At 08:30 this morning Arvid completed Lap #179. That is significant. Lap 179 means he has completed the distance of this year’s RAAM (in under 11 days). He still has the equivalent of another RAAM to go.

Keep pedalling!!

Some very kind people stopped by to see Arvid and cheer him on as we were getting him ready for night riding.
As he rode away he told is to, “Be prepared…”

Arvid approaches home base heading south

Call it HQ. Home Base. 5839. The Loft. The Place of No Sleep.

No matter what you call it, it’s amazing to have a central location for Arvid to sleep, shower, eat, and for the crew to take care of him from. It’s at 5839 Henderson Hwy, and it makes life a lot easier for

everyone involved in the ride. Thanks to the Klassens and their ministry for providing a wonderful, welcoming place for people to gather and cheer Arvid on. If you haven’t been out, take a tour with the pictures below.

The kitchen tent, holding all the immediate needs of Arvid, and keeping the crew safe from Winnipeg’s mosquitos (particularly at night).

Book table. In the background you can see the tent where Arvid takes naps (not nights, however).

Left, the outhouse. Straight ahead, the barn that is HQ.

The loft. Kitchen on left, Arvid’s sleeping quarters in the far corner (pictured later), crew bunks on the floor on the right, and bathroom behind the photographer.

Arvid’s bed, with raised foot to force the fluid back out of his legs.

With two of eight grandsons at the side of the road cheering him on, we outfitted Arvid with an AM radio so he can listen to the Bomber game. He’ll be eating two Big Macs for supper on the roadside, then listening to the game as he continues to put on kilometres. He has completed 169 laps by now. He’s got the bumps and cracks of Henderson memorized by now!!

Arvid said that he “overdrew my account” yesterday, and needed a recharge. He took a 3+ hour nap this afternoon and is back on the bike. Hopefully he can fight off the sleep deprivation in the middle third as he looks toward the second half.

We are expecting Arvid to pull in to home base within the next ten minutes at which time he is going for a 2 hour nap. He is totally exhausted and there is still a long way to go.

One of a series of posts featuring someone on the outside looking in.  Special thanks to Steve for sharing your take on Arvid’s adventures.

I had heard about Arvid in the news and I knew cyclists that had ridden with him, but I had never actually met Arvid.  When I read about Arvid’s plan to challenge the 10,000 km world record, I knew I had to come out to see him.
 
When I arrived on Monday morning last week there was Arvid casually giving some TV interviews just minutes before his ride.  Having participated in and watched endurance sports for the last 25 years, I was struck by how relaxed he was.  It is one thing to be an exceptional athlete like Arvid, but it’s another to have the ability to be so calm just before undertaking such a difficult event.  Clearly, Arvid has some very rare abilities … and it’s amazing to see him put those abilities behind a great charity.
 
After meeting him just before he started his ride, I was intrigued to see more of his effort.  Since that Monday morning, I’ve visited 6 or 7 times.  One thing that I have realized is that this challenge is very different from most other extraordinary endurance challenges. Because he is doing this in a very small area, you can see all of his trials and tribulations up close without much effort on your own part!  It’s just like watching someone attempt a climb of Mt. Everest without oxygen while you sit back and relax in an easy chair.  Right before your eyes you get to see someone push the full limits of human ability.  This is a rare opportunity indeed.
 
If you get a chance, come out and cheer on Arvid, and maybe hand up a donation!

Arvid had a better day yesterday with a few short naps. He and the crew have both remarked (multiple times) that if it was easy it wouldn’t be a record. There’s no doubt that the record is extremely tight. There is no wiggle room or time for slowing down. The pacer is relentless. Take note that, at some point tonight, Arvid will cross the distance of this year’s Race Across America (4859km). And yet he’s still less than half way to the finish line of this adventure.

Day 10 KM: 470
Total KM: 4497
Average KM: 449
Buffer: 77 KM

Below is an updated (and changed) graph. Blue line is his daily KM. Green line is his average. Black line is the pacer – 442 KM. In order for him to break the record, the GREEN line will need to stay above the BLACK line. The yellow bars are his “buffer” (they use the y-axis on the right), indicating essentially the gap between the green and black lines. I modified the graph per the suggestion of crew member Paul Smith, as this daily graph (rather than cumulative) shows the variation in daily mileage much more clearly.

The green line has to stay above the black in order for Arvid to break the record.

Awoke at 3:15, on the road at 3:25.

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