Bike World News

There are as many reasons for doing the Race Across America as there are athletes competing in the event. Bicycle Dreams follows 6 solo riders in the 2005 edition of RAAM as they try and make their way across the country. I’ve had the privilege to work at a RAAM time station for the past two years. I’m truly in awe at the physical and mental fortitude that the riders bring to the event, but this film really awakened me to all that they go through.

For those of you who aren’t familiar with RAAM, it has been called the world’s toughest sporting event. Its competitors ride 3000 miles from coast to coast in just a little over 9 days. For many, sleep is less of an option than stopping. The film points out early on that 48% of the solo riders never make it across the country. It’s fairly safe to say that even if you think you are prepared to do the race, you still don’t know what you’re getting into.

Filmmaker Stephen Auerbach and his crew rode inside the crew vehicles of a number of riders to get an inside look at the race. They used 18 cameras to capture the scenery and the highs and lows of the racers, providing an up close look at their battles with sleep deprivation, hallucinations and fatigue.

Much of the emotional tone of the film is set by the tragic death of RAAM pioneer Bob Breedlove, who was struck head on killed instantly during the race (initial reports were that he had a heart attack and swerved into oncoming traffic, but an autopsy did away with that theory. The truth about the accident is still being debated. Many of the riders are kept in the dark about the accident at first as their crew chiefs make the decision to not tell them.

Some highlights:

• Eventual race winner Jure Robic made it to Atlantic City in 216 hours and 33 minutes. In his quest to win, he had only had 11 hours of sleep by the eighth day. This came at the cost of of forgetting the names of his wife and his son. His descents into madness during endurance events are well documented and were even the subject of an article in the New York Times. The article puts it best about Robic: “He wins for the most fundamental of reasons: he refuses to stop.”
• Second place finisher (and RAAM rookie) Chris MacDonald, a sports trainer, came in 17 hours behind Robic. Of all of the competitors, he seemed to be the most initially bold and the later humbled rider to finish. Despite being humbled, he found the strength to go on.
• Sweden’s Catharina Berge also came to the race as a rookie. She was the highest placed female finisher and came across 8th overall against the men.
• Chris Hopkinson, a self described itinerant music teacher, struggled with dizziness in neck pain throughout the race. In typically understated British manner, he said at one point during the race, “I’ve gone all dizzy. I’d like to have a slight interlude in a second.” Despite wearing a neck brace and pad for the second half of the race, Hopkinson came across 11th, 62 hours behind Robic.

If you’ve ever wanted to learn more about the inner workings of RAAM, are a fan of cycling or if you simply enjoy a good documentary about people facing and overcoming obstacles, I think that you would enjoy Bicycle Dreams.

You can buy Bicycle Dreams by clicking here. If you enter the referral code of bikeworld, 25% of the profits on the sale of the DVD will go to the American Heart Association.

Trailer:

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