It’s not a mainstream race. The 37th Race Across America is now in the books. Rest assured that for the few brave souls who dared, this morale crushing, dream destroying race of epic proportions exposed their depth of character.

The Race Across America (RAAM) is a transcontinental coast to coast cycling race that starts in Oceanside, Canada, and crosses 14 states, four (4) time zones, with 135,000 feet of climbs before arriving at the finish line in Atlantic City, New Jersey. Total distance: 3,050 miles (4,992 kms). RAAM is a non-stop race; the clock only stops when you cross the finish line, or if you quit. The race comprises team categories of 8-person, 4-person and 2-person squads. And then, there is the solo category. Of all the endurance contests claiming to be “world’s toughest…”, Solo RAAM tops them all.

The best physical traits for racing extreme distances on the scale of Solo RAAM remain mysterious; equally as elusive are the best mental traits. Racing a bike non-stop across the continent is not as hard as you think – it’s harder than you can think. RAAM is a “doing” problem, not a thinking one. Letting go of thoughts, fears and insecurities while accepting to live and act in the moment is key to success – especially in the most difficult moments.

To qualify as an official RAAM finisher, soloists must cycle approximately 5,000 kms in 12 days or less. Every minute counts, and no two miles are the same. The solo rider eats, sleeps (if ever), changes clothes, adjusts to weather extremes, all while riding the damn bike, no matter what. There are 56 manned time stations along the official RAAM route. RAAM competitors race from time station to time station; there are no officially scheduled rest breaks.

For safety, a solo rider is accompanied at all times by an escort vehicle, especially at night. Race rules mandate that the cyclist remain in range of the escort vehicle’s headlights. Escort duties present countless challenges for the crew. The escort vehicle navigates the race course from behind the rider – a mind-numbing challenge to remain alert and awake.

June 2006 was the first of my three (3) solo RAAM efforts. Two hours prior to race start, I was nervously wandering through the motel’s continental breakfast while the crew prepared our vehicle convoy for the epic journey.

The race start is like nothing else I’ve ever experienced. Each one of my senses was in overdrive. Following UCI individual time trial format, each solo rider started off from the Pier on the Pacific Ocean heading eastward to eventually, if ever, reach the Atlantic Ocean. I planned to change cycling shorts after the first 100 miles and check in with the crew. Six and a half hours from the start, somewhere in Death Valley under a 51-degree Celsius heat, I hadn’t even made a dent in the map. And I was already out of energy and ideas. It was starting to hit me – this is going to be hard. And for me and the crew, it was about to get much more difficult before too long….