Bengaluru cyclist Srinivas Gokulnath conquers Race Across America

Cycling tests the endurance and mental health of a person. Especially, long-distance cycling. It’s never about going fast. It’s about going long distances. These lines apply to Srinivas Gokulnath, the first Indian to finish one of the toughest cycling races of the world, Race Across America (RAAM), for the second time in 2023. He first finished the 4,800 km ultra-distance road cycling in 2017, which is held across the United States.

It took 11 days and six hours to reach the finish line of the endurance event. He finished cycling at an average speed of 11.25 miles/hr.  Srikanth is from Bengaluru and had heard about the race in 2009 from someone in the city's racing community. He thanked the Bengaluru cycling community for inspiring his passion and transforming his life.

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The RAAM cycling event is held across the United States, testing the patience, endurance, and mental and physical fitness of the cycling, who race against several participants in a 4,800 km long race. The participants will be exposed to severe weather conditions, road accidents and various diseases. The race takes the riders through alluring landscapes, picturesque scenarios and dry vegetation. The race ends along the Atlantic seaboard.

Post-event, Srinivas told the media stating, "My biggest challenge was the negative thoughts coming to my mind, each and every second. As the cycling progressed, I started focusing towards smaller goals. And as a result, I finished 12 hours quicker than my attempt in 2017. When my supporters waved the Indian flag at the finish, It was the most memorable moment of my life."

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RAAM is an ultra-distance cycling race across the west, towards the east coast of America. The race has a cut-off time for completion, which is 12 days. It was initiated in the year 1982, and there have been only 370 solo RAAM finishers since the beginning of the event.

Srinivas has taken rigorous challenges in the past year, covering over 40,000 km. He extended his endurance and eventually finished off the event with a massive 12 hours of gap, from his last race in 2017.