From 11 to 23 June 2024, Nicole Reist will once again take on the Race Across America (RAAM). After her victories in 2016, 2018 and 2022, she will be taking part for the fourth and definitely last time. She had actually already announced her retirement from ultracycling in 2023 - but now there is one last challenge. Last summer, the Swiss cyclist had had enough of the double burden of work and training: "Enough of getting up at 2 a.m. every night to train 40 to 50 hours a week alongside a full-time job as a structural engineer. Enough of forgoing birthday invitations in favour of cycling. In short, enough of subordinating everything - really everything - to sport," reads a press release.
She resigned and just a few weeks later was given the chance to experience competitive sport all over again: more sponsorship money and a reduction in her workload to 60 per cent. In addition, she worked with a coach who favoured shorter, more intensive sessions rather than longer ones. This motivated Reist to give it another go.
42nd RAAM with almost 5000 kilometres
The RAAM, which is in its 42nd edition, is an extreme sports event in which the athletes have to ride non-stop across the USA for over 4900 kilometres. It is unclear how many metres of elevation gain there will be on the route. While Reist mentions 66,000 metres of elevation gain in a press release, the organisers state 53,000 metres. The error rate of tour portals when extrapolating over such a distance is very high. In any case, it is more metres in altitude than many racing cyclists manage in a whole year. Of the more than 360 riders taking part, including 29 solo athletes and two women, more than half do not reach the finish every year.
Reist, who has been unbeaten since 2012, has set herself the ambitious goal of breaking the international women's speed record of 21.3 km/h, which has been held by Seana Hogan since 1995. It is no coincidence that this record has stood for so long: only seven men have had a faster average speed since 1995. On the one hand, it is the result of a top performance by ultracycling legend Seana Hogan in what was a perfect race at the time.
New route is longer
Another reason is the route, which has been significantly longer for many years and has more metres of elevation gain. Hogan set this record over 4686 kilometres. In order to break it, Nicole Reist will now have to maintain her speed for much longer than Hogan did in 1995, namely over around 220 additional kilometres and, above all, many extra metres in altitude. Exactly how many is no longer clear. RAAM press spokesman Vic Amijo does not know the exact data from 1995, but when asked by TOUR, he explained that "there are a lot more metres in altitude because the Appalachian Mountains have been added." The ride through the Appalachian Mountains is an endurance test that is also climatically demanding: the humidity is usually very high and this becomes a problem in high temperatures. The cooling effect of sweat and evaporative cooling only works to a limited extent.
The overall time also makes the challenge more difficult: the Zurich native will have to hold out for around half a day longer - which makes a big difference after more than nine days at the limit. With a time of 9 days and 15 hours, she would break the speed record. In 2018, she crossed the finish line after 9 days, 23 hours and 57 minutes. So she has already broken the magic barrier of under 10 days. In 2022, she was on course to break the record for almost 8 days - until a crash 300 kilometres before the finish abruptly ended her dream.
RAAM experience
Reist relies on her experience from three RAAM participations, an improved sleep strategy and an optimised diet after overcoming years of food allergies. Those interested can follow her preparations and the race itself live via her website and social media channels.
In the Ultracycling of women, Nicole Reist, who grew up in Tann, is the measure of all things and has achieved everything there is to achieve in extreme cycling: she is a five-time world champion, two-time European champion, three-time Swiss champion and has won 23 ultracycling races in her career. During the Race Across America, from 11 to 23 June 2024, Nicole Reist's team will be reporting regularly on various digital channels. Those interested can follow Nicole Reist live at www.nicolereist.ch and on the RAAM live tracker https://www.raamrace.org/live-tracking (start no. 549).
Nicole Reist Successes:
- 2023: Victory and 3rd place overall Race Around Danmark (1200 km, 10,000 metres altitude), victory and 5th world championship title Race Around Poland (3600 km, 33,000 metres altitude). Afterwards retirement.
- 2022: Victory and 3rd place overall in the Race Across America (RAAM, 5000 km, 55,000 metres altitude), victory, Swiss and European championship titles and 2nd place overall in the TORTOUR (1000 km, 13,000 metres altitude)
- 2021: Victory in the Race Around Austria (RAA, 2200 km, 35,000 m elevation gain), first woman to finish in under 4 days, victory in the Adriatic Marathon (Italy, 1200 km, 7000 m elevation gain), unbeaten for 10 seasons
- 2020: Race Around Austria victory (RAA, 2200 km, 34,000 metres altitude), overall victory at the Adriatic Marathon (Italy, 1200 km, 7000 metres altitude)
- 2019: Victory and world champion title at the Glocknerman ultra bike marathon world championship (1000 km, 17,000 metres), victory at the Race Across France (RAAF, 2600 km, 45,000 metres of altitude), victory at the Race Around Austria (RAA,
- 2200 km, 30,000 m elevation gain); first person to ride two such long races so close together with RAAF and RAA (combination: 4800 km, 75,000 m elevation gain, 1 week in between).
- 2018: Victory, two Swiss records and 3rd place overall Race Across America (RAAM, 5000 km, 50000 m elevation gain); victory and 2nd place overall Race Across France (RAAF, 2500 km, 40,000 m elevation gain); first person to compete in and win two such long races in one season.
- 2017: Victory and world championship title at the Glocknerman ultra-marathon world championship (1000 km, 16,000 metres of altitude); victory and Swiss championship title at the TORTOUR (1000 km, 13,000 metres of altitude); overall victory, course record and European championship title at the Race Around Ireland (RAI, 2150 km, 21,000 metres of altitude); first person to win all three titles in one season
- 2016: Race Across America victory (RAAM, 5000 km, 50,000 metres altitude); victory and Swiss championship title at the TORTOUR
- 2015: TORTOUR victory (1000 km, 13,000 metres altitude)
- 2014: Victory and world champion title in the Glocknerman ultra bike marathon world championship; TORTOUR victory
- 2013: Victory in the Race Around Austria (RAA, 2200 km, 30,000 metres altitude)
- 2012: Victory in the Race Around Austria (RAA, 2200 km, 30,000 m elevation gain)
- 2007: Victory and world champion title in the Glocknerman ultra bike marathon world championship
Kristian Bauer
Editor
