History beckons Rizvi at RAAM

The 41-year-old, who qualified for the event after cycling 701 kilometres in 23 hours and 59 minutes –– which exceeded the qualification requirements by nearly hundred kilometres -- has set his sights on finishing in the top three at the ‘world’s toughest endurance race’.
“I was eyeing about 800 km but the stretch (Devanahalli) was pretty bad,” said the ex-Red Rooster Racing cyclist who now represents Bulldog Sports.

“We lost about 44 minutes on speed breakers alone but I still think it’s great to have qualified for an event that I have dreamt of taking part in since I was a kid.”
The RAAM, which spans from the American West Coast to the East Coast, will cover a total area of 4,800 km (3,000 miles), which far exceeds the Tour de France (3,600 km). The race, unlike TDF (stage format), is a time-trial race and will have cyclists muscling through rocky mountains, overall climbing a height of 110,000 feet after the first 300 miles.
“Many call it ‘crazy’ and it is,” notes the father of two. “According to me, this is the world’s toughest race and I have trained for nearly eight years to make it. It’s going to be hard but with the support I’m getting now and the training schedule –– mental and physical –– that I have followed, I should be able to overcome any hurdle.”

Rizvi added that his biggest challenge would be Slovenia’s Jure Robic, who holds the record for the best time set at the RAAM (eight days, 2 hours).