There has been a Facebook meme going around the past few days, “Do Epic S&!T,” intended as encouragement for Seattle’s Chris Ragsdale and his Race Across America (RAAM) crew. Chris is about to embark on his rookie attempt at Race Across America 2013. Racers start at noon Tuesday June 11, 2013, and the RAAM web site prominently claims that it will have real time tracking and video, so I’d recommend just leaving a web browser tab open to that page so you can follow Chris’ progress and support him from his home town.
If you follow ultra events, you know that anything can happen and fortunes can change quickly. Just stepping up to an event like this requires significant cojones; finishing requires all the pieces to fall in to place; winning requires all of the above plus exceptional physical ability and mental tenacity. Word has it that this may very well be one of the most competitive events in RAAM history.
Ever wondered how far you could pedal in 12 or 24 hours? Here's a new opportunity to amuse your muscular mitochondria with 12 non-stop hours of pedaling. Or, if that's not enough, add sleep deprivation and see how far you can go in 24 hours.
Kristi Berg is a USAC cycling coach and ACE Personal trainer with Seattle's Cycle University. In addition to her coaching gig, Kristi also races road bikes, mountain bikes, and cyclocross.
To provide a bit of context for upcoming race reports, and from the perspective of a recreational cyclist who periodically races (if it can be called that...) a brief primer on the workings of amateur road races:
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