The Race Throughout America, or the RAAM as it’s mostly recognized, is a straightforward sufficient idea: bike from one finish of the US to the opposite as shortly as potential. However, like all issues in biking, the easy premise belies the race’s deep-seated complexity.That compounds whenever you attempt to do it sooner than anybody has ever performed it earlier than.
As an alternative of a easy pursuit, it turns into a full-blown staff operation with workers members, a number of bikes, a number of automobiles and a boatload of planning to get that complete flotilla of transferring components throughout the nation in perpetual movement.
When Colin O’Brady and Lucas Clarke begin the RAAM in Oceanside, California on June 15,they’ll attempt to be the quickest duo ever to cowl the three,000 miles it takes to get to the end line in Atlantic Metropolis, New Jersey. Their objective is to do it in lower than six days.
The problem of the “sub six” objective
O’Brady left, Clarke proper have been pals since first grade
(Picture credit score: Pranalens)
Going “Sub Six” – which can also be the title of their venture – could be the quickest time for a RAAM duo by a great distance. The present file sits at 6 days and 11 hours, or, extra exactly because the precise mileage of the race modifications barely yearly, 19.85 miles per hour for your entire crossing.
“We have been pals, greatest pals, since first grade and we have been doing all types of cool stuff collectively for many years,” Clarke informed Biking Weekly.
Collectively Clarke and O’Brady have climbed Mount Rainier, performed ski mountaineer races and tackled different adventures as a duo however regardless of O’Brady’s background in triathlon and Clarke’s excessive degree of biking accomplishments they two have but to do “one thing huge” on a motorbike as a unit.Clarke urged the RAAM final yr and that was all it took for the duo to get off the blocks making ready for the problem.
O’Brady and Clarke will not be family names within the biking world however each athletes have an enormous cache of athletic credentials that has created an elixir excellent for a run on the RAAM file.
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O’Brady is a world-renowned journeyr with a number of world information to his title, together with the primary unsupported crossing of Antarctica by human energy and snowboarding with a 300-pound sled 900 miles throughout the continent. Lucas Clarke, in the meantime, is among the prime grasp’s cyclists within the nation with three grasp world monitor titles to his title. He’s additionally a former single-speed file holder on the Unbound Gravel 200.
Collectively, the 2 discovered the proper center of their shared athletic Venn-diagram with the try on the two-person RAAM file.
“For the final 10 years, I’ve been fairly targeted on adventures and fairly excessive environments. From being alone in Antarctica for 54 days, summiting efforts a few instances, being on K2 in winter and, you recognize, sadly, shedding pals from a tragic climbing accident, I’ve been undoubtedly kind of in a life-or-death stakes type of recreation, so to talk,” shared O’Brady.
“In most methods, RAAM is quite a bit completely different, I’ll say, as a caveat, I do assume driving your bike in the course of the US, in the course of the evening, on open roads, is definitely fairly harmful, however maybe not in the identical approach we consider falling right into a crevasse alone in Antarctica, or having getting hit by an avalanche on Everest.”
Zone 2 and wind tunnel testing: discovering marginal features for a 3,000 mile take a look at
(Picture credit score: Pranalens)
Once you get into the weeds, the complexities of a RAAM file boil down to a few basic pillars for fulfillment: the endurance of the driving, the tools decisions and the staff construction. The trouble is pretty simple: – O’Brady, and Clarke will conduct a staff relay of 90-minute on, 90-minute off stints all through the length of the journey.
Whereas each riders are extraordinarily match athletes, driving 90-minute shifts for six straight days is a singular problem. Each riders will spend little or no time above “zone 2” cardio ranges of output. Nevertheless, that output will equate to round 36 hours of driving over the 5 plus days which strains components of the physique past what most biking efforts would pressure.
For each O’Brady and Lucas, this meant engaged on neck strengthening akin to that of an F1 driver to maintain the aerodynamic place wanted for the race, in addition to all of the supporting muscular tissues of their higher physique and core that help the cardio system. However, the on the bike work was pretty easy for each riders because it all revolves round pushing that essential “all day” energy of zone two as excessive as potential.
The technical features of the race and the staff building are extra complicated and it’s additionally the place big features could be made.
The Sub Six venture has a full slate of technical companions which incorporates Princeton Carbonworks, Ventum, and Le Col package. With the backing of these model companions, the duo has been capable of prepare for a yr on the tools and tweak it to their particular person wants as riders, particularly since Clarke is a rider who has a ton of expertise in aerodynamics and biking whereas O’Brady has little or no latest biking expertise.
The staff has spared no element with the 2 riders spending time within the Silverstone wind tunnel within the UK to optimize all the small print of their technical package. On the earth of RAAM, which is usually contested by amateurs, this quantity of dedication is uncommon.
“Colin labored exhausting on dialing his place in a number of bike suits, ensuring he was snug for lengthy rides on the bike. We had been capable of make some tweaks and add some helmet integration stuff in there, together with working with Le Col on the pace go well with growth.. So yeah, a whole lot of that was on me, determining the parts and whatnot, and bringing that complete bundle collectively from a motorbike standpoin,” Clarke mentioned.
“However, by far, the largest a part of the RAAM is the staff dynamic.”
Teamwork makes the RAAM dream work
(Picture credit score: Pranalens)
To be exact, the staff will probably be round 15 individuals who will probably be working collectively to get two riders, two vans, eight bikes, 16 wheels and an RV throughout the nation at 20.1 miles per hour. And the clock by no means stops, with exchanges occurring regularly each 90 or so minutes, with Clarke prone to tackle a barely larger workload on the bike given his biking expertise.
Past Clarke and O’Brady the staff features a staff director who manages a staff of workers that features cooks, mechanics, drivers, a coach, a health care provider a navigator who plots the exchanges and potential obstacles on the highway forward.
Not like the opposite lengthy distance biking occasions that is likely to be self supported, just like the Tour Divide, the RAAM is a totally supported race which suggests help is just not solely allowed however as integral to the hassle because the driving, particularly for the 2, 4 and eight rider staff classes the place there isn’t any likelihood for the hassle to cease.
“When you consider RAAM you assume it is two guys driving bikes,” O’Brady mentioned.
“However as I zoomed out slightly additional on it, and we interviewed a bunch of different individuals who had accomplished RAAM, everybody’s story was not likely about their bike or their health. It was all in regards to the logistical parts of this venture.”
“You shortly begin to understand you are asking folks to take basically, two weeks out of their lives, away from work, in a van or an RV, and likewise not sleeping. Like, people do not essentially do nice below these circumstances, both.”
Whereas the race itself is barely a 5 to 6 day occasion, the Sub Six staff has arrived early in Southern California and had a “gown rehearsal” within the Texas Hill nation which required the complete staff to make a second journey collectively to iron out any kinks or could-be hiccups earlier than the primary occasion.
(Picture credit score: Pranalens)
When the rubber meets the highway, RAAM gained’t simply be a race in opposition to the clock. A brand new file is an thrilling objective to try for, sure, however for O’Brady and Clarke it’s a celebration of a lifelong friendship and having the bodily health to compete – at the same time as “middle-aged dads.”
“Lucas and I coincidentally walked right into a first-grade classroom once I was 5 years outdated, and we’ve been lifelong pals, you recognize, that’s fairly uncommon in our tradition that pulls us in one million completely different instructions. We have been by means of so many issues collectively–from the delivery of our kids to weddings to shedding grandparents and shedding family and friends. We have grieved, we have laughed, we have adventured. We simply have 35 years of life expertise collectively,” O’Brady mentioned.
“So the great thing about this venture, and I feel that that extends past simply the six days on the bike, is that setting an enormous objective collectively has allowed us to weave the tapestry of our life collectively all through the final couple of years. I feel there is a actually stunning story about, you recognize, two guys who should not solely greatest pals, however middle-aged dads nonetheless with the ability to push their physique on the highest, highest efficiency and hopefully set a world file.”
