Race Across the West 2025 — 🥇 Bested 12-year-old Record

Matthew Lefthand at the RAW 2025 finish line after setting a new course record of 19.2 mph. Photo by David Tschan.

Lead up

At the end of August 2024, I completed my first true ultra race, the Hoodoo 500. My crew and I messed up a lot and achieved a lot, but one thing was certain. I was meant to be an ultra cyclist. With this in mind, I looked at Race Across America, but felt I couldn’t possibly jump to the full thing right away. However, Race Across the West (RAW) was doable, and I could maybe manage the funds. Nonetheless, after talking it over with my wife it did not seem to be in the cards. 

Then something happened. Midway through winter training I felt really good and set my eyes on Bike Sebring 24hr. This was at the suggestion of my friend Chris “Hoppo” Hopkinson, as a good first race of the year. This would be a sort of coming out event for me. I kept training, including a December Zwift ride in which along with Nick DeHaan I rode all the roads in Zwift and then another few hours to complete 24 hours indoors for the first time. This really sealed the deal that I would go to Bike Sebring. 

There is a long write up of that event, but the outcome was incredible. I broke records, did things no one had done before -- 576 miles in 24 hours for an average speed of 24 mph. With plenty of mistakes and a non-optimized setup, even! It was clear, I wanted to and needed to go all in on ultra cycling. After talking it over with Bailey, we decided to commit to it and see where it would take us. 

As part of World Ultra Cycling Associations (WUCA) World Cup (a point series competition), I created my schedule including RAW. This race would be my top priority race of the year. However, with many months between Sebring and RAW, I also completed a virtual cycling world record attempt. I managed 658.3 miles in 24 hours, maintaining 273 watts average, setting 12 new WUCA records and 2 Guinness World Records. Similarly, there is a write up of that event. 

Preparation

It was already a historic year, but I was really wanting to bring it all to RAW. With 7.5 weeks to the race after the WR, I made a plan. I have been and remain self-coached, so all the training, nutrition, etc. is my decision and my research. I ended up taking 10 days to recover from the WR, planned 4 weeks of hard training, and 2 weeks of fine tuning/tapering. Training worked out perfectly. 

In addition to training, and even more important was all the non-training preparation. Working with my wife to be my crew chief, putting a crew together, creating team cohesion, getting bikes and related gear ready, making a nutrition plan, getting cars ready, planning how our children would be cared for and participate, if possible, researching the route and common challenges, work out race communication, etc. etc. 

We went deep dive for 4 weeks. With barely a break from the WR, we were knee deep in who, when, what, where, why, how, and WTF. 

I could get too into the woods here, so I will just highlight the important factors: course, sleep, heat, nutrition, bikes, and crew. 

The course looked demanding. And the more I researched it, the more demanding I realized it was going to be. Traversing long climbs, hot desert, and unforgiving roads, it was going to test body, mind, and equipment. I have previously not fully mastered pacing, so this was my chance. And I realized that the separation between good and great was going to be having enough in the tank for the second half, especially a second night. 

Yes, this was going to require pedaling through two nights to complete. To be completely transparent, getting through one night had been overly demanding in the past. But I had learned from those experiences and had some ideas. Caffeine and sleep banking were the main tactics. In the 10 days before the event, I came 100% off caffeine and started sleeping 9-10 hours a night using magnesium. 

Okay, I thought I would have the energy but what about heat? I read repeatedly that heat takes people out every year. So, I deep dove into heat management techniques. From white clothes and ice to full on heat training, I consumed everything I could. Eventually, I made my strategy: heat training using the Core sensor, white clothes, ice on specific parts of the body, and constantly cold drinks. 

My nutrition had been honed over my last few events. Formula 369 was working perfectly, and it was on the menu. In fact, I was ready to go completely liquid the whole time, but brought solid food just in case. I originally thought I would try 700-800 calories an hour. But, as I realized my power pace would need to be lower and extra flexible with the heat, I ultimately decided to start with 600 calories an hour and build in more as needed. 

Other nutrition considerations included electrolytes, water, and shuttle specific fueling. 

My bikes have been evolving as I have evolved. Having recently tried Rotor Q rings, I was prepared with 2x setup on both bikes. In the end, there was a lot of struggles to get the 2x working. In fact, my road bike wasn’t working properly until 2 days before and the TT bike still never shifted to the big ring from the small, I had to do it by hand. But, the gears and equipment themselves were great. 

ENVE wheels are amazing, and I had 4.5s on the road bike, 6.7s and a full disc for the TT bike, and 3.4s as spares. All were setup tubeless with 30s (gp5000 str). ENVE is the way to go, I have had no flats in 3 ultra events. That’s 100 hours of ultra racing and no issues. 

Peak State Fit is incredible. Getting the fit right, adjusting the bikes, being awesome humans. They do it all and it would not have been as good without them. 

Cycling Upgrades brought it all together. Producing funds for tires, shifters, brakes, pedals, etc. this shop is an amazing resource. 

The bikes were a Ventum NS1 and a Ventum Tempus. Both were the perfect weapons for the job. The Tempus flew flat in the desert and the light snappy NS1 rocked the mountains while maintaining aero advantages. 

I had dream equipment, and most proudly 90% Utah based. A Utah ultra cyclist breaking international records on Utah equipment. 

Prepping the crew was incredibly important to me. I knew and had been advised how hard this would be on the crew and how they make it or break it for me. Bailey and I spent countless hours working out the details and helping her get in the right space to chief this crew. We were familiar with the crew, but we were not friends yet. We met over video calls. We had a group chat. We started the process far out to get ready. 

Bailey, my wife and life partner put her all into this. She made routes, read the rules and gear book several times, coordinated with the crew, coordinated with sponsors, packed, made time for me to train, talked me off several ledges, and much more. She is simply the most incredible human, and I am humbled constantly that she chooses to do life with me. 

Laura and John Crawford came through in a huge way for us. Not only did they want to come along, but they also offered their sprinter van as a support vehicle. To top it off, they cut out all the logos and individualized markings we added to the support cars.  This ended up playing a crucial role and they were a huge part of my success. 

Kevin Liberacki flew out from the east to help with the west based race. He did it all. Morale, gear, driving, sarcasm, encouragement. He showed up and then some. 

David Tschan answered an inquiry with his own interest to video document the event. I am happy to say there will be a short film created about the experience. While it seemed he took some time to warm up, we were all great friends by the end. A monumental feat all on its own. 

I really can’t stress enough how happy I was with the crew and how much they were a big portion of the success. 

Last preparation I will note: 40+ hours of racing is hard to do on one computer without charging. But I learned this year of a bike computer that could do it and found a local cyclist Nathan Spratt that at the last minute was willing to trade me computers! This was a small detail that added to the overall success. It is a good example of how ever detail over 45 hours of racing is worth considering. 

Days before

Part of the race-day success would be discovered in the days before the event. With a Tuesday start, Bailey and I began our travels the Friday before. With a 10+ hours car drive, I tactfully decided to drive it in two days to help keep my legs fresh. With a midway stop in Vegas, I was able to test the new computer and keep fine tuning the bikes. We also were able to keep our larger than normal sleep schedule going. Lastly Vegas was hot, allowing me to make sure gear, equipment, and body were ready. 

From Vegas we drove to Borrego Springs, adding some to the drive but allowing me to do the first 87 miles of the course backwards and once again test the gear. The bike computer said 122F. This was the first time it was clear that heat training had paid off, because I functioned perfectly in the heat. 

Fighting the headwind into Oceanside on a backwards-from-normal cooling descent, I hoped that it would mean tailwind start. 

Arriving in Oceanside, I ate, met the crew, and showered. The only thing on the agenda for Saturday night was dinner with the crew to start learning how to be best friends. We Immediately clicked with the Crawfords and Kevin. Telling family, cycling and general life stories. We talked some shop, realizing their van might be best as the primary vehicle, a shift from previous discussions. However, we mostly broke the ice and truly began a beautiful camaraderie. 

David arrived late that night and joined us the next day. Entailing check in, vehicle prep, nutrition prep, pre-race interviews, meeting other teams and racers, pre-race press conference, and more. 

After a sit-down strategy meeting, we had the plan. We knew the pace. We knew the strategy. We knew the possible outcome. We were friendly but committed. I could tell Immediately that all were there to enjoy a bike experience, but also to help me succeed. I was over the moon with them and excited to make their work pay off. It was energy inducing. 

What was the plan? To make it to Borrego over the first climbs and through the first desert night “unscathed.” With a second night on the menu, and plenty of climbing left after 400 miles, I knew I needed to not go too deep too early. I would be pacing to finish steadily. It needed to be a masterclass in self-control. And the crew needed to be ready to cool me and then do a non-stop desert run. 

Hitting the climbs before the heat was the goal. Doing it without burning matches was the excellence goal. 

With this in mind, the crew prepared everything but the bikes, which I mulled over putting the reflective gear on and making sure they were truly 100% ready. Newly waxed chains, fresh tires but ran a few times to make sure they were sealed, clean components, crisp shifting, no noises, etc. 

The crew made the vehicles perfect. And I trusted them. I didn’t even step foot in the van to check supplies or setup. It was in Bailey's hands; I had complete faith. The crew also did the required meetings and met others. 

David began filming right away. Capturing the check in process, strategy meeting, vehicle and bike setups, and interviewing me, Bailey, and crew. 

One of the joys of Oceanside was finally meeting face-to-face with Dr. Vince and Diane of Infinity Seat. This piece of equipment is a standalone genius. My speed and success are only partially possible without this marvelous seat. Meeting the creator and talking bikes was incredible. I loved it. Plus, he has a new seat I was able to try!

Another true joy, I was able to meet Marko Baloh. Already a friend over the internet waves, coming into physical contact was a delight. This legend of the sport is incredible, and I was stoked to spend time on course with a legend. 

You might ask me what was the hardest part of the prep? It would be easy to say heat training. But even this paled in comparison to resting.  Haha, ridiculous I know. But I’m not good at it when I’m fresh. I go stir crazy. I can’t sleep. It’s hard. But magnesium helped me sleep. And especially the 24 hours before, I forced myself to sit and let my crew do the work. They were incredible. And I was doing my part. Painfully.

An actual pleasure of the rest and leg freshening was the joy ride the day before. 90 minutes of Oceanside cruising. No power focus, no race thoughts, just keep the legs fresh and enjoy the bike. It was bliss. 

All of this and we were ready. Vehicles, bikes, minds, bodies, souls — it was almost to time. 

Start 

Race day is here. Well, day one of the race. Wait, am I really going to pedal to the night, through the night, through the day, and through another night? Don’t forget Matthew, you could hit a third night if the plans fall apart. 

I woke up rested. I woke up ready. But I stayed calm. I focused on the goal: unscathed to 400 miles and the climbs. I forced myself to sit. The crew was buzzing. I told myself to be calm. 

Bailey was already getting her game face on and full steam ahead. I told myself to be calm. 

Finally, around 10 I started to get dressed. This is a good time to mention another one of those small details that add up. I was going to reduce time off the bike by wearing a condom catheter. No bag, just a tube that routes to pull out of the bottom of my shorts and pee on the ground. 

I got in my kit, put in my contacts, adjusted the condom catheter. I was ready. I ate my final meals, no caffeine but decaffeinated coffee to keep the routine and empty the bowels. 

I sat. I breathed. I told myself to stay calm. 

The crew went to gas up and I rode my bike down to the pier. I had never been so calm before a race. I found a spot to sit and told myself to stay calm. 

I chatted. But all energy was being conserved. Crew arrived. Some photos and taking.  Video for infinity. Shake Marko’s hand. Final bathroom. Calm. 

They are starting. You are 9th. Get in line. Calm. 

I had never been so focused. So I dialed in. I looked forward and nowhere else. I didn’t even hear everyone. Calm. Focus. 

You are next. Those are nice things they said about you. Run the plan. Do the thing. 

3

2

1

Go

Clip in start pedaling, go calm. 

The bike path is neutral and timed. It’s a built-in slow start almost 7 miles. I soaked it in and kept setting my intentions. Unscathed. Paced. Calm. Ride now, race later. 

After the bike path you turn onto college ave and the race “starts.” But I didn’t start. I ramped slowly up to my power pace and settled in. 855 miles to go. Nothing to do but start right. 

The climbs come fast and before I knew it, I was seeing some of the people who started ahead of me. On the steep California backroads, I passed all but Michael Spadaccia within the first few miles. 

I wasn’t racing. I wasn’t pushing. I was riding the pace. 

Around 23 miles our crew joins us for the first time. I saw all the crews waiting. Some of them we would never see again. Others would leapfrog for some time. 

Shortly into the remaining 50 miles to Borrego I passed the two-man team. Witnessed an epic bottle running handoff. And cheered them on. 

Much later somewhere around 40 miles I saw Michael. Honestly, he looked tired, hot, and sweaty. Me? You know it, calm. 

He was having radio issues and needed water. We said hi. I sprayed him with water. And off I went. Other than the early departures (including a 70-year-old trying to finish RAAM solo) I was now in the very front. 

Every pedal and every thought were the same. Calm. Unscathed. Controlled. Easy. I was curious where Marko was as he had started behind me. But hearing he was close didn’t change anything from me. I was riding my ride. 
We neared the top. Normal inclination to push the top averted. You will not even get close to burning a match. 

Long fast descent and feel the heat coming. Oof… a lot of heat. 

As I reached Borrego I had done the first part with success. Legs felt nothing, body was perfect, and now it was time to deal with the heat. And there was a lot to deal with. I knew Borrego to Brawley was going to be a headwind, and it fulfilled its promise. Furnace line headwind slowing me down and heating me up. 

I dropped my power accordingly. Watched my heart rate. And kept my core temp down. 

A few miles after Borrego with a couple bumps done, I stopped and switched to the TT bike. New sunscreen. Ice. Let’s roll. 

I know a big part of my success for this first leg was my attitude. Yes, my own personal attitude and focus, but also towards everyone. My crew and fellow racers. Smiles. Greetings. Well wishes. True joy. It wasn’t a mask either. I was truly happy and showing it. 

Desert 87-396

In the desert on the TT bike and the air temp is 110-115 and the gps is saying 120 -- it feels like I am in an air fryer. With much patience and tactic, I was not overworked from the starting climbs and I settled in. But what does settling in look like at 120 F temps? I trusted my heart rate and perceived effort. Watts dropped into z1 and I worked on not overdoing it. Had I been worried about speed or keeping my watts up, this would have been demoralizing because speed went down and overall it felt sluggish. But I was committed to the process. 

As heat training was discussed, my body was ready. Although I was going z1 watts at high z2 hr, my body temp was not rising. I kept ice cold drinks coming, handing some back as they warmed up for new colder ones. This was also the only time I wore ice on my body. Specifically, I wore ice on my chest around my heart and big arteries, on my veins on my arms, and on my quads. Working to cool the blood and core body temp as much as possible. In my research I learned cooling the neck can just cause neck issues and over spraying water doesn’t last and can cause other chafing and such issues. 

Even so, it was unarguably so hot, and it felt like a furnace turned air fryer with the headwind. Hot air being blown around a hot body. I was looking forward to the night. 

The sun started to set, and I kept repeating the mantra. You will be unscathed tomorrow. You will go as fast as you go without going into the hole. Your whole matchbook will be untouched. I kept the mindset, I trusted the process, I worked the plan. 

So far, plan A had not gone anywhere. Many talk about how at these RAAM races you throw out plan A before even starting. I had a very realistic plan A and it was unfolding. We were ⅛ through the race, but it was coming to reality. How long would it last?

The setting of the sun brought about 100F on the bike computer. Never had 100 degrees felt so good in my entire life. I stopped wearing ice (only went through 2 or 3 rotations anyway) and I let my body adjust from the heat. Almost Immediately we hit bugs — a whole cloud of them. I didn’t open my mouth for miles and just tried to not let them bother me. It wasn’t bad or long but it was nasty, and you could see clouds of them in the distance. 

Then as we got through Brawley and it smelt like ranch. Very strong smells and lots of bugs. But the temps were going down so I was happy. 

As I made it into the night, I once again set my intentions for the TT bike section. Smooth, fast, aero, non-stop. Don’t dig a hole but make it as fast as possible. 

To stay on the bike that first night, we made two decisions. First was that I wore a condom catheter to make it easy to pee on the bike. Second, we used the Crawford’s sprinter/camper van with a bathroom so the crew could use that bathroom without stopping. The one error was not having enough crew to handle the night comfortably. They did not complain to me in the moment, and they made an admirable sacrifice, but I wish it didn’t take so much out of them. 

The handoffs were perfect, the communication was clear, the speed was great upon turning up to Blythe because the headwind was a tail or cross. 

Blythe, Parker, Salome. They came and went. I stayed on the gas and truly began to distance myself from the crowd. Ahead of me were only racers that started 5 hours before me. Behind me, riders began to fade back miles at a time. I ran my game plan and rode my numbers. Comfortably. 

Even with the catheter it’s hard to make yourself pee on the bike. You spend time training yourself to hold it and not need to go. Several races and long rides I had held it for 9+ hours comfortably. Especially when you balance the fluid intake properly. 10 hours came and went no pee. 11 hours, nope nothing. Okay, it’s 12 hours I should probably pee now — not happening. At 15 hours I decided I was going to have to stop and make myself pee. I was not uncomfortable, but I knew from previous experience that this was the limit. I needed to go. So, I tried hard to make myself go again with no success. 

Stop number 2 was around 15.5 hours and it was a long pee. Still only 1-2 minutes of stop time.

Another thing that helped my desert energy conservation was not racing lights, or taking off fast, and just reminding myself to not sweat the small things. Speed in this race was not found by putting up big watts. It was found by putting up consistent smooth watts the whole time. Don’t sweat the small things became a normal message in my head. 

As the night went on, I felt the tiredness come in. It was overwhelming and I thought it would be a complete non-issue the first night. However, it hit me hard the last 90 minutes of darkness. The first part of this race I wanted to use no caffeine so it could really work well the second night. This choice intensified my nighttime fatigue. As I contemplated wanting to sleep and thinking how to combat it, the familiar saying came to the rescue. It will all be okay. It will all work out. Trust the process. You are supposed to sacrifice feeling tired tonight to make tomorrow night better. My plan was unfolding perfectly, I knew fatigue could hit night one, I knew the sun would renew my energy, and I knew if I could save caffeine for night two, I would survive it. 

So, I made it. As we rolled towards congress, I slowly regained energy. My sunshades came on as the sun broke the earth’s surface. I took deep breaths and contemplated the awesomeness of what we had done so far. I was ecstatic. I was tired. I constantly was reminded that 3xx miles done meant 5xx miles left. But I pushed those thoughts off and controlled what I could control. Later in the race was to be worried/tackled later in the race. 

Fueling was spot on. A bottle of 100g or 400 cals every hour of Formula 369 endurance and a bottle with 1 cup of coconut milk and 60 cals of formula 369 recovery. Rotating chocolate and vanilla flavors was also nice to switch up the tastes. Those meal bottles were consumed and bottle handed back Immediately, or thrown back at some point. As we came into congress with almost 400 miles and 20 hours of racing done, I had drunk about 19 of them. 

Yarnell — Sedona 400-520

Congress meant bike switch number 2, stop number 3, and time to start the elevation again. This was one of the longest stops, still probably coming in at 2-4 minutes. Bikes, sleeves, sunscreen, weighing, helmets, radio, etc. it was time to get ready for the day and we did it fast. Before I knew it, I was heading straight towards the Yarnell grade. The sun was still rising; it wasn’t hot yet. 

One of the most challenging parts of the switch was taking my contacts out. First, they are always glued in, it feels, after cycling but I also had salt everywhere. We wiped me down alright, but we aren’t going to bathe me off perfectly in a couple minutes. So, I inevitably got some salt in my eyes and had a heck of time stopping the blinking. Had to focus on not touching them and just letting it clear up on its own. 

It was another chance to not sweat the small things and quickly it became a thing of the past. This is a good time to mention that often things feel overwhelming in the moment, but in the future you will be unbothered and even forget these things. This easily could have consumed me for a while, but I remembered to let it go and let it fade. It would be gone soon enough. 

With new chamois cream, chapstick, and dry eyeballs again, I climbed. What kind of climbing was on the menu? You got it, smooth and no hole digging. 

It felt incredible to be out of TT position and pushing more watts to climb. The leg saving aero benefits of the TT bike meant my legs were fresh. I’m not kidding when I say I went into Yarnell with fresh legs. They felt untapped and ready to go. Had I arrived unscathed??? Hell yeah. Mission accomplished and I began to feel hopeful for the rest of the ride. Which wasn’t half over yet!

One small story of my closest call. With watering eyes, we completed a handoff at the bottom of Yarnell grade. After getting the meal bottle and drinking it, I put the cap back on and threw it backwards. It was our first handoff since yesterday and I thought I threw the bottle Wrong. I heard it hit something and thought I heard Bailey cheering the catch. I looked back to see and when I looked back straight, I veered into the gravel, as the shoulder had disappeared. A quick calm maneuver back onto the pavement and my one close call was gone. That was it. My heart rate didn't even bump and all was well. This is how well this race went. A lot of focus, a lot of patience, a lot of vigilance. 

Over the Yarnell grade I went. Still feeling fresh and even enjoyed some shade during part of the climb! I felt for the people who would be climbing that in the heat of the day. 

While Yarnell was not hot, the heat came roaring in as I turned toward skull valley. The long shallow climbs took their time, and it got hotter. This was when I fully woke up from the night and I settled in for the long day. It’s also when I started to dream of the shuttle. It was a little over 100 miles away with plenty of climbing and descending along the way, but rest was something I looked forward to. I didn’t let it consume me, but it was a pleasant carrot to chase. 

This was probably the hardest part of the course for me. From skull valley, through Prescott, along the busy highway, over the climb into cottonwood, and rolling into Sedona. It was hotter than expected with race HQ even sending messages about record heats in Arizona. It was long and boring. It was also my first time in traffic since the start of the race. 

With all these factors, add in that my feet were hurting. The one prep mistake I made was switching cleats. I went from a keo look to wahoo speedplay. Thinking this was a good long-term move, I knew it was an issue when I realized the cleat could not naturally go back as far as needed. Although I did practice for several weeks with okay results, I did worry how I would fare over the distance. The answer was not great. 

My high arches started to flame up and the pressure on the ball of my foot ached. However, the only resolution I had available was different insoles. I had not brought the different pedals, believing I had tested the new ones enough to know all would be well. 

In reality all was well. This was not going to stop me, and it wasn’t even causing injury, it was just uncomfortable. And becoming increasingly uncomfortable. I debated switching insoles in Prescott but stuck with it. 

The business of the highway and contraction/small road leading into the climb between Prescott valley and Jerome distracted me well enough. The heat did not help as my feet expanded. 

However, I made it. Had the first car flip me off in 460 miles and started climbing. Bailey, my perfect crew chief, began to worry about sunscreen. It was going to be a long day in the sun and she wanted to make sure I was protected. I did not want to stop on the climb, but my feet needed a change. 

So, I agreed to sunscreen and insole stop. This was the first time since the beginning we saw an official car and anyone else associated with the race. After Parker I passed Valerio and was at the very front of the race. 

This fourth stop was quick again. Bailey put sunscreen on me everywhere she could and I switched my insoles with John’s help. Boom, back to the climb. Bailey and the crew are truly incredible, I thought to myself. 

This climb was hot and exposed. But I had two things to pull me along. The upcoming break in Sedona was close and my legs were still great. 

As I crested the top and dropped into Jerome I had no idea what I was in store for. While the profile and route were familiar to me, I had never been on a large part of it. This Jerome town was shocking to me. So high up on the side of a cliff and busy. Sharp turns on iffy roads and traffic again.  The town itself was navigated without event but as the true descent started, I found myself behind two motorcycles. My descent speed was faster than theirs, but they did not let me pass for some time. My brakes began to make awful noises, and I feared they would give way to the hot conditions and over braking. Finally, the motorcycles let me pass, as I’m sure my brake squeals had reached their ears, and I spent enough time creeping up on their rear wheel. 

I braked as little as I could the remaining time and made it down. This distracted me from the fact that it was in a furnace again, but I remembered quickly as the descent faded to a slight downhill. 

Sedona and shuttle

Roundabout after roundabout, I realized I was minutes from being in Sedona and taking a nap.

At this point I knew I wanted food and sleep. And I knew I could have both. I came on the radio and informed my crew: two pb&js, beet juice, and chocolate. As I rolled into Sedona, I drooled thinking of ac and food. The RAAM media team found us and started to get some shots. They documented me rolling up to the van to shuttle. 

I got in and Bailey took care of me while John threw the bike on the back. I thought of how long John had been going for and worried about him. But, I remembered Bailey was taking care of them and I needed to bike. 

I downed each sandwich. Gulped the beet juice. Didn’t feel like chocolate anymore. A 53-minute shuttle and I probably slept for 50 minutes. It was bliss. Thanks to a tip from Joe BarrUltra I had an ice-cold towel from the cooler on my torso (Zwift brand of course) and I slept. Eye mask on and ear plugs in. John stopped to check the bikes quickly, throwing us around as the passengers. But sleep was easy. 

I have finally been to Sedona, but I have seen none of it. 

Within seconds my eyes were open again. Okay, it really was 50 minutes, but it felt like 5 seconds at the most. I even had to ask how long it had been, as I was in disbelief I had really slept. As I put clothes back on and geared back up, I stepped out into a forest! Over 7k feet we were out of the low desert. The large pines were a welcome sight, the wind was not a furnace, and I felt rested. No joke. I felt renewed.
Flagstaff — Kayenta 520-680

As I got back on the bike and they told me I had some absurd lead, I settled into an easy pace. I knew it would take some time to get through flagstaff, climb a small hill, and descend towards the reservation. 

It was enjoyable. My legs still felt fine, my feet even felt marginally better, and the heat was lessened. For the first time I felt like I could hold pace. Wait… say what? I thought I was fresh, you say?

Well, when you feel good at miles 400-500 of 862 that doesn’t really mean anything. With 360+ miles to go and 15k + ft of climbing left, we still had more than most people’s longest ride ever left. And my goal was to still avg 19-20 mph. The same pace I had already done. 

So, there were some dark moments in the heat. Never did I question finishing, I just worried if I would be able to hold the pace. However, between flagstaff and tuba city my confidence grew. A long descent, bad cross winds, and some of the worst roads of the course — but I was happy. At peace. Settled that I had done what I needed to finish the A plan. 

All this to mention we were within my time limits! My avg speed was around 19.5 mph and 98% of the plan was happening. 

My crew? Exhausted. I didn’t know how exhausted, but I’ll never forget how deep John and Laura went for me. They had loaned us so much equipment and now they had gone deep into exhaustion for me. I was beyond grateful and very happy they could sit back for a while. 

On the other hand, while Bailey did have rest the first night, she had now been on since Prescott and was headed toward nighttime where she would be on again! In a similar situation, Kevin had some chance for rest but as he settled back into the main support vehicle, some of the worst direct follow conditions started. Drivers and roads make anyone nervous about following a bike. 

Shortly after entering the reservation there is a steeper descent section with the worst part of the road. The cross wind tossed me as semi after semi chucked the wind into a swirling mess. It was the most exposed I felt the whole time and scared me. Once again: it will all be okay. It will all work out. And a new thought, the turn towards tuba would mean tailwind galore. 

With 18 more miles of bad cross winds and crappy road. I turned onto the main road we would take through the reservation. The next turn? Just about 80 miles away. What would we do in that time? Essentially head straight east going up a steady 1-2% and then descending a steady 2%. 

It was long. But I felt better than ever. Legs were starting to build up fatigue, but my spirits were higher than ever. We were over 600 miles and therefore over 30 hours in. I started to eating more solid food and wondered if I was done with the endurance mix. I was still taking a meal bottle every 60-90 minutes. But the food of choice in this section? Mini bagels with avocado. I gulped them down. Made a fun video, chatted with Bailey and pedaled my way down the road. Slightly over 20 mph uphill and we climbed. The sun sat behind us, and we moved on. Determined and tired. 

As the night was coming, I made a plan for caffeine. I was on pace to finish around 9-10 am. I asked about the sunrise. Would be around 6am. So, it would lighten up around 5:30. I knew if I did caffeine every 90 minutes to start it would keep me going and if I could pace it to take it every hour at the end of the night, I thought I would be okay. 

The plan: 9, 10:30, 12, 1:30, 3, 4, 5, 6. That would be my previously tolerated 800mg and get me an hour into daylight. Let’s do it. I took the first 100 mg pill at 9 and followed that plan like clockwork. The other aid through the first part of the night was Kevin. There was no reason to overdo the steady uphill with free tailwind speed. So, I rode steady and chatted wiht Kevin for hours. 

We hit the crest of the uphill and temps were perfect. Low 70s. I decided it was time for a new kit. I would not see the blistering heat again so I could put on one of my long-sleeve kits and wear it to the line. NASCAR pit-stop number 5 and I was feeling fresh. 

As we started to descend I felt some cold winds and asked about temps at future points along the course. The lows meant cold winter gear. What I failed to ask was when those low temps would happen. As we hit low 70s near the top of the hill I prepared the crew to help me put on cold weather gear. This would be stop 6 and maybe my last if I did it right. I wanted to make it through the rest of the night warm and smooth. My hands were already cold on the descent and I knew my body would not tolerate the cold well this far in. 

What was a well calculated decision with the information on hand, failed to recognize that many of the mid-elevation towns we were set to go through would not cool down till early morning. 

So, after another pit-stop of cold gear I continued the descent only to realize our quick descent meant going from low 60s back to high 70s. Not ideal in fleece legs and arms. 

I quickly removed the thick gloves and arm sleeves. The vest was already gone so I handed all of those back. But the toe warmers and leg warmers were not going to be removed while I rolled. I was too fatigued to risk crashing during such a maneuver. 

We turned to Kayenta and set out for Utah, Monument Valley, and Mexican Hat. 

Kayenta — Cortez 680-717

It was dark, it was warm, and it was lonely. Anyone else on course was many hours behind, the only focus I had was the record. I was a full mph ahead having bumped up to 19.7-19.8 mph avg. Although it was a good pace, it was sad to roll through Monument Valley and so many pretty areas in the dark. As Kevin and I lamented not seeing the sights, we passed Forrest Gump point with miscommunications about me thinking they didn’t know the famous movie point, haha. Radios were a constant struggle and I went off about how they didn’t know it and it was sad. They did. I didn’t hear them haha. 

One more little climb in Monument Valley meant a steep descent into Mexican hat. In the valley it hit 80 again and it only got hotter as we went down. I was determined to take my clothes back off in Mexican Hat and have to stop again if it cooled. 

In almost 45 hours and 862 miles, & think we could have gone 3-4 minutes faster not stopping for clothes. I could have gained some speed pushing with the tailwind more, but I think that may have canceled out not having as much left for the final climbs. That’s it. Literally 3-4 minutes faster — maybe. Incredible!

When descending out of Monument Valley my crew watched me hit a bunny. I had seen many at the side of the road at night. This one though decided to gun it straight into my back wheel. No incident for me. I stayed calm and steady. But, I don’t think the bunny was okay. However, this would not be the last blood spilled. 

After a short steep climb into Mexican Hat, I stopped just short of the TS to remove my bottom layers. Off as fast as possible and go!

Okay, we were now in the final stretch to Cortez and then the final climbs. The only thing on my mind as I left Mexican Hat was the record. My avg speed was 19.7 mph so I had a healthy margin, but would it be enough with the upcoming climbs and headwind?

So, I hit the gas and focused. Realistically this was not an absurd pace adjustment as I knew I had several hours left. But I knew I didn’t want to come off. I made all the calculations, feared the headwind, and pushed as hard as I knew I could to keep it up for the remaining time. 

With this in mind I hit two of my last three obstacles. The first was Montezuma creek. What should be a pleasant and calm part of the ride was marred by a bad construction zone. Later on riders would be able to shuttle this section but me being the first I plowed through it. I didn’t have time to wait for instruction or exception. Full on Paris Roubaix cobbled like roads; I almost dropped my follow car as I hit the dirt road with one thing in mind. Smash the record. 

As I made it through the rocks and dirt, wild horses greeted me into the end of Utah and the beginning of Colorado. They were beautiful. Horses always remind me of raw strength and endurance. 

As I turned off the construction and started heading back up I knew I had over 6k ft to climb in about 60 miles. This was not huge. But with a headwind it was going to mean slower speeds. 

In the end I still averaged 16.5 mph on the uphill sections.

The second challenge for the finish was food. Formula 369 recovery was still going down smooth as ever. The mixture of malto with coconut fat and protein was working a charm. But the straight sugar mix was not appealing anymore. So, I at3 whatever I could. Pb&j, fig newtons, plain tortilla, bananas, clementines, Oreos. I ate everything we had and lots of it. As I pushed the pace I knew I needed energy to keep it. Realistically I knew I was doing the power I couldn't do had I run low on glycogen so I started to try and fill it up. In the end I downed another 800 calories of Formula 369 endurance before and through Cortez to have the energy for the third challenge. The last climb. 

However, let's finish up the night. My crew was exhausted, caffeine was working a charm for me though. While I did get pretty tired from 5:30 to 6:30 it was nothing. The banking sleep and caffeine strategy had played out perfectly. My greatest fear was tiredness on night 2 and I had beat it. I was once again ecstatic. 

As the night came to an end, I had built up congestion in my nose. My nose strips failed because of sweat and salt, so boogers piled up in my nose. While I cleared many through blowing I made the incorrect choice to remove a big one that was annoying me. 

Here is the other spilled blood. On my face, bike, kit, gloves, hands, everywhere. I plugged it while holding the bars and TT visor with my other hand. Bailey asked if I was okay and rolled up. I was still pushing pace. There was blood everywhere. I asked for a tissue. This was probably the one time besides radio issues that I was not pleasant. I didn’t want this to stop me and I was not going to let it be an issue. But I wondered how my body would handle bleeding in such a state. I shoved a tissue up and pedaled on. It didn’t stop for a long time. But the blood all over me dried.

John told me how badass it would be to pull up with blood all over me, haha. 

A few rollers before Cortez meant standing and pounding out some watts. I could afford it now. Not much left and I needed to ascend quickly. It felt good to stomp on the pedals some and it meant my body started asking for energy again. 

As we neared the turn into Cortez, we had our last eventful moment. A dumpster truck with a fire in its compression compartment smoking everywhere. Yikes. 

Right as we approached that corner, direct follow hours finished and it was time to cruise through town. I was stopped by one light in Cortez, probably my best town and I knew what was coming. 2500 ft up but still 4k ft climbing. Up down up down up down. 

Cortez — Durango finish

The morning cool gave away quickly to warming temps. It would not get hot before I finally stopped pedaling in Durango, but it would warm up and the sun would hit me. 

Crawfords had achieved some rest and began to be my cheerleaders. Yelling and hollering every chance they got, I charged on convinced I could finish strong.

Suddenly I began to think about the finish. I had not daydreamed about it once in all of this prep. I thought about hugging my boys and best friend, Bailey. I thought about how I could never thank the crew enough and tried to come up with what to say to them and about them. I was flabbergasted. I had done it. We had done it. 

I let this slip away to complete the last climb. It was nothing special as a standalone effort. But after 800 miles and 40+ hours, I stomped that hill. I didn't listen to music once, the whole race. I actually hadn’t thought of music much. But all of a sudden “will you capture it or let it slip?” “It’s 10% luck…” “I am the champion…” 

My playlist to push it ran through my head. I took my radio off and exchanged it for my phone. Still no musical, just the maniacal part of my brain that said “finish it.” Three more meal bottles down in relatively fast succession. All the endurance formula being washed down by plenty of water. Get up that hill. 

This is what you did it for. This is why you came. The record is yours, how will you bring it home?

As I approached the very last climb I relished the moments. 6% felt like 10% and when I hit brief 8% sections I felt like a TDF GC rider attacking the field. Once again, the power was not impressive on its own, but to do this at the end felt great. The headwind was gone. It was full sunlight; I took one last caffeine, 900mg total. As I hit the last couple hundred feet I hit threshold and high z3 numbers. My hr actually went up. I plowed over the top of the hill seeing 500+ watts briefly. I had done it. I had conquered myself, this course, and broke through limits. 

The final 7 miles

I asked for one more water at the top, my flat kit, and requested someone follow me down to make sure I made it into town. I was on cloud 9. There was one small bump before actually descending. I pushed over it and started to roll down. 

Complete bliss. As I hit the bottom I told Kevin to go ahead. He needed to be at the line with the others and I was good. I waved at another cyclist completely unaware of what I was finishing. Just another day on the bike. 

I rolled it out. No attack just soaked it in. Even took a short video on the final road. Looked at the beautiful river. A motorcyclist cusses me out for being in the turn lane onto the highway. I don’t care. Unbothered. I felt invincible. Not in a cocky or I’m better way. Just I don’t have time for you to rev your engine for something dumb.

There is the finish. There’s my family. There’s the mountaintop. Bailey, the crew, and I did it. We made it happen. Wow. 

Finish line

Hugging and kissing boys and Bailey. Swing my leg gently off the bike. Awards, pictures, hugging crew, one last handoff from Laura to get out of these shoes. A brief interview. Where can I lay down?

It’s never as impressive as you think it should be to finish. That is why I lived it during the whole ride. I didn’t wait to celebrate — I celebrated each accomplishment with the crew while it happened. Each crew member had done a great job of telling me how we had already done it. Especially John reminded me of what was behind us, while I still pushed to finish it off. 

Aftermath 

One of the most anti-clImatic parts of this race is that it’s basically my crew, family, and three RAAM staff to welcome me in.  I didn’t mind, the achievement went above and beyond how it was celebrated but it is fairly strange for doing something so amazing. 

For the first 10 to 15 minutes I’m sort of semi-conscious. I’m in the shade now laying in the grass. My kids are with me and I’m happy to cuddle them. 

The crew isn’t done, they pack things back up and we plan to go to the air bnb and unload everything. We get there and I eat. Bagels with avocado, tofu yogurt, apple sauce, baked oatmeal, jam, fruit; etc. just a lot of food. 

I’m done eating and go rinse off in the shower. It feels amazing to be clean. Especially to blow my nose. No more blood, that’s a good sign that I didn’t destroy my innards completely. Let’s go get the crew some food and a bed. 

Lunch

We get to the brunch spot and order food. Everyone looks so tired. We start talking stories. There is energy. Even though we are so sleep deprived, there is still such an energy about the event. 

John is falling asleep and Bailey seems so tired. We eat, we drop off Kevin and David around their hotel, and we go back to our place to sleep. I manage a 4 hour nap. When I wake up I want to see Marko finish. 

Sleep and Marko finish

Bailey is still sleeping so I chat with my mom for a little. She is proud but she is also tired. Treatment has been taking its toll on her and it was a big journey to come watch me finish. 

We get Bailey up and we go with my dad to watch Marko finish. I’m excited to see Marko cross the line and still stunned we made such a gap. To give some perspective, while I finished around 10 hours before Marko, it will be another 14 hours until 3rd and 4th place come in!

The way Marko looked at me was the sort of recognition you get when someone truly knows you. Everyone else was so congratulatory and so nice to talk to and celebrate with, but the look and non-auditory exchange between Marko and I was different. Having an ultra cycling legend look at me that way meant everything, it was the sort of arrival I was looking for in this event. Maybe I made it up to accomplish that? But, it felt special. 

We chat briefly. We talk about future RAAMs. We talk Strasser records. We will see what happens, today let’s celebrate. 

We went to dinner with the crew. We talk about their ambitions for this race. I eat a lot more. In fact, after dinner we go to get groceries. Among those groceries was an oven pizza and a pint of ice cream. I ate both at home before going to bed. 

I hear others struggle with eating on the bike and not feeling like eating after. It has been about 12 hours and I have had 4 big meals. We are talking about two plates plus each meal. This is part of the success — an iron gut. 

Real sleep and other finishers 

After the last meal of finishing day, we go to sleep. I manage 8 hours and Bailey gets 10. I get up and spend time with my mom and boys. My legs are feeling really good. I notice that Dorina and Michael are about to come in and I want to watch them finish. 

Mom seems really tired, she has been lately because of cancer fighting. But she has been really tired this morning. I decide to ride my bike to the finish and Bailey and I talk about her and the boys meeting me down there. I gear up quickly and roll down. 

I’m there for Dorina (a four time Olympian in fencing)  to finish and for Micahel. We talk some with Micahel and then did a post-race interview with David. I watch Valerio go by somewhere in there. 

I get a call that something is up. My dad says my mom fell! What? Long story short, she fainted and hit the ground. Right in front of my wife. The kids were already in the car and my mom seems to be okay. They are going to get it sorted out and come down. Paramedics were called and will check her out just to be safe. 

What?! Man. I’m glad she is okay. 

I call again and my dad says everything is looking okay and paramedics should be done soon. 

Something in me says to just head up and meet up with them. So I do the short hill climb to the house and see the paramedics. Looks like they are finishing up. As I pull up Bailey asks EMS if I can see her before she leaves. Wait, what? Leaves?

Her blood pressure kept dropping when she stood. They want to look her over better at the hospital. 

Okay, long story very short. They get her to the hospital, X-rays find broken ribs and a fractured t-8!! Possible surgery…. She has to fly by helicopter to Grand Junction because Durango is too small to care for it. 

Over a series of days they specify her injuries, find an infection, rule out surgery, get her a custom brace to wear for 12 weeks, and are finally able to go 5 days later…. We visited her on the way home; it was rough on her and my dad. My brother and his girlfriend drove out from Utah to meet them in Grand Junction for most of their stay. 

Now back to the cabin. When EMS leaves with my dad following, I notice Bailey is not okay. I tell her to take some time while I hangout with the boys. 

Later Bailey would relive the whole thing to me. Decompressing in a good way. She said it was the scariest moment of her life. 

This sucks. Immediately after an amazing success this happens and the family is shocked :( I’ll leave this story, but not without mentioning that my mom and her battle is what my racing season is dedicated to. She has always been there for me. A large part of who I am is thanks to her. 

https://www.gofundme.com/f/kver6-support-arlenes-battle-against-breast-cancer

Dinner with Marko

Despite these challenges, if possible we still want to conclude the RAW experience. 

We go to dinner with Marko, his wife, and his crew. So fun to talk about his many experiences and get to know him face-to-face. 

We discuss his 5 and 9 yr old going on all of RAAM. We talk about his life before cycling and now. We talk about records and mindset.  

Shocking in the moment but not when considered now, I see a lot of myself in him. I won’t describe all of it, because there was quite a bit, but an example is math on the bike. This can be a common thing to past the time. But the strategizing and math on the bike is extremely similar. 

First Ride After

The next day is the celebration lunch and we plan to travel to Grand Junction to see my mom. I plan to go for my first real ride since the race. Marko flies out in the morning as he is only half done with his plan to do RAW and Race Across the East (RAE) back-to-back. 

With 50 miles on beautiful roads and dozens of other cyclists. I do a nice little climb and feel great. So nice to be back on the bike and the legs feel good! Maybe I should have just done RAAM?

I met the kids and wife at a middle school where we explored, found instruments to play, tire swings, picked dandelions for mom to show our love, and raced around the track. Leland is the overall winner ;)

Lunch with finishers and crews 

It is sad to me the celebration lunch is so small, but it is nice to see some of the racers and spend quite a bit of time talking to Michael about his wild ride. 

Many want to know how I did it and I tell them. Truthfully, how it is done is the combination of so many pieces. The race day strategy, while very important, is only one piece. Constant 25 hour training weeks, eating right 95% of the time, no alcohol this whole year till now, doing it when I don’t want to, heat training intensely for 3 weeks, etc etc. 

To do it is to live it. That is how you break limits. To win and to go further than anyone has, you have to train like no one else has. 

There it is. RAW. It was something I’ll never forget. I told someone, if I never break a record or win again, I could tell this story the rest of my life. It was truly a dream come true. It all worked out. 

However, this is just the beginning.