RAAM is a bit like the Super Bowl of Ultracycling. And like the Super Bowl, it's more fun to watch if you know some history (and trivia) of the event. I am posting this to give some basic information that may enhance your appreciation/enjoyment of the 36th annual RAAM.
Over 50 teams from a dozen countries will start RAAM on Saturday, June 17th. This is Cruzbike's first entry in the team event. This year, the race will span 3070 miles, with an official climbing distance of 179,628 feet. Events with this much climbing don't attract many recumbents. Cruzbike will have the only 4-person team in the event, and there hasn't been a recumbent team in RAAM since 2012. There have only been six 4-person teams to compete in the recumbent category, ever.
Our team will be competing in the 50-59 year-old "Mixed" category, since we have 3 men and 1 woman on the team. The recumbent record for this category is 19.1 mph (team highlighted below in the table).
It's important to note that the RAAM course has varied over the years. In 1989, RAAM officials intentionally made a new course from the Orange County Fairgrounds in Costa Mesa, California, to Battery Park in Manhattan, New York "designed to be the flattest, fastest, and shortest RAAM route ever", according to Race Director Chris Kostman. This is the route that the incredibly fast HPV record was set... a mark that will probably never be beaten in a 4-person relay on the current course. Since 2008, the route has gone from Oceanside, CA to Annapolis, MD, with mostly minor variations from year-to-year.
This table shows results for all 4-person teams in the Recumbent or HPV category, with finish times, average speed, and how they placed vs. other teams.
The only Recumbent or HPV team ever to DNF (Did Not Finish), also had the most famous racers:
Michael Shermer (four-time RAAMer),
“Fast Freddie” Markham (former Olympian and U.S. National Team member, HPV land speed record holder of 65.4 mph),
Greg Miller (former U.S. National Team member, cycle-pilot of Gossamer Albatross), and
Dan Tout (Canadian National Pursuit champion).
They led the HPV race most of the way in 1989, but had many navigational problems that almost ended in disaster when, because their mirror had broken off, a racer almost collided with an 18-wheeler. They also had trouble with wind gusts, which at least once blew their vehicle into a ditch.
There hasn't been a 2-person recumbent team since 2007, when Team Velokraft and Bacchetta B Team competed. Volae had a 2-person team in 2006. This year, Red Pearl Racing (Sandy Earl and Bill Spaeth) will be competing in the 2-person recumbent category.
Cruzbike's racers are all experienced at tough events, but only Maria Parker has raced on the RAAM course before. In 2013, she won the women's race, coming from behind after an accident near Tuba City, Arizona destroyed her follow vehicle. I am proud to be one of the racers, and very glad to have Larry Osland and Kevin Gambill on the team. We also have a superlative crew including some returning from duty in 2013, and a lot of new faces.
If you can afford it, please send a donation to 3000 Miles to a Cure. If you can't afford it, just send some encouragement. Sponsors have covered all of our racing costs, so donations will go straight to research on finding a cure for brain cancer. Brain cancer is now the #1 cause of cancer death in kids. It kills a lot of adults, too, including Maria's sister, who died in 2014 from glioblastoma multiforme.
I hope you enjoy following us on RAAM. Ride with us, in spirit.
Jim
Over 50 teams from a dozen countries will start RAAM on Saturday, June 17th. This is Cruzbike's first entry in the team event. This year, the race will span 3070 miles, with an official climbing distance of 179,628 feet. Events with this much climbing don't attract many recumbents. Cruzbike will have the only 4-person team in the event, and there hasn't been a recumbent team in RAAM since 2012. There have only been six 4-person teams to compete in the recumbent category, ever.
Our team will be competing in the 50-59 year-old "Mixed" category, since we have 3 men and 1 woman on the team. The recumbent record for this category is 19.1 mph (team highlighted below in the table).
It's important to note that the RAAM course has varied over the years. In 1989, RAAM officials intentionally made a new course from the Orange County Fairgrounds in Costa Mesa, California, to Battery Park in Manhattan, New York "designed to be the flattest, fastest, and shortest RAAM route ever", according to Race Director Chris Kostman. This is the route that the incredibly fast HPV record was set... a mark that will probably never be beaten in a 4-person relay on the current course. Since 2008, the route has gone from Oceanside, CA to Annapolis, MD, with mostly minor variations from year-to-year.
This table shows results for all 4-person teams in the Recumbent or HPV category, with finish times, average speed, and how they placed vs. other teams.
The only Recumbent or HPV team ever to DNF (Did Not Finish), also had the most famous racers:
Michael Shermer (four-time RAAMer),
“Fast Freddie” Markham (former Olympian and U.S. National Team member, HPV land speed record holder of 65.4 mph),
Greg Miller (former U.S. National Team member, cycle-pilot of Gossamer Albatross), and
Dan Tout (Canadian National Pursuit champion).
They led the HPV race most of the way in 1989, but had many navigational problems that almost ended in disaster when, because their mirror had broken off, a racer almost collided with an 18-wheeler. They also had trouble with wind gusts, which at least once blew their vehicle into a ditch.
There hasn't been a 2-person recumbent team since 2007, when Team Velokraft and Bacchetta B Team competed. Volae had a 2-person team in 2006. This year, Red Pearl Racing (Sandy Earl and Bill Spaeth) will be competing in the 2-person recumbent category.
Cruzbike's racers are all experienced at tough events, but only Maria Parker has raced on the RAAM course before. In 2013, she won the women's race, coming from behind after an accident near Tuba City, Arizona destroyed her follow vehicle. I am proud to be one of the racers, and very glad to have Larry Osland and Kevin Gambill on the team. We also have a superlative crew including some returning from duty in 2013, and a lot of new faces.
If you can afford it, please send a donation to 3000 Miles to a Cure. If you can't afford it, just send some encouragement. Sponsors have covered all of our racing costs, so donations will go straight to research on finding a cure for brain cancer. Brain cancer is now the #1 cause of cancer death in kids. It kills a lot of adults, too, including Maria's sister, who died in 2014 from glioblastoma multiforme.
I hope you enjoy following us on RAAM. Ride with us, in spirit.
Jim
