The guy leading RAAM went through the check at 441 miles averaging 18 + mph! Since they head east from San Diego I assume the first part of the route is pretty hilly. Normally the RAAM guys dont impress me. It always seems to be more of a sleep deprivation contest than a cycling race, but man, I rode 4 1/2 hours around San Diego yesterday working pretty hard and only averaged 19 mph. Its even more impressive when you consider his speed includes stops. His actual on the bike speed is undoubtably higher.
“Normally the RAAM guys dont impress me.”
Try crewing the race as I did in 2001 and 2002. I agree that it’s a lot about sleep deprivation, but those guys are amazing athletes, both mentally and physically.
RAAM, especially in the solo division, in unlike anything I’ve ever experienced. Imagine being so physically spent from riding that your neck muscles can’t even hold your head up so you have to attach a 2x4 to your neck and back.
I did crew RAAM…that was hard enough…screw racing it.
Agree 100%, crewing is often a miserable experience.
Yikes…holding up the head with a 2x4. If you ever had a head/neck injury, you’d have a real appreciation for how hard it is to hold up the head. We take the neck for granted in day to day life, but man, it does a lot of work holding up that 14 lbs of skull and grey matter whether on the bike, or surfing slowman’s website.
The RAAM guys are studs. Having done 13 years in the military and working sleep deprived, as much as I did, I can’t imagine hauling my ass from the Atlantic to the Pacific with no sleep at an incredible 18 mph including stops ! Hats off !
"can’t even hold your head up so you have to attach a 2x4 to your neck and back. "
A chiropractors worst nightmare. These guys are absolutely nuts.
i have the photo of that setup if someone can post the pic. I will send it to you.
Thanks Paul, I’d love to see that. Might even print it off for the office!
It is well worth it. Pretty funny actually. Any idea how I can post it?
There was also the incident in 1999 or 2000 when a rider went wheel to hoof with a Black Angus Cattle whilst decending a mountain pass out West at night.
…and time when one of the riders (part of a 2-person) team fell asleep while riding through the swamps of eastern Oklahoma (around 3:00 a.m.) missed getting head on by a log truck by less than a foot (scary shit).
I did the first half of a 24 hour RAAM qualifier. I did a little over 200 miles in the 12 hour race. I was allowed to draft, and I got a good draft for the first 1/3 of the race.
The RAAM guys were not allowed to draft. Several of them were very strong. They lapped me two or even three times during the 12 hours on the 11 mile loop course. Even so, only one of them covered the 425 miles in 24 hours to allow them to qualify. No one else even came close.
Any slim idea I ever had of trying that race went out the window that day. Even if I could meet the 50 and over threshold of 400 miles in 24 hours, which I doubt, I could never do the sleep deprevation gig. I had a hard time doing 110 miles /day for 16 days last month.
Those guys are awesome.
Where is the link. I would like to follow it (have a couple of guys in it) but haven’t seen anything yet.
I have been there but can’t find any race updates. Where is it?
Go Mike Trevino!! 
Frank is there anyone riding powercranks?
Thanks.
No. No one thought they had the base (surprise, surprise). Next year though, I think it will happen.
"Any idea how I can post it? "
Unfortunatately Paul I’m one of those computer stupido’s that hasn’t figured out how to do it yet. I know Hid and Trirunner know how. Maybe send Hid a private note and he’ll probably do it for us. I’m sure the entire forum would like to see it. Should be quite interesting.
Paul’s photo:
.