When you tell someone about RAAM, their first reaction is an either sober or incredulous exclamation along the lines of “That must be a long distance.” The second reaction, a question really, goes something like, “That must be incredibly tiring, do the riders sleep at all?” The third, often unvoiced and sometimes less concerned is, “What’s the route like? You must see a lot of America.”
You see a lot of America. RAAM’s route avoids large highways, opting for backcountry roads travelling through lesser known places and stops. And the best part of it is that you’re taking it quite a bit slower than the highway-bound motor vehicle. Going slower means you have time to watch scenery in great detail that you’d never even see on the highway in a fast-paced vehicle. Google Cuchara Pass or look up “Through Arvid’s Eyes – Day 5” on the blog here to see what we’re talking about.
Yesterday, we met a group of three guys at McDonalds who’ve approached RAAM from that third question. They set out from Oceanside roughly a week before we did. But rather than opt for the thrill of a race, they’ve decided to take it easy and try and make 100 miles a day (Arvid makes 250-300), sleeping in in the tents they carry on the back of their bicycles. They’re hoping to reach Annapolis in a month’s time, with a goal of seeing the country — but make no mistake, there’s no doubt they love cycling. They wouldn’t be doing this if they didn’t love cycling, and they were well informed of RAAM’s affairs and happenings.
These three fellows bear the names Brandon Arnold, Micah Hamilton, and Nathanael Peirson. You can take a peak at what they’re doing here.
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But there’s something else here that began spinning itself over and over in my mind. Most people look at ultramarathon cycling and are just blown away by the sheer scale of races like RAAM and the incredible iron will and physical fitness involved – and they see it in relation to themselves or common
perceptions about what most humans are capable of when riding a bicycle. But every rider has a story and a history, and it begins small and gradually builds. Some day these three could be ultramarathon cyclists riding for something they believe deeply in, and we will have crossed paths with them on one step in the journey to reach that point.
And this idea extends beyond sports. Arvid’s journey happened gradually through a series of steps, and so did Charles Mulli’s when he responded to a call he felt to care for, as one of them himself, the street children in his nation. Where he is now is a product of many steps in a journey of faith. It took more patient and persistent steps to bring the lives and passions of Arvid and Charles together into a partnership and friendship that has gradually become more than the sum of its parts and touched lives.
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A tip of the hat, or helmet, to you three Gentlemen. Grandpas can, and so can you! We hope you see and learn much on your Tour de RAAM.
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