: bike ace Tom Mauerhofer drowned in the USA! krone.at, June 20, 2018, accessed on June 21, 2018.
- ↑ http://www.andreahofmann.at/2018/05/22/race-across-italy/
- ^ The RACE (The Race across Europe) facebook.com, accessed July 30, 2018.