Page 6^The Battalion/Friday June 21, 1985
SPORTS
’85 Race Across AMerica offers
stiff challenge to Aggie cyclist
By ED CASSAVOY
Sports Writer
The distance between Huntington
Beach, Calif, and New York City is
3,000 miles as the crow flies. But
Bob Benorden won’t be taking the
straight trip or following any crow’s
path. He’s going to use a bike.
Eleven days of grueling competi
tion, starting July 21, is what’s in
store for Benorden as a participant
in the 1985 Race Across AMerica
(RAAM).
The race is an elite competition of
between 30-40 cyclists who must
overcome a number of problems —
in and out of the race.
For Benorden, a senior computer
science major at Texas A&M, it’s
only his third competitive race, his
first RAAM. Despite that, he has set
realistic goals for himself.
“My first goal is to finish the race,”
says Benorden, “I have to finish in
less than 48 hours (of my divisional
winner’s time) to be an official win
ner. I think I can do that.
“The second goal is to help me
prepare for next year’s race. It
would allow me to be a lot more
competitive in the next race. And if I
do well, it will be easier to get spon
sors.’^
Sponsors are a major concern of
Benorden’s for one big reason —
money. Because he comes from the
ranks of the unknowns, companies
are a little leery of sponsoring Be
norden.
“All the major bike companies are
taken by the top riders,” Benorden
says.
Benorden estimates that the top
cyclists will each spend $10,000 to
pay costs incurred in competing in
the ’85 RAAM.
Benorden’s hasn’t got that type of
financing yet, but he does have
$2,000 of his own money committed
to the transcontinental race.
“I have five proposals put to dif
ferent companies,” Benorden says,
“and I will have some money coming
in. 1 may get clothes and other
equipment for the race.”
And how did Benorden get in
volved in this rather unusual compe
tition? In a rather ordinary way.
“I used to be a marathon runner,”
Benorden says, “but I developed
knee and hip problems. So, to keep
in shape, I switched to cycling.
“1 entered the Spenco 500 (bike
race) and then found out about long
distance racing. I have been training
since last year (for the RAAM).”
Benorden says there are two ways
to enter the RAAM; either you’re in
vited, which is the case with top rid
ers, or you have to qualif y.
Benorden qualified by placing
sixth in the 700-mile John Marino
Open bike race in Capon, Ill., on
May 20.
But even though he’s qualified for
the RAAM, Benorden must solve a
manpower problem.
“I need a two to three people, col
lege students, (for a support crew)
and I prefer someone who knows
something about bikes,” he says.
Benorden says committing to
work as a RAAM crew will probably
mean volunteering for 2V-2 weeks
during July.
He says the crew would drive his
truck during the race, usually about
20-22 hours a day, and make any re
pairs that the bikes might need. Be
norden says fixing flats will be the
majority of the work.
“They would have to follow about
10-feet behind me during the'night,
so I could see with the (truck’s) head
lights,” Benorden says. “During the
day, they would have to keep in
touch with me every hour to give me
water (especially on the hot roads of
New Mexico and Arizona) and
switch bikes it case of a breakdown.”
Benorden has two bikes for the
race — a Peugeot PGN10 12-speed
and a Schwinn 18-speed.
He says he estimates it will take
him 1 1'A days to finish the 3,136-
mile race.
“I figure 1 can do 1,000 (miles) in
three days,” Benorden says. “It’s
new territory after that. That’s when
you’re looking a't another seven days
ahead of you.
“That’s where the crew comes in.
They can help keep morale up.”
As for his hopes of getting a crew
assembled before the race, Benor
den says, “I’m not sure I’m going to
have much choice in the matter.”
Anyone wishing to help Benorden
on his Race Across AMerica tearii
should contact him at College Sta
tion home before 10 a.m. at 693-
6786. He can be reached at work by
calling 845-4802.
Texas A&M senior computer science major Bob
Benorden (above) trains on the streets of College
Station for the upcoming 1985 Race Across
AMerica, a grueling 3,136-mile bicycle race from
Photo by ANTHONYS. CASPER
shores of Huntington, Calif, to New York, N.Y.
The ’85 RAAM begins July 21 with nationwide
television coverage being provided by ABC’s
Wide World of Sports for the fourth straight year.
Race Across AMerica hopeful Bob Benorden (above) — “IfifimlB
can do 1,000 (miles) in three days. It's new territory afterlk|
That's when you’re looking at another seven days ahead ofm ARLIf
That’s where the crew comes in. They can help keep morale up," mg ers |
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Race Across am ERICA
Spurs near agreement to shift home court for '86
DAL
(barren
Associated Press
SAN ANTONIO — The San An
tonio Spurs and the Freeman Col
iseum Advisory Board are near an
agreement that would move the Na
tional Basketball Association team to
the coliseum by 1986, a board mem
ber says.
John Steen Jr. said the two sides
have not reached an agreement, but
one is imminent on a 10-year lease
on the coliseum.
Spurs owner Angelo Drossos ear
lier had said he wants to move to the
coliseum this year because of heavy
construction around the Convention
Center Arena.
The Spurs have been playing at
the arena for 12 years.
ugr
»p/VlSC DINNER THEATRE
AND AGGIE PLAYERS PRESENT
•v
NEIL SIMON'S
&
BBS
"ANOTHER FUNNY COMEDY BY THE MASTER HUMORIST
WHO WROTE BAREFOOT IN THE PARK' AND THE ODD
COUPLE.'"
#!•
JUNE 26-29
made in time for competition.
Drossos said earlier the NBA
franchise will have to play another
season at the arena because modifi
cations at the coliseum could not be
Thursc
million in improvements on Mel La
building. loosed t
Some improvements wouliBLatu
paid for with county revenuetn Ctorgi;
under the plan. fWorld's
Improvements will include®^
lighting, seating and sound sysitw^
• •••••••••• •••••••••••••••• ••*4"°
“I want to stop short of saying we
have an agreement,” Steen said.
“But there was a lot of skepticism
about this and we felt like we should
let people know that we have made
lots of progress.”
The coliseum is owned by the
county and operated by members of
the Coliseum Advisory Board, who
are appointed by the county com
missioners.
Steen said the Spurs have tenta
tively approved a plan to pay for $3
JlimRAnofUi'
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Until June 30, 1985, you can write your own Apple II system cash rebate. The
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opportunities like this one don't come often. And don't last long.
i
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