Race Across America

The Race Across America, or RAAM, is an ultra-distance road cycling race held across the United States that started in 1982 as the Great American Bike Race.

RAAM is one of the longest annual endurance events in the world. All entrants must prove their abilities by competing in any of several qualifying events, completing a course within a specified time period.

RAAM is sometimes compared to the Tour de France, but the two races are fundamentally different. At its heart, RAAM is a transcontinental individual or team time trial, i.e., it is technically a nonstop event from start to finish, although solo riders do stop to rest occasionally. While the route has varied over the years, it has always been from the west coast to the east coast of the United States, approximately 3,000 miles (4,800 km), with the fastest solo competitors needing under 8 days to complete the course. By contrast, the Tour de France is a stage race contested by a large peloton of professional racers riding for sponsored teams. The route alternates between clockwise and counterclockwise discontinuous circuits around France and is generally about 2,300 miles long; the distance is divided into individual daily stages spread over the course of 23 days (including 2 rest days) and contested at much higher on-bike speeds than in RAAM.