From Coast to Coast
Ed Abella prepares to ride across America
By Glenda Sanders
Cyclist Ed Abdella is frequently seen pedaling his Bianchi around the streets of north Meridian or along roadways throughout the county , logging a couple hundred miles most weeks .
He enjoys testing his endurance , having completed the Natchez Trace 444 three times and thrice undertaking 24-hour bike marathons around West Lauderdale High School , where he teaches history , to raise money for the marching band . Just last summer , he rode more than 1,100 miles around the perimeter of Mississippi to raise money for Merrehope .
This summer , however , Abdella faces his toughest challenge yet when he competes in Race Across America , or RAAM , an ultra-distance road cycling race that starts on the west coast and finishes on the east coast .
“ The race was started in 1982 and it was known as The Great American Bike Race , and it later was dubbed the world ’ s toughest race because it is ,” Abdella said .
About three times as many people have reached the summit of Mt . Everest than have completed the grueling RAAM , whether as solo riders or as members of a relay team .
“ Not very many 60 year olds have completed it ,” admitted Abdella , who is hoping to become the first Mississippian to compete in and finish the race .
RAAM will start under a pier in Oceanside , California , on June 11 and take Abdella through three deserts , over three mountain ranges ( the Sierra Nevada , Colorado Rockies and the Appalachians ), across four of America ’ s longest rivers and through the Great Plains to end on the Boardwalk in Atlantic City , New Jersey , on June 23 .
Labeled as one of the toughest endurance sporting events in the world , RAAM covers more than 3,000 miles , climbs 175,000 feet in elevation and crosses 15 states . Unlike the Tour de France , which is a multistage race that takes riders nearly 2,200 miles in 23 days with scheduled breaks , RAAM is one continuous journey . Solo riders , like Abdella , have 12 days to complete the race . Teams must do it in nine days .
The clock will not stop until Abdella crosses the finish line or fails to reach a checkpoint on time .
“ You have 12 days to do it , that ’ s the big thing ,” he said . “ So we ’ re looking at doing , hopefully , 280 miles a day or as many miles as I can a day and maybe getting , depending on how many miles I can get in , anywhere from 90 minutes of sleep to two and a half hours of sleep a day .” www . meridianstar . com
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