Bicycle Dreams

The organizers of the Race Across America (RAAM) call it "the World's Toughest Bike Race," and if it isn't the most punishing athletic event in the United States, it's hard to imagine what might top it. RAAM is a bicycle race in which solo riders must cover 3,051 miles, from San Diego, California to Atlantic City, New Jersey, checking in at 53 time stations as they cross the country in nine days. It takes a special breed of athlete to compete in the Race Across America - not only is it physically demanding, but the combination of profound physical exertion and lack of sleep pushes most riders to the brink of madness, with many reporting strange hallucinations and paranoid delusions following them as they struggle to make their way across the country, regardless of weather or road conditions. The winner of the RAAM claims a purse of $10,000, significantly less than it costs most riders to compete, so why do so these athletes push themselves to the brink in a race that's little known outside the cycling community? Filmmaker Stephen Auerbach examines the punishing realities behind the Race Across America and the men who accept the challenge in this documentary, which follows the 2005 RAAM competition through both triumph and tragedy.