Last year at my sleep break in Jefferson City, I didn’t sleep very well. It seemed like light was flickering in my hotel room. My wife did say there was something strange about the hall lights so maybe I wasn’t totally losing it. However, I did think my crew had snuck in and were laying on the floor on the other side of the 2nd bed. I went so far as turning on the light and checking only to find there was no one in the room.
After a way too short 90 minutes, my crew came and got me up. I had really wanted a 3 hour sleep break but had been too tired to argue about it. When I was ready to leave the time station, Fred Boethling’s son said his dad had just left. He encouraged me on and said they were going to try to figure out how they could meet up to have their massage therapist see what she could do for me. Once again this mandatory time off the bike time station didn’t fall at a very good time. I had stopped at dusk and was leaving around 11:30 PM meaning I’d be riding during the time it’s always the hardest for me to stay awake.
On the straight sections, I could see the flashing lights from Fred’s follow vehicle. It should have motivated me. I was tired and in a bad mood and I just couldn’t chase. I just wanted to go back to bed.
A short nap improved things slightly but not enough. My IT band was really bothering me and in general I was feeling really off. Although it was mostly flat to the next time station there where a couple sections of short, steep climbs. I ended up walking a couple times.
I got to the point I just couldn’t stay awake. I kept falling asleep. I’m not talking about just zoned out but eyes shut and completely out. I’ve fallen asleep on the bike before and it’s much more likely to happen on downhill sections. Although it was obvious to my crew that I was asleep because I was weaving all over the road, I continued to pedal and go about the same speed. They’d wake me with the two way radio. I’d stay awake long enough to get back in the middle of the lane and then I’d go right back to sleep. After about an hour of that, they stopped me for a 30 minute nap.
After the nap I stayed awake and it soon got light. I still was having trouble getting my legs to work and my IT band was really bothering me. At the time station in Marthasville, MO, Tom worked on my legs for a while. He didn’t have any massage therapist training but he did the best on working my legs out after Pog left was planned at Trinidad, CO.
Even after Tom worked on my legs, I just couldn’t seem to get them to work. The day before I had taken quite a bit of caffeine to keep moving to make it to Jefferson City in time. Normally I try to take only a little caffeine but I had needed to keep moving and was struggling with staying awake. My legs were feeling like they’d felt in the past after getting really dehydrated.
Even if I was riding fairly well, it was going to be tough making it to the time cut-off in Indianapolis the next morning. I had ridden almost 800 miles over 4 days since I had started having trouble with my leg. Before that I had averaged about 280 miles a day. Not only was a riding slower, but I was spending a lot more time off the bike even though I was sleeping less.
I finally made up my mind. It was over. There was no way I would be an official finisher and I didn’t think I could make it unofficially to Atlantic City. I was about 40 miles from the Mississippi and wanted to end my race there.
Emotionally I had gone through dropping out 2 days earlier while I was still in Kansas. Now actually making the decision was more of a relief. Now I needed to break the news to my crew. They were committed to getting me all the way. My wife was in the follow van so I told the crew we needed to find a spot to stop and let me go for a walk with my wife. When I told her, she supported my decision although it was hard for her. She really did want me to make it all the way but she knew what I was going through.
We told the rest of the crew that I was dropping out once I made it to the Mississippi. They really wanted me to continue on and thought maybe the officials would be lenient with me at Indianapolis. At RAAM headquarters they had noted the day before that I was making better progress. Unfortunately that better progress had taken it’s toll on me.
As I rode on toward the Mississippi, the crew called RAAM HQ to discuss what our options were. They said that officials Mike and Cindy Roark were in the area and they’d try getting them to meet us at the Mississippi. They ended up catching up to us about 20 miles before we got there.
We stopped and I told them how I was feeling. They said that in theory I could make it to Indianapolis before the time cut-off if I didn’t sleep much. With the way I’d been having trouble staying awake and my leg injury, they felt I was making a smart decision to drop out. Once we got the decision out of the way, we talked for nearly an hour before I continued on to the Mississippi.
After 20 years of dreaming of doing the Race Across America, I had given it my best shot. My crew had done everything they knew to do for me. Unfortunately I didn’t make it all the way. The first 4 days had been better than I had ever imagined. The next 4 days where extremely tough but I had kept going. Even many riders that have gone on to finish well at RAAM, didn’t finish or make it as far as I did on their first attempt. I hope to be able to try again sometime and make it all the way.
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Tags: cycling, RAAM, Race Across America, ultra cycling
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Thanks for posting all of your RAAM reflections, Rob. I don’t remember if you went into as much detail after the race last year, but it has been interesting and motivating to read about your experience as the race was going on this year.
I’m bummed that none of the women “officially” finished this year. It’s interesting to me that the race organizers hold women to the same time cut-offs as men (or am I mistaken in this?) I know that at that level of endurance, there may not be that much advantage to having a Y chromosome. But I still believe that holding men and women to the same standards makes it much harder for women to compete.
Still, great stuff.
Jill, I kept meaning to write up my RAAM experience after the race last year but just never got it done. I didn’t really have the time to do it during RAAM this year but decided if I didn’t do it now I’d never get it done. I still need to write about the first couple days when it was more fun and less painful.
Everybody has the same time cut-off. It doesn’t matter if you’re 60+ or a women. I think early on women had a different time cut-off that was based on the record but I’m not sure.