More NC RAAM / RAW News

At about 2:40 or so you'll see Terry Landsell's team, featuring an interview with our very own Jimmy Williams....Enjoy.

Bicycle Dreams

A cool looking movie on RAAM has just come out and it's racking up positive reviews and film festival awards.

Among the reviews:

"A spectacular and heartfelt film that offers a riveting portrait of extreme courage in the face of inhuman obstacles. Bicycle Dreams is an artistic triumph that renewed my belief in the power of desire and the strength of the human will."

The official site is here. I think you'll be able to order a copy in the next couple of weeks.

The movie has a Facebook page, as does RAAM winner Jure Robic. Once again, let me direct you to that brilliant NYT article about Robic.

Jeff Bauer TV Interview

Jeff Bauer, who with Kevin Kaiser wrote fixed gears across the country as a two-man RAAM team, was interviewed by a Nashville TV station. You can see the video clip here.

Race Across America

The Race Across America is in full swing. Fellow randonneurs and fixed gear riders Jeff Bauer and Kevin Kaiser are having a great ride. There has been chatter on the Georgia list about them overtaking Jure Robic, the solo men's leader. As of this posting they'd covered about 1700 miles with an average speed of 15.4 miles per hour. Stats are here, and you can read their blog here.

For an incredibly entertaining story about Jure, check out this link.

All the best to Jeff and Kevin.

Coming Soon / Race Across America

Yes, that fabled event is just 10 days away. I was reminded of that fact when I saw a mention of Kevin Kaiser in Chuck Lathe's Atlanta 600K report.

You'll recall from this November 2007 write-up that Kevin is one-half of the two-man team doing RAAM on fixed gears. The other is Jeff Bauer. We rode briefly with Jeff at BMB 05 [editor's note: it was 06; see comments]and also saw him and tandem partner Mary Crawley at PBP 07.

We wish Kevin & Jeff all the best.

Doing RAAM is an expensive proposition -- the total cost is estimated at $20,000 -- and Jeff and Kevin have been selling jerseys and other items to raise a little dough. If you're interested in helping out, check out their Website here. You can also donate through Paypal here.

RAAM News

This just in. You'll see Kevin Kaiser listed in the two-person teams:

RAAM Field at 250 Racers
Record Field for 2008 Edition of Transcontinental Bicycle Race
BOULDER, Colo. (December 17, 2007) -- More than 250 courageous athletes have pre-registered to compete in the 2008 Race Across America (RAAM). View 2008 roster here. RAAM is a non-stop, coast-to-coast race in June that will pass over two major mountain ranges, through the desert and across the American plains, and into the face of the severest weather patterns on the North American continent.

Now in its 27th year, the legendary event, known as the "world's toughest endurance race," inspires men and women of all ages, who spend a year out of their mostly ordinary lives training for the monumental challenge of pedaling across the United States to test the utmost limits of their physical strength, mental spirit, resilience and commitment.

The event has grown tremendously in the past few years, especially with the addition of team relay divisions. In 2006, 151 racers started RAAM, and last year, 192 racers pulled their wheels to the start line. Race Director, Terry Zmrhal, says, "Registration for the 2008 race is exceeding our projections. We usually receive many of our registrations in late winter; however, the surging popularity of RAAM around the world, is building a sense of urgency for our racing community."

To date, this year's field includes 23 solo racers and 53 relay team entities in either 2, 4 or 8 person configurations. The solo racers currently include 2 women and 21 men, representing the U.S.A., Canada, Germany, Italy, Austria, England, Switzerland, and Brazil. No previous champions have registered yet, however, traditionally, many solo racers will not commit to RAAM until early spring.

Of the registered solo racers, five racers are veteran RAAM solo competitors. David Haase (Fond du Lac, WI) finished in 4th place in both 2005 and 2006. Haase's experience should allow him to better his 2006 time of 9 days, 21 hours and 41 minutes, and make him a contender for the overall championship.

David Jones (Canoga Park, CA) is set to return in his third attempt at RAAM. He finished the 2007 race in 12 days, 1 hour and 15 minutes, and at age 61 became the oldest solo finisher of the RAAM.

Four of the registered solo racers have graduated to the solo division after participation on a relay team in the past. These racers will face the challenge of adapting their training from the short, intense efforts needed for team relay racing, to the non-stop ultra endurance needs of the solo division. One benefit that previous team racers have in converting to the solo division, is that they have experience assembling the logistical needs to race across the country, and have experienced a glimpse of the sleep management issues needed for a non-stop, 3,000 mile race.

Team categories will also offer up their share of suspense, as men and women, aged 18-75, join up as teams of two, four or eight, to race across the country in relay format, and attempt to finish in five to seven days (compared with the 8-12 days of a Solo effort). The 2007 race saw intense competition as several of the lead teams stayed within minutes, and sight, of each other for the first 4 days! Zmrhal said, "The excitement of the team racing amazed me. Watching the teams hammer at time trial speed, in the middle of the night, just blew me away!"

There are 53 teams currently registered. Currently, teams are representing the U.S.A., Canada, U.K., France, Switzerland, Austria, Norway and Luxembourg. Highlights include a team with several 75 year old men, two teams of women aged 50+ and 60+, and at least 5 teams competing in the mixed-gender division.

For those inspired by the challenge of RAAM, but lacking the time off or resources, RAAM now offers a two additional events that occur simultaneously with the signature cross-country race. New for 2008, RAAM presents the Race Across the West, which is a 1,000 mile race that finishes in Taos, NM. RAAM also continues to offer a 24-hour race on its first 500 miles, to Flagstaff, Ariz. Each of these events, start with the signature event in Oceanside, CA on June 8th and utilize the same route, rules, and logistics of RAAM. Registration for these races has been well accepted with over 30 racers committed.

Racer registration remains open; although a field cap is expected. Interested racers should act soon to secure a spot in the 2008 field. Registration information can be found at the event webpage www.raceacrossamerica.org, or, you can e-mail questions to the Race Director at director@raceacrossamerica.org.