Trans Am Bike Race

The Trans Am Bike Race (TABR) is an annual, self-supported, ultra-distance cycling race across the United States. The route is about 4,200 miles (6,800 km) long and uses the TransAmerica Bicycle Trail that was developed by the Adventure Cycling Association for the Bikecentennial event in 1976. The route runs from the Pacific coast in Astoria, Oregon to the Atlantic coast in Yorktown, Virginia, 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. 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.

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 the Trackleaders website for the participants and followers to view. Many participants also update followers on their progress using social media websites.

Newton Bike Shop in Newton, Kansas is situated shortly after the halfway point. The shop offers their services to all participants at any time of the day or night, including the use of a hostel-style bunk room, kitchen, and bike repair service. In 2015, they put a live stream from a wall-mounted webcam online so that people could watch racers arrive and see a brief interview with each of them.

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Wikipedia