Autissier going the distance
There are no breaks in the Race Across America (RAAM). Even sleeping or eating can be costly to a competitor.
The object of RAAM is to ride the 3,052 miles from San Diego to Atlantic City, N.J., in the fastest time. So sacrifices are many and dropouts are frequent. In 23 years, only 42 percent of solo riders have finished the race, a total fewer than those who have scaled Mount Everest.
''They say it's the world's hardest race," said Patrick Autissier of Belmont. ''But I'll have no idea until Day 3 or 4."
Autissier, 42, first read about the race in L'Equipe, the sports newspaper in his home country of France. He had done triathlons, including the Hawaii Ironman in 1992, but had never considered biking such a long distance. When he and his family moved stateside four years ago, he began training.
Now Autissier is on the road, having set off from San Diego with the solo riders at 7 a.m. Sunday. Teams of two to eight riders begin today. All competitors must be in Atlantic City by July 1.
Entering RAAM does not come cheap. The entry fee is $1,495, and riders also must pay for their support crew that drives along with them. Autissier has a crew of eight that includes a bike mechanic, a doctor, a massage therapist, and a ''computer guy" to monitor his website, patrickautissier.com, where people can send him an e-mail or donate to his charity for HIV vaccine research.
Of the 160 entrants this year, 26 are riding solo -- 25 men and one woman. Sleep is probably the biggest sacrifice, said organizer Jim Petrie, noting that ''the solo's first break is probably not until 50 hours." He said last year's winner, Jure Robic of Slovenia, slept eight hours in nine days.
Petrie and Lon Haldeman started the race in 1982 with just four entrants. Now half the field is from Europe or South America and money is being raised for 20 charities.
The course changes slightly every year. There are 57 time stations where riders must check in, and they must have a vehicle follow them at night.
The record for a solo man is 8 days, 9 hours, and 47 minutes by Pete Penseyres in 1986.
But no matter how long it takes, or how little sleep he gets, Autissier hopes to be greeted by his wife and two children in Atlantic City by noon, July 1. No later, and hopefully, a lot sooner.
Tough enough
This is the first year the Discovery Channel is sponsoring a team in the Tour de France, and it's the last year of competition for team member Lance Armstrong, who's going for his seventh straight win. But team manager Johann Bruyneel said he's not concerned by the looming void.
''I think we have a great team, even without Lance we've been doing great," he told VeloNews magazine. ''I won't go desperately after another guy."
The team also includes Yaroslav Popovych, a former under-23 world champion, and two-time Giro d'Italia winner Paolo Salvodelli. Italian Ivan Basso, who finished third and won a stage in last year's Tour, has been rumored to be joining the Discovery team.
Closing strong
George Hincapie, the only rider who had been on US Postal team for all of Armstrong's wins, finished the recent Dauphine Libere the same way he started the race -- with a win. Hincapie, now also with Discovery, won the race's prologue and final stage June 5. He finished 32d overall and Armstrong fourth in the eight-day race won by Inigo Landaluze . . . While many elite riders are in Europe gearing up for the Tour de France, others are in Park City, Utah, this week for the national championships in road racing, time trials, and criteriums. Elite men who are competing include USPRO champion Chris Wherry, 2003 national champion Chris Baldwin, and 2004 Olympic team member Colby Pearce. The women's field includes 2004 Olympian and defending national champion Christine Thorburn.
