Pete Penseyres
| Team information | |
|---|---|
| Discipline | Ultra-distance |
| Role | Rider |
| Major wins | |
| |
Pete Penseyres is an American cyclist who was the winner of Race Across America (RAAM) in 1984 and 1986,[1] setting a world record of 3,107 miles (5,000 km) in 8 days, 9 hours, and 47 minutes. His average speed of 15.40 miles per hour (24.78 km/h) was the record for 27 years, finally being broken by Christoph Strasser in 2013, who averaged 15.58 miles per hour (25.07 km/h).[2] Penseyres trained for years by cycling 65 miles (105 km) to work each day.[1]
Penseyres's performance is particularly remarkable for several reasons. The RAAM is continuous from start to finish with no breaks; Penseyres was notable for his ability to forgo sleep to improve his time. Equipment at the time was primitive by today's standards: Penseyres introduced the use of aerobars[3] to mimic a downhill skier's wind resistance advantage. Nutrition during the race was also not nearly as advanced as it is today.
References
[edit]- ^ a b "– Pete Penseyres – short bio | Orange County Bicycle Coalition".
- ^ "RAAM". Archived from the original on January 14, 2016. Retrieved July 18, 2013.
- ^ Aerobars description in a glossary
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