General Cycling Discussion - Whats with these how-much-hell-can-I-take races?

I've just been looking @ this (http://www.orbit-cycles.co.uk/alaska.shtml). I cant decide if its just another step on the endurance rung, or one giant leap into the just plain nuts.

Part of me would love to do something like this, but the sensible, please-dont-kill-yourself part of me still thinks its nuts. Although I'm almost certainly more at risk from other road users than I ever would be in a well-organised race event...

anyone tried any extreme races like this?

id love to try but i probably wont make it far. i guess once youve done the transalp things a couple of times you want more of a chalange

:beer:

I don't know, i think those guys work up to it, it don't seem so hard to them.


However, I've never heard anyone working up to "RAAM".

Now that a real "richard cranium" race, 10 days of sleep deprivation while balancing on a bicycle.....

I guess there are other gooofier races....

all the lonely people....
where do they all come from.
all the lonely people....
where do they all belong.

Well, there are endurance events and sheer lunacy. In my opinion the Iditabike is lunacy. You can not ride bikes in deep snow. What you do when you have deep snow is you use cross country skiis or sled dogs.

Now there are legitimate endurance bicycle events where you ride the bike under somewhat sane conditions, just for a long long distance. RAAM is an example of a competition. The Paris-Brest-Paris is one that can be done by people who qualify. And there are all sorts of people who ride across the USA on bikes on various tours.

Personally, I think of cycling as recreation. I have noticed that when I have logged 100 miles, I have probably had all the fun I am going to have for the day. I can and have gone farther but that is merely my ego abusing my body.