By Thomas Bérubé

As I write this article it is hard to believe that the start of the 2006 Race Across America is only a month away. Racer and crew chief have spent close to a year talking about and planning for the race. Ready or not, it is almost time to go. At 7:00 am on Sunday, June 11, 2006 we will be leaving Oceanside, CA and heading east toward Atlantic City, NJ. I am finding it hard to fathom that this is actually going to happen so it comes as no surprise to me that many of the people in my life do not understand what RAAM is all about.

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By Thomas Bérubé
I see from a prior issue of the Derailleur Mailleur that John Tebbens is the CCC’s mileage champion for 2005, logging in 10,870 miles. I am pretty impressed. I know from the years where I have exceeded 10,000 miles how much saddle time that is. However, if 10,000 sounds like a big number, try 28,000. This is the annual mileage claimed by Jure Robic, winner of the 2005 Race Across America. But, there is a difference between John and Jure. John enjoyed racking up his miles. Jure rode 18,000 more miles than John and it sounds like he was miserable during every single one of them.

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By Thomas Bérubé

A rule change has put an end to the twenty five year old Race Across America. Or has it?

In the previous issue of the Derailleur Mailer I introduced the efforts of a local cyclist, Bryce Walsh, to compete in the 2006 Race Across America. Bryce has now paid the entry fee and is in his winter training grounds of Austin, TX where he is hopefully not devoting too much time to playing his bass and lounging in smoky bars taking in the local music scene. I am listed on the entry application as crew chief and as such my duties will be to both keep everything functioning smoothly during the race and to remain in Chicago this winter getting things organized. Part of doing an event like RAAM is being prepared to deal with changing circumstances and doing contingency planning. Well, we have just had the first “changing circumstance” thrown at us and are trying to deal with it.

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By Thomas Berube

This is probably well known to lots of you but for the benefit of those who do not know, I need to take a moment to describe the Race Across America (RAAM). First run in 1982, this event is a non-stop bike race from the Pacific coast of the United States to Atlantic coast. Exact routes have changed over the years but the distance covered is generally around 3000 miles. The current course goes from San Diego, CA to Atlantic City, NJ, a distance of 3051.7 miles. Riders have completed RAAM in as little as 7 days although in most years the winner turns in a time of around 9 days. Under current rules riders are allowed 12 days to be considered official finishers. 3051.7 miles in 12 days works out to 254 miles a day or n average speed of 10.58 miles. A social ride! Right?

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