Yeah, I don't get the appeal. I work with a guy who is riding the races in both Germany and France this summer that serve as qualifiers for next year's RAAM, and it sounds miserable. Every time he tried to talk me into doing it, I told him that even though I regularly engage in epic 1 and 2-day rides, the idea of riding a bike for a week+ straight with no real purpose sounds horrible. Regardless, it's a notable accomplishment.