Well, Mother Nature was no friend to any racer during the 2021 Race Across the West. Record breaking heat in the desert cut Team Z Cycling's race short about 30 miles from Parker, AZ. The highest temperature we saw was 137 degrees. During the day temps ranged from 105-120 and at night from 90-100 degrees.

Rick was ready physically and mentally. The crew was prepared and knew what to expect on the course. Except for the heat. Rick wasn't eating according to the plan and didn't feel like eating much. Hydration was good but Rick never felt hydrated as evidenced by infrequency of nature breaks. Water retention was going to be a problem.

With roughly 680 miles to go into temperatures that were not forecast to come down – a decision was made to focus on racer and crew safety and stop the race. This decision was also made because, based on our current race progress, it was highly unlikely we would finish by the cut-off time of 92 hours.

Listen in to last minute conversations with crew member Jen Orr (overall 2019 RAW winner), crew chief Steve Barraco and Caryn and Rick as they talk about the race. While extremely disappointing for sure…we're all very proud of our efforts to get to the start line and be in the race!

Show resources:

https://www.facebook.com/saywattpod Or on Instagram @saywattpod

https://www.facebook.com/10BuckBikeClub

Race Across the West: http://www.raceacrossthewest.org/

Race Across America: https://www.raceacrossamerica.org/

Join Rick and Caryn in their last episode before Race Across the West. They each share what they've been up to in preparation over the last couple weeks as rider and crew, and Rick walks us through his race plan. Of course, none of this would be possible without the support of many, many incredible people, and Rick offers his appreciation to those who have generously supported him in going after his dream.

Show resources:

Follow Rick's Race starting June 15th at 1:00 p.m. PT:

https://www.raceacrossthewest.org/live-tracking

https://www.facebook.com/saywattpod Or on Instagram @saywattpod

https://www.facebook.com/10BuckBikeClub

View the RAW budget, sponsor a time station, or donate: https://www.zraam2021.com/gofundme

Race Across the West: http://www.raceacrossthewest.org/

Race Across America: https://www.raceacrossamerica.org/

What does an endurance athlete, police officer and Black woman do when her various identities collide with a national tragedy, all while she's training for the Police Unity Tour in honor of fallen officers? If she's Alisha Zellner, she pedals her full-self into the forefront of critical social justice conversations by bringing her local community together to ride bikes and begin a conversation on the issues that impact her life and the lives of so many others.

Join us as Alisha discusses what it's like to live at the intersection of her sometimes contradictory identities, what she's doing to help through her organization Bike Ride for Black Lives, and of course, about her cycling and triathlon plans for the coming year. In this candid and fun conversation, Alisha shares a number of very practical ideas for how we can all work to make the sport we love so much more inclusive—including something you're already doing…riding your bike!

Show resources:

Pledge to Ride 400 Miles this July, join Alisha's community awareness ride, or support organizations working to preserve Black history: https://www.bike4blacklives.com/about

Learn more about and support the Police Unity Tour: https://www.policeunitytour.com/

View the RAW budget, sponsor a time station, or donate: https://www.zraam2021.com/gofundme

Race Across the West: http://www.raceacrossthewest.org/

Race Across America: https://www.raceacrossamerica.org/