It’s Day 3 of the first edition of Race The World, we woke up in the Arizona desert, ate breakfast in the dark, watched the sunrise and jumped in the minibus. Yesterday was the same routine, different state. We went to sleep and woke up in Joshua Tree National Park, California. It’s safe to say that already in two days, our minds have been blown by this experience.
It feels like a lifetime ago that we rolled out of Los Angeles, cycled along the beach front and headed up into the Hollywood hills for our first time trial. Yet it was only the day before yesterday.
With two stages under our belt, Team Deman is bonding. Learning each other’s strengths and weaknesses and understanding how we can provide the right level of support to achieve the best individual performance, ultimately leading to optimum team performance and maximum enjoyment of this incredible adventure. We’re all about the fun!
Race the World is a gruelling 2700km cycling race from LA to Miami in 14 days. Team Deman and Team Garin, both comprising of eight people, will battle it out through deserts, over mountains and from sunrise to sundown, each day taking on a new challenge and dealing with the inevitable fatigue.
Today, spirits are high. My team has placed second in the first two stages meaning we have four points and Team Garin has two points. I know it’s only been two days and we have a long way to go but I couldn’t have hoped to be with a more wonderful, full of life, positive and appreciative group of people.
I have absolutely no doubt that over the course of these two weeks, everyone in this team will put everything they’ve got and more that they didn’t know they had into their performance. At the end of each day and the beginning of the next, we talk as a team. We de-brief on the day that passed and plan for what’s coming up.
There are so many unknowns and we are learning to trust in ourselves, in each other and in the support we have from Brain and Tim, our Team Manager and mechanic who are with us around the clock.
We look after each other, making sure all our garmins, lights and phones are charged. We encourage each other. We make each other laugh and give group hugs when needed.
Today we head into stage three and our first team relay stage. It’s a 120 mile course with 2700m ascent. We need to have three riders on the ground at all times.
The last two days have been solo enduro efforts meaning it’s each man or woman for themselves, each team’s scores are added up and the team with the lowest accumulate score wins, getting one point and the second team gets two.
Yesterday’s stage involved a 50km time trail through the desert, starting in a place called Goldfield Ghost Town, Apache Junction. It was boiling hot when we set off on our ride past Superstition Mountain, finishing 2-3 hours later at Salt River. Mind blown! It was like cycling through a movie set. Truly specatcular scenery, so vast, so inspiring, just amazing to be here, to be riding with these people, to be in the USA. We’re creating memories and living the dream!
Huge thanks to everyone supporting this race
Race The World – for making this happen
PlanetK2 – for sharing expertise on human performance
ProBikeKit – for providing me with shoes, cleats and pedals for this race. Get 10% off your first order using this link and 10% code FIRST10UK
Bikmo – for insuring me to take my bike on adventures around the world
Wilier – for the awesome cyclo-cross bikes
Limelight Sports - for bringing the best team looking after all the logistics on the ground, led by Race Director Gary Willis
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