“When I finished in 1986 I knew I had ridden my best solo attempt and could never duplicate that ride again.”
Pete Penseyres setting the 1986 RAAM speed record of 15.40 mph.
Records are made to be broken, but try as they might, no one has been able to cross the country on a bicycle faster than Pete Penseyres did almost 20 years ago.
Penseyres set the solo transcontinental speed record of 15.40 mph in the 1986 Race Across AMerica.
He’s also held a share of the transcontinental tandem record for 18 years – a time of 7 days, 14 hours and 55 minutes, with an average speed of 15.97 mph – set with Lon Haldeman in 1987.
For these feats, and many others, RAAM 2003 was dedicated to Penseyres and he was inducted into the Ultra Cycling Hall of Fame.
A cyclist since the early ’70s, it was a 1978 article by John Marino that sparked Penseyres interest in the ultra world. The article told of the triumphs and trials of Marino’s record transcontinental crossing.
Penseyres set the solo transcontinental speed record of 15.40 mph in the 1986 Race Across AMerica.
He’s also held a share of the transcontinental tandem record for 18 years – a time of 7 days, 14 hours and 55 minutes, with an average speed of 15.97 mph – set with Lon Haldeman in 1987.
For these feats, and many others, RAAM 2003 was dedicated to Penseyres and he was inducted into the Ultra Cycling Hall of Fame.
- Penseyres’ palmares
- 1979 Tandem Team Transcontinental Record 10d 21h 49m
- 1983 RAAM Second Place Solo 10d 22h 2m
- 1984 RAAM First Place Solo 9d 13h 13m
- 1986 RAAM First Place Solo 8d 9h 47m, 15.40 mph
- 1987 Tandem Transcontinental 7d 14h 55m, 15.97 mph
- 1989 RAAM HPV Team First Place 5d 1h 8m, 24.02 mph
- 1993 US Master’s National Road Race Champion
- 1993 – 2001 11 Master’s National Tandem Time Trial or Road Race championships 7th place
- 1994 24-hour HPV record (602 miles)
- 1996 RAAM Master’s Team, 50-plus 5d 11h 21m
“It was an incredible story and I wanted to try it, but not alone,” Penseyres said. Mentioning an interest in traversing the country on a tandem to his wife Joanne, the wheels were quickly put into motion. In 1979, Penseyres, Rob Templin, Brooks McKinney and Bruce Hall did a two-tandem crossing (non-relay, drafting) in 10 days, 21 hours, 49 minutes.
Pete Penseyres setting the 1979 two-tandem transcontinental record
Two things began with that event – Penseyres’ love of ultra cycling and Joanne’s status as crew chief. Joanne Penseyres has headed the support team in every ultra event in which her husband has participated.
“She is the one who talked me into cycling in 1971 and still claims she doesn’t regret it,” Penseyres said.
Penseyres and his trophy for winning the “84 RAAM. (Ed Goss photo)
“Penseyres clocked 1,000 miles a week at his peak.”
In 1983, the second running of Race Across AMerica, Penseyres placed second behind Lon Haldeman with a time of 10 days, 22 hours, 2 minutes. For his accomplishment Penseyres was named Rookie of the Year. The next year, 1984, Penseyres raced again and won. This time his crossing took 9 days, 13 hours, 13 minutes. A new record was established.
While Penseyres did not race in the 1985 event — crewing instead for his brother Jim — a challenge, of sorts, was laid down. At least in Pete’s mind. Jonathan Boyer, the first American to ride in the Tour de France, was the victor in RAAM 1985. At least some people thought his victory proved road racers were better athletes than ultra cyclist. Not so, said Penseyres. And he set out to prove it.
What followed, the Penseyres training regimen, is legendary. A mechanical engineer by trade, Penseyres clocked 1,000 miles a week at his peak. He rode with local races to gain speed. He left work on Fridays riding 400 miles to build endurance. He applied his professional skills in developing one of the first sets of aero bars. He trained to ride primarily on a liquid diet. He was ready for the showdown.
But Boyer decided not to ride that next year. Instead Michael Secrest, who had come in second to Boyer the previous year, would be Penseyres’ competition. And a battle it was, with riders exchanging leads across the country. “You always have to pay attention to Pete,” said Secrest. “He is the master of not wasting time.” In the end, Penseyres won and his record still stands, a tribute to dedication and commitment.
“When I finished I knew I had ridden my best solo attempt and could never duplicate that ride again,” Penseyres said.
The next year Penseyres was back racing across the country, but this time on a tandem with Haldeman. Lon recalls: “I stayed and trained with him at his house for several months in 1987 before the tandem transcontinental record. Pete is a great guy and an intense rider but not to the point of ever acting like a jerk to other cyclists on the road. If we came across another rider with a flat tire he always would stop and help.” Again, the Penseyres/Haldeman team established a record crossing time that still stands.
RAAM 1989: Penseyres racing to a Human Powered Vehicle relay team record of 24.02 mph.
But as Haldeman noted, it isn’t just Penseyres’ legs and heart that gets him where he need to go. Wife, Joanne, has played an integral part.
“An often overlooked part of Pete’s success is his wife Joanne. She was total supportive of Pete’s cycling. She really enjoyed being involved in organizing RAAM and even the training rides. Pete has a reputation for being organized, but it was really Joanne who brought everything together,” Haldeman said.
In 1990, Penseyres signed on to ride RAAM as part of Team Lightning/Tim Brummer, a four-person HPV relay team. Included on the roster were Michael Coles, Bob Fourney and James Penseyres. Averaging 24 mph, the team finished in 5 days, 1 hour, 8 minutes. Penseyres had found a love for team racing. “It’s an incredible chance to bond with cycling friends and crew,” he said.
For a few years, Penseyres was out of RAAM, but not out of riding as he became the 1993 US Master’s Road Race Champion. Between that year and 2001 he would go on to hold 11 national titles in tandem time trials and road racing.
In 1996, Penseyres returned to RAAM, bringing speed and experience to Team Bicycling, a four-man group that included Fred Matheny, Ed Pavelka and Skip Hamilton. Their training and RAAM adventure was well documented in the pages of Bicycling that year: the crossing and first-place finish in the 50-plus age division, 5 days, 11 hours, 21 minutes. Yet another notch on Penseyres handlebars.
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RAAM 1996: Team Bicycling’s 50+ record-setting riders and crew.
And yet, he’s still not finished with RAAM. Look for his return in 2006, competing in the 60-plus age division. No news yet on who Penseyres’ teammates will be, but expect them to be fast.
Pete’s love of ice cream is legendary.
“Personal challenge,” “social,” “ecologically sound” and “fitness” are some of the words Penseyres clicks off when asked why he love cycling.
“He believes in giving back to his sport.”
Yet despite his love for the sport, and his accomplishments, Penseyres, 62, is a firm believer in never losing sight of a balanced life. Living in Fallbrook, CA , he enjoys skiing, golf and senior softball. He makes sure time not to neglect time with his family. He enjoys reading and volunteering at a local elementary school.
Pete (left) and Lon (right) coaching at the PAC Tour Midwest camp.
And he believes in giving back to his sport, as crew for RAAM riders, rider/mechanic for cycling tours, coach at cycling camps and contributing editor for UltraCycling magazine.
“I believe it is important to go after your dreams,” Penseyres said of his personal philosophy of life.
Also, “Retire while you’re still healthy so you can enjoy it.”
Pete was inducted into the hall-of-fame in 2003.