Race Across the West (RAW) attracts ultra-endurance cyclists from around the globe to take on some of the finest terrain the Western USA has to offer. The route travels west to east from the sandy beaches of Oceanside, CA, over the Sierra Mountains and into the scorching Mojave and Sonoran deserts. It continues climbing into the mountains surrounding Flagstaff, AZ, through the expanse of Monument Valley, UT and eventually ending up in the Rocky Mountain town of Durango, CO.
Team Adagio, a four-man cycling team based out of Napa, cycled non-stop, completing the 930-mile race, with 56,000 feet of climbing in 63 hours, 40 minutes. The riders were Dave Rosenthal, Ron Whitmill (captain), Chuck Olson and Glenn Hughes. Their ages ranged from 64 to 70 years old. Eight crew members in two vans and an RV also worked around the clock to support the racers, by transporting the teams, providing mechanical support, encouragement, food and hydration. The team persevered throughextreme heat up to 117 degrees, against numerous sections of headwinds, and the misfortune of some bicycle mechanical issues.
So why train for months and log thousands of miles in the saddle for such a grueling challenge? We are enthusiastic about cycling and we enjoy the training aspect as much as the race itself. Most importantly, we get a chance to push ourselves outside of our daily comfort zone while sharing an epic adventure with a group of friends that cannot be explained, only experienced.