Race Across America

Race Across America (RAAM) is a non-stop bicycle race across the country — from Oceanside, CA, to Annapolis, MD.

I was on the support crew for Aligned Alliance (A²), an 8-rider team for the 2022 RAAM. We finished the 3083 mile race in 7 days, 8 hours, and 55 minutes.

Our team was fundraising in support of mental health & suicide prevention programs for veterans & first responders. Donations go towards Guardian Revival, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit.

A year ago, I’d barely heard of RAAM, so I understand what it feels like to have no idea what this is all about. So I’ve tried to pull together as much information here to help explain it (without it being overwhelming, hopefully, though it is a LOT of logistics & details). Just keep scrolling & reading to learn:

• What is Race Across America?

• My team & our reason for racing

• Our race plan & approach

• How to follow along & support us

I was posting on my Instagram as we went — mostly as Insta Stories, starting with our team coming together in Oceanside through the post-race team weekend on the Chesapeake Bay.

Here’s a few photos of the team working on our preparations together & our first shift of the race on Saturday (12 pm - 2 am):

What is Race Across America?

RAAM is a non-stop bicycle race across the country — from Oceanside, CA, to Annapolis, MD.

Sounds extreme? Pretty much. It’s a 3000+ mile bicycle race with over 175,000 feet of vertical climbs.

RAAM first began in 1982 and is open to solo riders as well as 2-, 4- and 8-person relay teams. This year is the 40th anniversary race — and the solo riders are already on their way across the USA (started Tuesday, June 14).

Similar to the Head of the Charles rowing regatta in Boston (which I have raced in as both a college athlete & alum, and as a rower & coxswain), RAAM is an international race with global recognition. Professional and amateur athletes around the world come to compete in this unique race.

And it is a NON-STOP RACE — so the riders are going day & night, from the starting gate to the finish line.

Solo riders take 30-90 min nap breaks between hours of riding, all day and night. Teams have riders going relay style 24/7, alternating ride vs rest shifts.

And this is what makes the support crew critical — we are not only driving the standard Follow vehicles with the active riders on the road, but also managing all the other riders’ needs for hydration, nutrition, medical care, and rest, constantly. Teams have vans, RVs, and/or buses leapfrogging down the course to use for riders & crew to eat & sleep in for a few hours between shifts.

RAAM is one of the most challenging ultra-endurance events, period.

The 3000+ mile route travels west to east, starting in Oceanside and crossing through major natural landmarks on the way to Annapolis:

• three major mountain ranges (Sierra, Rocky, and Appalachian)

• four of America’s longest rivers (Colorado, Mississippi, Missouri, and Ohio)

• the Great Plains, Mojave and Sonoran Deserts, Monument Valley, Great Plains, and Gettysburg

But it’s not just a long horizontal race across the United States, it’s also comprised of over 175,000 feet of vertical climbs.

Our Team Aligned Alliance (A²) competed as an 8-rider team, with 20 support crew.

The riders and crew on our team who have done it before say that it's intense in every meaning of the word — challenging, inspirational, exhausting, sometimes dangerous, and incredible.

Again, our 28-person team will be going non-stop, 24/7 once our riders cross the Start line on Saturday, June 18 @ 12 pm PT in Oceanside.

So… Why did we do this? We are racing across America raising funds to fight against veteran & first responder suicide.

RAAM has become a platform for racers to raise funds for charities, and our team is aiming high — in fact, we don’t expect to win the race. Our biggest priorities are finishing safely and raising money for our cause.

One of our Crew Chiefs (aka official team captains), Alex, is a former Navy SEAL and the co-founder of Guardian Revival, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that run programs for veterans & first responders, which our team's fundraising efforts will be supporting:

• Boots & Paws provides veterans and first responders in need with companion dogs. Dogs are awarded along with a care package, which helps accommodate for socioeconomic and logistical barriers that program recipients often encounter. 

• Another Summit is a therapeutic outdoor adventure program that organizes and leads structured outdoor activities such as hiking, backpacking, and paddling adventures in the Hudson Valley Region of New York for first responders, veterans, and their families. 

I have been so impressed with the Guardian Revival team in the past few months of organizing our RAAM race together, and I know that they will be using the funds we raise to help make a meaningful difference in the lives of people who need it.

We're trying to raise $1,000,000 together For Guardian Revival.

If you can take a couple moments and contribute to our team's fundraiser, we greatly appreciate your support. Donating through my link tracks my support in helping the team to make it happen — so I'm extra grateful. Every dollar counts!

Team A² RAAM 2022

My longtime client, Rhonda Vetere, founded Aligned Alliance (A²) and is one of the 8 riders on the team. She hired me to set up the team's website last fall, and later asked me to join the team as support crew for the 2022 RAAM race.

Originally, I was slated to be one of the general support crew, helping our two Crew Chiefs (basically official team captains who represent our team to the Race Officials / HQ). But roles shifted, and now I am currently scheduled to be one of our Follow vehicle drivers.

We have 8 riders and 20 support crew, for a total of 28 team members.

Race Approach

It sounds a bit complicated at first, but bear with me as I walk through it, one step at a time!

• Our team has 8 riders

  • The riders are split into two teams of 4

• Each team of 4 riders will be on a 12 hour shift

  • Team A is on shift from 3 pm to 3 am

  • Team B is on shift from 3 am to 3 pm

  • We rotate through these shifts 24/7 until we reach the finish line in Annapolis

• During their 12 hour shift, the riders will rotate through riding 15 min “pulls”

  • The race is a relay, so only one rider is racing at a time

  • So each rider should be racing for 15 min of every hour x 12 hours (this will vary based on terrain and where we as crew can safely exchange a rider)

  • Each rider will race for appx 3 hours per shift each day

Crew Roles

So besides the broad answer of “everything!”, what do we specifically do as the support crew?

• Crew Chiefs

  • Oversee the team as a whole

  • Coordinate on behalf of the team with Race Official HQ (like calling in our check-ins when riders reach each official Time Stations)

  • Ensure we have food, gear, and any other needs taken care of

• Drivers + Navigators

  • We have 4 pairs of Drivers + Navigators

  • Each pair is set together and dedicated to a specific vehicle & shift

  • Vehicles

    • Follow = follows the active rider on the road (either directly or leapfrogging, depending on time of day & conditions); carries the official team tracker that sends our location to Race Officials

    • BEAST = carries the other 3 on-shift riders + medic, leap frogs down the race course to get the next rider out on the course to get handed off from the active rider

  • I am scheduled to be the Follow vehicle driver for the 3 pm - 3 am shift every day until we finish the race (appx 7-8 days)

• Medic

  • Check riders before & after shifts and individual 15 min pulls

  • Treat injuries

• Bike Mechanic

  • Setting up bikes pre-race (all riders traveled in with bikes disassembled in boxes / bags)

  • Check bikes at the exchanges to ensure bikes are ready for each shift

  • Make repairs along the way as needed

• RV Drivers

  • We have 3 RVs for our off-shift riders & crew to sleep in and for the Crew Chiefs to use as HQ for their shifts

  • Unlike the rest of the Drivers, they’ll not have a set schedule and shift because the RVs don’t have to track with the riders (or drive at their riding pace), they’ll just move every 4-6 hours and be able to go at the standard 60 mph highway speed

The Schedule

The team start is Saturday, June 18 at 12 pm PT.

Until then, we’re prepping our vehicles with all the official signage & lights, getting the riders’ bikes and gear set up, shopping for all our food & snacks (besides all that was prepped & brought down by team members), etc etc etc. It’s a LOT!

The Start is unlike the rest of the race because all 8 riders will begin together for a parade start (so the riders are ALL going at a set, capped speed for a short distance). Then 7 riders will peel off a certain point and go meet our crew vehicles to get picked up, and our first rider will begin racing.

Another unusual thing about the start is that all support vehicles are separated from the riders (due to traffic & safety for all teams), so we will be going along an alternate route until we reach a certain point. Then we can begin our standard follow support protocol and rotating through the on-shift riders.

Our first shift will also be a bit longer than usual — the race starts at 12 pm PT, so the day shift team (which I am on) will begin early (instead of at our standard 3 pm). So we will have a 15 hour shift to start the race, and then once the night shift team comes on at 3 am, we’ll go into our 12 hour shift schedule.

We’ll continue that 24 hours a day, every day, until we finish the race, which we expect to be 7-8 days. The official cutoff for teams to finish is Monday, June 27 @ 3 pm ET.

And yes, as you’re seeing, there’s a LOT of logistics.

I’ve been involved at a medium level — running our team website, emails, zooms, notes, calendar, and marketing materials — but I’m still far from the most in-the-weeds person on our team.

So a massive, tremendous shoutout & gratitude to our two Crew Chiefs (Alex & Jen), Guardian Revival, and Rhonda for taking on the brunt of organizing everything (ahead of time and all that they’ll continue to do until after we’re through the finish line).

Join The journey

As I mentioned, I posted on my Instagram stories as much as I possibly could while driving. I also wrote a post-race initial reflection piece on Medium.

Please do support us — truly, any amount makes a difference! And, importantly, the funds will go towards supporting Guardian Revival’s programs to help veterans & first responders with their mental health & prevent suicide. THANK YOU!