Everyone that I work with has big goals, and when Michael came to me over a year ago--he wanted to race RAAM--aka the Race Across America.  Currently, it is one of the most-grueling ultra-endurance events in the world.  Since its inception in 1982, only about 2,500 cyclists have completed it.  And only about 5,000 have tried.  While thousands of people ride their bikes across America each year, RAAM is a race--and Solo racers are given a maximum of 12 days to finish the course, while teams must complete the race within 9 days.

To complete RAAM, you have to qualify.  To qualify, there are a few ultra-endurance events to master.  A sequence might look like this:

✅ 24-hour races, where riders get around 400 miles in a 24hr period on a predefined course.

✅ Race across the West--930 mile race with a 92 hour time limit

✅ Race across the East--630 miles with a 63 hour time limit

These last two are also qualifying events that run concurrently with RAAM.  The athlete I work with--just nailed Race Across the East, finishing 4th overall male.  We had two support vehicles that followed him on the course, with three support crew.  Most important--to successfully complete RAAM, the crew is key.  They have to work together, as well as with the rider.  There can be no egos.

Here is his strava file for Race Across the East.  https://www.strava.com/activities/11706564069

Going for the full RAAM is a multi-year proposition, with time on the bike as one of the MANY things to master.

Personally, this was one of the most rewarding experiences of my coaching life.  When I knew that the race was in the bag around mile 300, I cried.  (Partly from my own exhaustion.). But mostly because this athlete has shown up to work each and every day since asking me to coach him.  And his work paid off.

Big goals demand big actions.  The bigger the goals, the bigger actions.  If he decides to do the full RAAM in 2025, he'll have to take the biggest actions of his life.  As will his crew!