***************************************************
* Bicycle RACE ACROSS AMERICA  (RAAM)       1996  *
*                                                 *
* Danny Chew, Team Kern Wheelmen win RAAM         *
*                                                 *
* ( a 2905 mile coast to coast bicycle race)      *
*                                                 *
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Saturday, August 10 2:30 am EDT Daniel Crew, 33, of Pittsburgh, PA, has
won the 1996 Race Across AMerica in 8 days 7 hours 14 minutes. Following
Chew across the finish line 2 hours 46 minutes later was Rob Kish, 44,
of Port Orange, FL with an overall time of 8 days 10 hours even. Top
ultra marathon (woman) rider Seana Hogan withdrew from the race at
Lonoke, AR, 2010 miles into the race, due to saddle sores. In the Team
race, Team Kern Wheelmen, all from Bakersfield, CA, finished first with
an overall time of 5 days 6 hours 4 minutes. They were followed closely
by Team Action Sports, also from Bakersfield, which finished in 5 days 7
hours 52 minutes. Only 8 minutes later, Team Pacificare finished, with a
time of 5 days 8 hours even.
The race is *NOT* over until all finishers come in.
Here's some background presss releases "lifted" from the organizers'
site and email list:
The Race Across AMerica (RAAM) is coming soon! Solo and tandem riders will
depart Irvine, CA, on Thursday 1 August at 12 noon EDT, while relay teams 
ill
leave Irvine on Sunday 4 August at noon. Some 2905 miles later, riders will
roll into Savannah, Georgia. We expect the leaders of all divisions to arrive
in Savannah starting Friday evening 9 August, and continuing for another 2-3
days.
At present there are 22 solo men, 3 solo women, one mixed tandem, and 16 
elay
teams entered (although that is subject to change). One of the relay teams is
a tandem relay team, consisting of 6 people/3 tandems.
The route will take riders east from the LA area to Blythe, CA, and over into
western Arizona, before heading northward to Congress, Prescott, and Ash 
ork.
It then heads east to Flagstaff, and into Indian country in northeast AZ,
exiting the state at Four Corners. In Colorado, the route goes through Cortz,
Durango, Pagosa Springs, South Fork, Alamosa, La Veta, Cucharas, Trinidad,
Kim, and Springfield, having gone over three substantial mountain passes 
long
the way.
The route then moves south into the Oklahoma panhandle, and turns east at
Boise City (pronounced "Boys City" by the locals), heading through Guymon,
Woodward, Kingfisher (Sam Walton's birthplace), Guthrie, and Shawnee, and 
hen
making a bee line east to Ft. Smith, Arkansas.
Once in The Whitewater State, the route parallels the Arkansas River to
Conway, then skirts north of Litte Rock, and heads due east through some
incredibly flat land to West Memphis, where riders will dismount and be 
riven
across the Mississippi River bridge into Memphis, TN, where Tom Cruise is
still working for The Firm.
Once in Tennessee, the hills pick up again, with great gusto...Jackson,
Hohenwald, Columbia, Winchester, Chattanooga. It'll feel like Colorado all
over again, but with high humidity (never mind that the mountains are much
smaller...they just feel big).
Finally, it's Georgia On My Mind, as riders make their way south and east,
dodging Atlanta traffic to the east, and then maintaining  a steady track
toward Savannah through Lawrenceville and Gray, among others. The rolling
hills will finally give way to a coastal plain the last 40-50 miles, and then
riders will see the legendary Burger King (the final time station) in Pooler,
GA, at the I-95 interchange. It's then only another 10 miles or so on into
downtown Savannah and the riverfront finish on, not surprisingly, River
Street.
For race reports updated four times daily, you can call 1.900.454.BIKE.
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