Race Across America to pass through for fifth consecutive year
As it has since 2003, Fort Scott will once again serve as a time station for riders participating in the annual Race Across America (RAAM) bicycle race. This year's race started Sunday when 34 solo riders departed from Oceanside, Calif., on their 3,043-mile trek to Atlantic City, N.J.
Fort Scott is one of eight time stations in Kansas and the last one before riders head into Missouri. Time stations along the route are approximately 50 miles apart. The one before Fort Scott is Yates Center, which is about 60 miles to the west.
The race will also pass through Nevada, giving riders a taste of Bushwhacker Days, but the next time station will be in Collins, Mo. The first solo riders are expected to pass through Fort Scott between 4 and 5 a.m. Friday morning.
RAAM is not run in stages like the Tour de France and there is not a set distance riders have to cover in one day. It is one continuous endurance race. Organizers say it is the longest-running ultra-distance bicycle endurance competition in the world. The race has also attracted international competitors, with riders from Canada, Australia and several European countries expected to participate again this year.
RAAM began in 1982 with four solo male competitors. The race has expanded since then to include women's solo competitors as well as two-, four- and eight-person teams. The 39 team entries departed from Oceanside Tuesday and the leaders will pass through the area later Friday or Saturday morning. Riders are expected to continue passing through as late as the early hours of Monday morning.
Riders are not required to stop in Fort Scott but they must check in. Some riders, particularly those in the Men's Solo Enduro division, will take the opportunity to get some rest before resuming their trip. The clock continues to run during their stops but it is "returned" to them at the end of the race.
Solo Enduro riders must stop for a total of 40 hours over the course of the route with a mandatory two-hour stop at some stations, including El Dorado, Kan. There are 30 control points where riders may stop for time counted toward the 40 hours. Team competitiors will not stop, just switch riders.
A rider competing in the Solo Enduro division will ride 20 hours and 350 miles on his bike per day over the eight days of the race. This division was launched last year but had been in the planning stages for several years prior to that. It's "slightly more humane" than the Solo Traditional division, according to a RAAM media release, because it "focuses more on cycling speed and less on the ability to survive on a minimal amount of sleep." Riders in the Solo Traditional division may sleep only 60 to 90 minutes each day.
Solo riders average about 16 MPH while the top four-person teams average 23 MPH, which is why they start later. All riders must obey traffic laws and must stay on the shoulder of the road, competing while making sure they do not impede traffic. Riders can not "draft" vehicles nor use their support team vehicles to shield them from the wind.
There are 14 divisions in the race. Those divisions that cover all 3,043 miles include one for solo women, three for solo men, three for two-person teams, four for four-person teams and one for corporate teams. There is also a six-person "Human Powered Vehicle" division, which allows those confined to wheelchairs to compete.
The other division is a 24-hour corporate challenge which runs a shorter, 494-mile version of the race from San Diego, Calif., to Flagstaff, Ariz. This division was introduced when it was found that companies with workers participating in the event received a significant boost in cohesion and morale among the staff.
All riders must check in at the time stop on their cell phones or by using a pay phone. The Fort Scott time station will be located at Cowen's Country Corner at the intersection of U.S. 54 and old highway 69. Eastern Daylight Time is the official time for the race; so if you are interested in going to the time stop to observe some of the activity, keep that in mind.
Updates on the race can be seen at www.raceacrossamerica.org (Information from this site was used in compiling this report).
Race facts
* -- First race held in 1982.
* -- Begins in Oceanside, Calif.; ends in Atlantic City, N.J. (3,043 miles).
* -- Races climb a total of 108,000 feet in the mountainous parts of the race.
* -- The race crosses through 15 states including Kansas and Missouri.
2006 division winners
Division | Winner | Time |
Men's Solo Enduro | Johnathan Boyer, Marina, Calif. | 10 days, 0 hours, 52 min. |
Men's Solo Traditional | Daniel Wyss, Brig, Switzerland | 9 d, 11:50 |
Women's Solo Traditional | Shanna Armstrong, Lubbock, Texas | 11d, 22:16 |
Two-person Men | Team BodyXchange/Garden Pathways: Kevin McNulty, Ramona, Calif; Joe Petersen, Bakersfield, Calif. | 6d, 11:24 |
Two-person Mixed | Team Racing Against Diabetes: Terry Dutton and Patty Riddle, La Jolla, Calif. | 11 d, 19:14 |
Two-person Recumbent | Volae Wolf Pack: Thomas Kingsburg, Loyal, Wisc.; Tim Woudenberg, Moss Beach, Calf. | 7d, 15:47 |
Four-person Men | Beaver Creek/Vail: Zach Bingham, Vail, Colo.; Nat Ross, Vail, Colo.; Mike Janelle, Avon, Colo; James Mortenson, Eagle, Colo. | 5d, 16:01 |
Four-person Women | Vail/Beaver Creek B2B Divas: Linda Gurrette, Vail, Colo.; Kimberly Fields, Avon, Colo.; Debra Decrausaz, Vail, Colo.; Tristen Grant, Nashville, Tenn. | 7d, 15:11 |
Four-person Mixed | Emily's Team: Marvin and Pamela Atwood, Chandler, Ariz.; Laurence Burns, Phoenix, Ariz.; Dan McGehee, Mesa, Ariz. | 6d, 19:59 |
Four-person Tandem | Team JDRF: Tim Skipper, Castaic, Calif.; Brenda Barnell, Dallas, Texas; Tom Hooker, Fremont, Calif.; Rachel McGrady, Minnepolis, Minn. | 8d, 5:56 |
Corporate Challenge | Team Type 1 | 5d, 16:04 |
Corporate Challenge HPV | Handcycleteam RC--Enjo Volarlberg, Austria | 10d, 0:12 |
24-hour Corporate Challenge | Team Beat Cancer (489 miles) | 24:00:24 |