I had recently posted how incredulous I was that, in my small sphere of cyclists, I was being exposed to the brandy-spankin’ new Domane.  Today’s post will be brief, but similarly incredulous.

Have you ever been dropped, on a group ride?

Have you ever been dropped, on a group ride, by a guy wearing a backpack?

Have you ever been dropped, on a group ride, by a guy wearing a backpack, who rode 22,000 miles last year?

Have you ever been dropped, on a group ride, by a guy wearing a backpack, who rode 22,000 miles last year, who is riding RAAM this year?

Amazingly enough, I can answer affirmatively to all of those questions.  One of the..ahem…stronger riders in the regular night ride at North Central Cyclery is a gent by the name of Paul Carpenter.  I just found out last night that he will be riding in RAAM this year.

Details on his website, here.

That takes a lot of dedication…and perhaps a minor loss of sanity.  RAAM is a non-stop, non-drafting cross-country ride.  That’s right–non-stop.  No ‘stages’ with rest in between.  The clock runs continuously, and you stop to rest when you want to…with the clock continuing to run.  Having read a few books about RAAM, it’s a race of attrition.  And, as indicated…no drafting.  It’s a solo pull the whole time.  There are a myriad of rules that govern what you can and cannot do, the route you have to take, what happens if you get lost, etc.

I’m just dumbfounded that a guy I know is riding it.  That’s all.