The Race Across America might be on your radar lately as we bade a sad farewell to five-time RAAM champion, Jure Robic who died last week in his native Solvenia. If you caught “Bicycle Dreams,” which we screened in Seattle in April and May, you will remember Robic as a focused competitor. Maybe you came away from the film with not just admiration, but also a burning dream to give the Race Across America a try.
The 3,000-mile, coast-to-coast, non-stop bicycle Race Across America (RAAM) has deservedly earned the title “The World’s Toughest Bicycle Race,” for those riders taking on the solo division. Two-, four- and eight-person relay options, however, make finishing RAAM a possibility for almost any reasonably fit cyclist. Racing a bicycle across America stands to be an incredible adventure as well as an unforgettable experience.
Now’s your chance to meet two RAAM experts, hear their perspectives on the race and ask them what it takes to throw your helmet in. Race Director George Thomas is a six-time finisher of the Race Across America. He and RAAM CEO Fred Boethling, a two-time finisher, will be in Seattle on Tuesday, Oct. 12 to stoke the embers of your own bicycle dreams.
Cascade Presentation Series: The Race Across America (RAAM)
Race Director George Thomas and RAAM CEO Fred Boethling
REI Seattle, 222 Yale Street
Tuesday, Oct. 12, 7 p.m. *Free*
[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Cascade Bicycle Club, Scot Gellock. Scot Gellock said: I soooo want to do this. RT @cascadebicycle: .: What does it take to race across America? http://blog.cascade.org/2010/10/raam/ [...]
If you’re OK with hallucinating from mental exhaustion while riding a bicycle, then RAAM may be for you. Jure a focused competitor? Jure may actually have had the rare ability to foresake consciousness and sanity and somehow manage to keep his legs spinning and body moving in a reasonably straight line.
Here’s a terrific 2006 article about Jure Robic.
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/02/05/sports/playmagazine/05robicpm.html