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Monday, March 3, 2014

RAAM: Race Across America

Watched a couple of documentaries about this race, it is epic.  Grueling.  You start at the Pacific coast and end on the Atlantic... 3000 miles.  Craziest of all, the clock never stops... it's not a stage race like the Tour de France, it is a one shot deal.  Fastest person to cover 3000 miles wins.

The solo version is beyond crazy, but I can get my head around the team event.  Four people would hit the spot.

9 days is the limit for teams.  A team of 4 would each have 6 hours of riding duty a day.  I've poked around, seems like most teams split it up into 1/2 hour chunks and alternate.  A pair of riders alternates for 4 hours while the other pair rests, then they switch.  

There can be illness, injury, all sorts of things that get in the way of that plan... but it sounds do-able.

But then you get into the logistics...

Each team needs two vehicles - one that follows the active rider, the other than supports everyone (this would be an RV most likely).  Each needs 2 licensed crew, at minimum.  The cost of the entry is almost $2000 per person... but when all is said and done a team of 4 would run about $20,000.

There is a lot of planning.  You need to recruit willing crewmembers, who will fight through the lack of sleep.  There's the route to be followed, the equipment to be carted around.  Spare everything (tires, chains, etc), tools.  Food, accommodations...   heck the rulebook is 49 pages long... there is a lot to sort out!   

Still, I can't get it out of my head.  Maybe someday.

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