America by cycle

PUSHING THE PEDALS: Gisborne truck driver Ron Skelton keeps powering on during the Race Across America endurance cycling event. He finished it in 12 days, 18 hours and 54 minutes and was third solo rider in the 60 to 69 years male age group. Picture supplied

Ron Skelton never had a moment when he thought he might quit the gruelling Race Across America.

The Gisborne endurance athlete completed the race in 12 days, 18 hours and 54 minutes — just over two hours before his deadline.

It is the second time Skelton, 60, has finished the event billed as “the world’s toughest bike race”.

He first did it in 2011, operating on about three hours of sleep a day.

Skelton, a truck driver for Pacific Haulage, said he focused on having a quick enough average speed and he didn’t want to let down his support crew by pulling out.

“So long as you’re upright and going forwards, you’re all right,” he said.

His team employed a few tricks to keep him going, such as blasting out music to him.

A favourite was Slap That Bottom by Kiwi band Boom! Boom! Deluxe. The idea was to play it when catching and passing another cyclist.

“We only managed to pester a couple,” Skelton said.

After he drifted into a ditch, his crew made him pedal on downhill sections to show them he was awake.

Race Across America is a time trial and the clock keeps ticking until the course is conquered. There are no stages but the cyclists have to get to various points before cut-off times.

They travel about 5000 kilometres, west to east, starting at Oceanside, California, and finishing at Annapolis, Maryland.

The race is 30 percent longer than the Tour de France and features professional and amateur cyclists.

Skelton said the early going in the desert was hot and he developed hydration problems, retaining too much water.

“My gloves and clothing were getting tight. I was swelling up and getting minor chafing.”

Fortunately, his crew chief and wife, Kristine Twigley, had been an ambulance officer for St John and her sister is a doctor.

They decided to cut out sports drinks and rely on water for hydration.

That seemed to work and Skelton made it to Durango, Colorado in time and in good enough shape to tackle the Rocky Mountains.

Just grateful to have made it . . .Then it was on to the Great Plains where they encountered their “first major weather event” just before Fort Scott in Kansas.

“We could see the black clouds following us . . . the wind was starting to spiral around, picking up debris.

“The rain, thunder, lightning — it was directly overhead. There were huge bolts of lightning and thunder.”

A family at Fort Scott were particularly hospitable, offering popcorn, other food and moral support.

“We just popped in to dry out,” Skelton said. “For all you hear about America, the hospitality was amazing.”

They crossed the Mississippi River, Indiana and West Virginia and were conscious they couldn’t afford a major mechanical mishap in the final phase.

“We were on quite a tight schedule,” Skelton said.

At the finish he was neither happy nor sad, just simply grateful to have made it.

Skelton said his support crew did a fantastic job.

“Stephen Sheldrake from Maintrax gave up his mechanic (Dan Dearman) for three weeks to support me.”

He had just two punctures during the race.

Craig Harper, from Blenheim, came fourth overall, which Skelton said was an outstanding effort.

Another New Zealander, Roger Foote, from Carterton, completed the Race Across the West in the United States about the same time. The race follows some of the course of the Race Across America.

“Three New Zealanders entered these races, in adverse conditions, and were successful,” said Skelton.