Srinivas Gokulnath, Ultra cyclist from Karnataka successfully finishes the world's toughest bicycling race

BENGALURU: Bengaluru-based Srinivas Gokulnath, an accomplished Aerospace Medicine Specialist serving the Indian Armed Forces and one of the very few ultra cyclists from India, successfully crossed the finish line of Race Across America (RAAM) 2023.

At the recently concluded RAAM 2023 (solo segment), Srinivas timed 11 days, and 6 hours to cross the finish line of the 4,800 kms endurance event, and stood at 7th position, with his average speed being 11.25 miles per hour. It may be noted that Srinivas was the first Indian to successfully complete RAAM in 2017.

According to Srinivas, Indian cyclists have shown greater interest in showcasing their prowess and testing their endurance at the international level over the last few years. This is reflected in 3 Indian cyclists crossing the finish line at RAAM 2023 and finishing among the top 7. This trend is only set to increase, and I will be happy if more cyclists get to participate in ultra-racing circuits globally.

Having achieved success at the highest level, my ambition now is to do more for the country by becoming a mentor and train budding ultra-cycling racing enthusiasts to aim for international glory, he added.

Sharing his experience of pedaling the solo segment of RAAM, Srinivas pointed out, “RAAM is an experience by itself, where one could see the wonderful landscapes, test pedaling skills across some of the most challenging terrains of the United States, endure the fast-changing climatic conditions as the race moved on. Even as the stamina and endurance of the racer is tested to their limit, the role of support staff assumes great importance for the solo cyclist to put his/her best foot forward”.

It may be noted that RAAM is an ultra-distance cycling race held across the United States and is counted as one of the longest annual endurance events in the world. This transcontinental event is always from the West Coast of America to its East Coast, covering around 4,800 kms across various terrains of the United States. This race format has no stages, which means in principle it is a nonstop event from start to finish, with the fastest competitors needing slightly over a week to complete the course. The cut-off time to complete RAAM solo is 12 days. There have been only 370 successful solo RAAM finishers since the start of the event in 1982.