What You Need to Know About RAAM 2014

The Tour de France gets underway July 5, but you don't have to wait until then to watch one of the most exciting bike races in the world. On June 10, 48 men and women will take off from the start line of the Race Across America (RAAM) in Oceanside, California. From there, it's a race to see who can reach the finish in Annapolis, Maryland first.

The cutoff is 12 days, and there are no stages or scheduled rest days. There's only the road and a clock that never stops running. Racers will ride day and night, barely stopping long enough to sleep. The best will make the crossing in less than nine days--roughly a third of the time it takes to complete a similar distance in the Tour de France.

Four days later, relay teams will embark on the same journey. They'll follow the same route across 13 states, riding more than 3,000 miles and climbing more than 150,000 vertical feet.

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The participants will bring a stable of time trial and climbing-specific bikes, each fitted with state-of-the-art equipment worth more than the team cars used to carry them.

The RAAM organizers aren't in the habit of telling people they can't race because they don't fit in a specific category. In fact, there's really only one category--people who have the guts to try.

For instance, some will ride titanium-framed bikes built as early as 1988. Last year, the female champ rode a recumbent.

There's even a course record holder in the single-gear category and the 4-tandem relay team category. The wounded veterans use power cranks and hand-bikes.

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If you've seen RAAM in person, then you know that it's even more exciting and grueling than the Tour de France. If you haven't seen it yet, this is going to be a great year to catch the action. Here's why this year promises to be one of the most exciting races in years.

The Solo Competition

This year's race will be one of the biggest in RAAM history. The event has gained so much popularity in recent years that the competition has risen to new levels. Here are a few racers to watch.

Christoph Strasser of Austria shattered the course record on the way to his second win last year, finishing in 7 days, 22 hours and 11 minutes. He owed his success to two remarkable decisions: riding a TT bike in the aero position across Kansas (and a few other states), and restricting his total sleep time to less than seven hours.

Strasser has beaten relay teams in ultra-cycling events like Race Around Ireland, accomplishments that make him one of the most extraordinary athletes in the world. The only question is whether he can go faster.

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RAAM veteran Chris Hopkinson has worked hard on his time trialing too, and indications are he's the fastest he's ever been. Though he's the odds-on favorite, any number of unforeseen events could derail his chances just as they did in 2009, which caused him to drop out of the race in Colorado.

There are even more questions about the women's race. Last year's winner, Maria Parker, will not be competing this year. This leaves the race wide open in the six-woman field. RAAM veterans like American Jacquie Schlitter and Canada's Joan Deichtman can't expect any favors from British newcomer Shusanah Pillinger, who's become an accomplished ultra-distance triathlete and cyclist in a short time. It'll be intriguing to see how it all unfolds.

The Relay

There's always a lot of action in the different team competitions, but one 4-man relay squad stands out in front of all the others this year. Team Legends of the Road features Motocross legend Micky Dymond, BMX and X Games champion Dave Mirra, Supermoto champion and mountain bike racer Ben Bostrom, and Captain America himself David Zabriskie.

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The last time a pro tour cyclist competed in RAAM was 2006. Jacques Boyer won the "Solo Enduro" category, which requires competitors to stop for a minimum of 40 hours for rest. Before that, Boyer won the 1985 edition of the race. It'll be interesting to see what sort of effort Zabriskie and his all-star compatriots can mount.

The course record in the 4-man category was set in 2004, completing 2,959 miles in 5 days, 8 hours and 17 minutes with an average speed of 23.06 mph. This year's course is 3,020 miles, so it's possible they could break the record for average speed. It's less likely that they'll break the overall finishing time record. They'll have their work cut out for them if they want to make a clean sweep of it.

Watching the Action

Once competitors summit Palomar Mountain and ride out into the brutal deserts of California and Arizona, it'll be difficult to see the cyclists in action unless you happen to live near the route.

Technology is making RAAM a more spectator-friendly sport. Real-time GPS tracking will be available on RAAM's official live-broadcast website, www.ridefarther.com.

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For Strava addicts, solo competitor Bob McEnaney has partnered with Lancet Data Sciences to live stream his data throughout the race. Lancet's website currently hosts a slick display that lets you compare rider performances throughout RAAM's history.

If you're interested in more race-week coverage, be sure to catch longtime RAAM commentator George Thomas's interviews with competitors on OverTheTop Radio and John Foote's reporting on UltraRaceNews.com. They're to ultra cycling what Phil Liggett and John Wilcockson are to the Tour de France.

The last few years at RAAM have been historic. From the level of competition and its popularity to the way it is reaching new audiences, RAAM is breaking new ground. What started as an event broadcast across the country on ABC's "Wide World of Sports" is finding its way back into mainstream consciousness. It's evolved from an "extreme stunt" to a seriously contested, exciting race. As great as the last five years have been, this could be the best one yet. Don't miss the chance to see the action as it unfolds.

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