A Reflection on Race Across America 2022

This is my initial reflection — less logistics and specifics of how the race went or how we executed it; more a mix of snapshots that stood out in the blur of long hours during a largely sleepless week, driving & helping our riders race across the country.

Official RAAM logo and the 2022 route shown on Google Earth.

Race Across America (RAAM) is a bicycle race from Oceanside, CA, to Annapolis, MD, demanding riders cycle over 3000 miles across the USA and scale over 175,000 feet of vertical climb.

RAAM Team Start was Saturday, June 18, 2022. I was a driver in the 20-person support crew for an 8 rider team, fundraising for mental health programs for veterans & first responders.

I started the draft of this reflection on June 28 and came back to finish it on July 10, 2022 (after recovering from my post-race COVID infection).

Our A² team pre-race photo in Oceanside (Photo credit: Patrick Sikes).

After a year of planning and a long week without sleep, we have completed our Race Across America.