Race Across America races across Missouri

Race Across America, or RAAM, is 3,000-plus miles of professional bicycle riding from the West Coast to the East Coast. Male and female cyclists compete as individuals or on two-, four- or eight-person teams.

RAAM, which started Sunday in Oceanside, Calif., is scheduled to pass through portions of Warren and St. Charles counties this weekend. Team riders could arrive in Marthasville from Jefferson City as early as Thursday night.

There are no guest dinners to attend, no speeches to make and no comfortable hotel beds to rest in. The field is full of sleep-deprived racers vying to outdo one another hour after hour.

Cathy Turman, owner of Scenic Cycles on Boone Monument Road in Marthasville, is coordinating one of 57 time stations along the route. Scenic Cycles is a sales, repair and rental shop bordering Katy Trail State Park. Turman and her son, Ben, plan to prepare homemade food, erect welcome tents and have a warm smile to greet each rider.