| Pete Penseyres | |
| Discipline: | Ultra-distance |
| Role: | Rider |
| Majorwins: |
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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 3107miles in 8 days, 9 hours, and 47 minutes. His average speed of 15.4mph was the record for 27 years, finally being broken by Christoph Strasser in 2013, who averaged 15.58mph.[2] Penseyres trained for years by cycling 65miles to work each day.
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.