Icebreaker, the New Zealand company that pioneered the outdoor merino wool apparel category, will be taking part in this year’s epic 3,000-mile Race Across America (RAAM) bike race, June 12-21, 2010.

VP of Product and Creative Director Rob Achten will be leading the pack of four Kiwi cyclists as Team Icebreaker speeds across America, wearing Icebreaker’s new line of cycling apparel.  This will include bib shorts which are 85% merino wool, something that we are really keen to see.  Two ranges will be available - one for road and one for offroad with technical features to match each area.  Special features include: drop tail hems and a gripper at the back hem to keep the jersey in place; reflective rear details and branding, for visibility on evening and early morning rides; a three-­‐panel back pocket for storage; and reinforced stress points on tops.  Its nice to see a company publically testing their new products.

“The Race Across America is going to be a huge adventure for us, and we’re up for the challenge,” said Achten. “We’re excited to see how four cyclists with funny accents from the Southern Hemisphere can do getting across this massive country of yours.”

Continued Achten, “We’re convinced that we’ll have the big speed advantage over our competition as we won’t have to spend time washing our jerseys, thanks to Icebreaker’s wondrous, non-whiffy merino.”

RAAM is the toughest endurance event in the world; a non-stop, continuous race in which cyclists ride as fast as they can for 3,000 miles, from Oceanside, California to Annapolis, Maryland.

“When we asked Rob to test out our new line of cycling gear, he took the request very seriously indeed,” said Jeremy Moon, founder of Icebreaker. “We’re all cheering for him and Team Icebreaker as they take on this grueling test of endurance.”

The team and support crew have been rationed two Icebreaker garments each for the duration of the race. Said Moon, “We’re looking forward to seeing how our gear performs and stands up to the test of this ten day epic race.”  Thats some test!

Beginning June 12, the first day of RAAM, visitors to raam.icebreaker.com will be able to enter two contests: The Icebreaker Race Across America Daily Prize Draw and the Speight’s Coast to Coast Endurance Contest.

Every day of RAAM, Icebreaker will be giving away gear. To enter the daily draw, simply post a message of support, ask a question of the cyclists, or answer the daily question via the raam.icebreaker.com website, Facebook , Twitter or email (raam@icebreaker.com). Each day, Icebreaker will randomly draw one winner to receive an IcebreakerGT top.

Speight’s Coast to Coast Endurance Contest

While Icebreaker is charging across America, people can enter to win one of four entries to New Zealand’s own coast-to-coast race, the Speight’s Coast to Coast. Taking place February 11-12, 2011, this premier multisport race traverses the South Island of New Zealand from the Tasman Sea to the Pacific Ocean. It involves 87 miles of cycling, 22 miles of running (including a mountain stage that crosses the Southern Alps) and 41 miles of kayaking down the grade two Waimakariri River and through the Grand Canyon of New Zealand, the Waimakariri Gorge.

To enter, participants need to send an email to raam@icebreaker.com telling of their own story of extreme endurance (limit 50 words). The winners will be chosen at the conclusion of the Race Across America and the four best, most courageous, most outrageous stories will win a place in the Speight’s Coast to Coast 2011 (a $1,000 value).

Kia ora America!

Visitors to raam.icebreaker.com can also follow Team Icebreaker online as they make their way across America. The team will be will be reporting daily with video and blog posts, chronicling not only the race and its challenges but the cultural exchange that happens when wool-covered Kiwis meet the Yanks in America’s heartland.