The World's Toughest Bicycle Race.
Only a month away. Starts at the Oceanside Pier.

This Ain’t No Tour

RAAM is a race! But unlike the three great Europeon Grand Tours (Tour de France, Vuelta a Espana and Giro de Italia), RAAM is not a stage race. RAAM is one continual stage, similar to a time trial. Once the clock starts it does not stop until the finish line. RAAM is about 30% longer than the Tour de France. Moreover, racers must complete the distance in roughly half the time allowed for the Tour.

More importantly, RAAM is not limited to professional cyclists. RAAM is open to professional and amateur athletes alike. While solo racers must qualify to compete, anyone may organize a team and race.

Racers must traverse 3000 miles across 12 states and climb over 170,000 vertical feet. Team racers have a maximum of nine days and most finish in about seven and a half days. Teams will ride 350-500 miles a day, racing non-stop. Solo racers have a maximum of 12 days to complete the race, with the fastest finishing in just over eight days. Solo racers will ride 250-350 miles a day, balancing speed and the need for sleep.

Go here: http://www.raceacrossamerica.org/raam/r ... ebcat_id=1

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"My favorite part of riding a bike is when I get off the bike." - Jim Gaffigan

350-500 miles per day??!! Holy saddle sores batman!

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Best riding advice I ever got... "make sure you have air in your tires"

who wants to get together a team for next year?

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A mountain biker who doesn't ride road has no legs
A road biker who doesn't ride mountain has no soul

i might be interested in this.....
as long as i can do it on a mountain bike and not a road bike, i'd be in.



oh yeah, and as long as i can wear baggy shorts and not lycra....(that just aint happening).

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'the notorious North County Sancho'

My fiancee's professor helped start this. He has some crazy stories from racing it about hallucinating that he saw aliens, etc. Seems like quite a little bike ride.

I ride road with one of the teams. Great guys and good friends!
San Diego County has the perfect geography; (and weather), for training rides.

Italo, I can get you on the team for next year.... Enough talk...step up my friend!

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"My favorite part of riding a bike is when I get off the bike." - Jim Gaffigan

This is one badass race. I watched Eric Heiden (the gold medalist speed skater) and his team at the starting line in downtown San Diego a few years ago.

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"New York City is a mismanaged carnival of stupidity that is desperate for revenue and anxious to criminalize behavior once thought benign."
--Alex Baldwin, unknowingly describing his socialist utopia.

I call dibs on all the big climbs!

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A mountain biker who doesn't ride road has no legs
A road biker who doesn't ride mountain has no soul

i'm in......
so where exactly is the shuttle pick up spot?

seriously tho, if i can muster up the balls to do the 24 hours again this fall, i may just take you up on that offer for next year.

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'the notorious North County Sancho'

Start:

Where: All Races: Oceanside, CA, just below the Oceanside Pier in the Amphitheater.
When: The race will be in Oceanside at the Pier from Sunday June 12, 2010, through Saturday June 18, 2011. In addition to the three specific starts listed below we will have the Racer Meetings with Racer Introductions.
Solo Women and 60+ Men: Tuesday June 14, 2011, 12:00pm (PDT)
Solo Men and all Race Across the West Racers: Wednesday June 15, 2011, 12:00pm (PDT)
Teams: Saturday June 18, 2011, 2:00pm (PDT)

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"My favorite part of riding a bike is when I get off the bike." - Jim Gaffigan

I think Gabrielle Reece's husband did this race last year... 3 days after completing a team paddle from Catalina Island to LB to Oceanside.

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Best riding advice I ever got... "make sure you have air in your tires"

That's not the half of it -- I saw one participant who had such bad neck problems that he had to rig a device to hold his head up. It was kind of like a leatt brace around his neck and down to his chest, but with a gallows-type arm running up above his head. Attached to that was a cord and a headband. I guess it never occurred to him that he could stop riding.

Those guys are beasts.

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A bicycle is a splendid thing.
~Ernest Hemingway

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"My favorite part of riding a bike is when I get off the bike." - Jim Gaffigan

I like hanging out here in Borrego Springs and watch the teams come through.
There is normally a crowd at The Circle with a few pitchers of margaritas going around. We have been known to moon the slow ones!

Perhaps this should be a DT spectator event

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Team Chode!