2009 Race Across America

Solo Men start the Race Across America (RAAM) at noon PDT today. Solo women and men over 60 started yesterday. Relay teams will start on Saturday.

RAAM has been called the world’s toughest sporting event. More people have summitted Mount Everest than have finished RAAM. In the movie Bicycle Dreams, Perry Stone says, “It’s not a sporting event in a classic sense. It’s more of sending a gladiator into a pit with a lion.”

So what’s so tough about this event? The competitors ride their bikes from Oceanside, CA to Annapolis. MD which is just over 3,000 miles. The time cut-off is 12 days. Some years the winner finishes in under 9 days. This is equivalent to riding the Tour de France 1.5 times in less than half the time.

For more about RAAM, read my Race Across America FAQ. Also go read my guest post on MissingSaddle.

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Tags: cycling, RAAM, Race Across America, ultra cycling

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