The Trans Am Bike Race (TABR) is an annual, self-supported,

ultra-distance cycling The definition of ultra-distance cycling is far more vague than in ultra running (any race longer than a marathon) or in ultra-triathlon (any race longer than an Ironman Triathlon). Any bike race or ride longer than a century ride, which is , is ...

race across the United States. The route is about long and uses the TransAmerica Bicycle Trail that was developed by the

Adventure Cycling Association Adventure Cycling Association is a nonprofit member organization focused on travel by bicycle (bicycle touring). Headquartered in Missoula, Montana, Adventure Cycling develops cycling routes, publishes maps, provides guided trips, and advocates ...

for the Bikecentennial event in 1976. The route runs from the

Pacific The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean (or, depending on definition, to Antarctica) in the south, and is bounded by the contine ...

coast in Astoria, Oregon to the

Atlantic The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the " Old World" of Africa, Europe an ...

coast in

Yorktown, Virginia Yorktown is a census-designated place (CDP) in York County, Virginia. It is the county seat of York County, one of the eight original shires formed in colonial Virginia in 1682. Yorktown's population was 195 as of the 2010 census, while York Co ...

, passing through ten states. The inaugural race was in 2014, which 25 people completed, the fastest of whom took less than 18 days. It is not a stage race; the clock never stops from the moment the riders leave the start to the moment that they reach the finish, so it is a long

individual time trial An individual time trial (ITT) is a road bicycle race in which cyclists race alone against the clock (in French: ''contre la montre'' – literally "against the watch", in Italian: ''tappa a cronometro'' " stopwatch stage"). There are also track ...

. Riders must therefore strategically choose how much time to devote to riding, resting, and refueling each day. Being self-supported or unsupported means that drafting is not allowed, receiving any form of support from other racers, friends, or family is not allowed; all food, accommodation, repairs, etc., must be purchased from commercial sources.

Organization and following the race

The race's founder and main organizer is Nathan Jones, who also participated in the 2014 event, finishing in 13th place, and rode the Tour Divide mountain bike race in 2010 and 2011. Rider positions are monitored using GPS satellite-based tracker devices mounted on participants' bikes that upload their positions to th
Trackleaders
website for the participants and followers to view. Many participants also update followers on their progress using social media websites. A feature-length documentary, calle
Inspired to Ride
was made about the inaugural edition, in 2014. The focus of the film was on the male and female winners, Mike Hall and Juliana Buhring, but many of the other racers were also featured, including the actor

Brian Steele Brian Steele is an American actor who has had many roles as monsters and creatures on television and in films. In 2018, he appeared as The Robot in ''Lost in Space''. Steele stands at 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m). Career On television, Steele was t ...

. The film was made by many of the same people who were involved in th
Ride The Divide
movie about the similar Tour Divide mountain bike race, including Mike Dion and

Hunter Weeks Hunter Weeks is an American filmmaker and producer of documentaries. He has directed and produced seven feature-length documentaries including ''10 MPH'', ''10 Yards''Inspired to Ride(about the Trans Am Bike Race The Trans Am Bike Race (TABR) is a ...

Rules and results

Rules are listed on the official website. The idea of self-supported or unsupported bicycle racing is a key component, and any type of bicycle is allowed, including recumbent bicycles. The main results are summarized in the table below. It is notable that only two women had completed the race, both in 2014, before Lael Wilcox won the 2016 edition with a come from behind finish to overtake the long-standing leader, Steffen Streich in the final day. In 2016, there was a new pairs category and participants were able to ride the route in either direction (west to east or east to west). The current record is held by Abdullah Zeinab, who completed the 2019 race in 16 days, 9 hours, 56 minutes.

Similar races

This form of ultra-distance, unsupported bike racing first became popular with the Tour Divide mountain bike race, which was first held as a mass-start event in 2008. The Tour Divide starts in

Alberta Alberta ( ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is part of Western Canada and is one of the three prairie provinces. Alberta is bordered by British Columbia to the west, Saskatchewan to the east, the Northwest Ter ...

, Canada, follows the

Great Divide Mountain Bike Route The Great Divide Mountain Bike Route (GDMBR) is a , off-road bicycle touring route between Jasper, Alberta, Canada and Antelope Wells, New Mexico, USA. Completed in 1997, the GDMBR was developed by Adventure Cycling Association, who continue to m ...

through the US and finishes at the Mexican border in

New Mexico ) , population_demonym = New Mexican ( es, Neomexicano, Neomejicano, Nuevo Mexicano) , seat = Santa Fe , LargestCity = Albuquerque , LargestMetro = Tiguex , OfficialLang = None , Languages = English, Spanish ( New Mexican), Navajo, Ke ...

. The

Transcontinental Race The Transcontinental Race (TCR) is an annual, self-supported, ultra-distance cycling race across Europe. It is one of the world's toughest ultra-endurance races. The route and distance varies for each edition between about 3,200 and 4,200 km, ...

started in 2013 and is the event that is most similar to the Trans Am Bike Race because it is on paved roads; however, that route varies every year with different start and finish locations being used and riders must choose their own route while visiting certain checkpoints. Similarly the Indian Pacific Wheel Race (IndyPac) was first held in 2017, racing across Australia, from the Freemantle Lighthouse, Perth, to the Opera House, Sydney. The Race to the Rock has been held in Australia, from

Adelaide Adelaide ( ) is the capital city of South Australia, the state's largest city and the fifth-most populous city in Australia. "Adelaide" may refer to either Greater Adelaide (including the Adelaide Hills) or the Adelaide city centre. The dem ...

Uluru Uluru (; pjt, Uluṟu ), also known as Ayers Rock ( ) and officially gazetted as UluruAyers Rock, is a large sandstone formation in the centre of Australia. It is in the southern part of the Northern Territory, southwest of Alice Spring ...

since 2016. The first three editions have all been won by Sarah Hammond. Th
BikingMan
race series, bring athletes across the Andes Cordillera of

Peru , image_flag = Flag of Peru.svg , image_coat = Escudo nacional del Perú.svg , other_symbol = Great Seal of the State , other_symbol_type = National seal , national_motto = "Firm and Happy f ...

wit
IncaDivide race
in the Hajar mountains of Oman wit
BikingMan Oman
and aroun
Corsica
BikingMan races are self-supported but every athlete gets a survival map of a recommended route and can rest at the base camps of the checkpoints. The self-supported nature of the TABR makes it very different from supported ultra-distance events like the

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 ...

(RAAM), in which each racer has a large support crew with multiple vehicles. All such support is prohibited in the TABR and similar races that are described as self-supported or unsupported. Ultra-distance audax and

randonneuring Randonneuring (also known as Audax in the UK, Australia and Brazil) is a long-distance cycling sport with its origins in audax cycling. In randonneuring, riders attempt courses of 200 km or more, passing through predetermined "controls" (c ...

cycling events are somewhat similar except that drafting is allowed in those and the organizers often provide support at the control points.

References

{{reflist

External links

Trans Am Bike Race, official website
Cycle races in the United States Ultra-distance cycling