Ahmedabad, Jan 10 (UNI) Well-known solo cyclist Vivek Shah, who has qualified for world's toughest ultra-cycling event Race Across America (RAAM) this year, on Friday said that he would try to not only become the fourth Indian and first Gujarati to complete the 4800 km race from West to East Coast of the US within stipulated time of 12 days but also to improve the timing.
A chartered-accountant by profession here, Shah is preparing hard to complete this 4,800 km race across 3 deserts and 4 time zones of America. The event is slated for June-2020 and the solo with over 35 participants would kick start on June 16. If he succeeds to finish the race, he will create a history to be the only Gujarati and fourth Indian to complete the RAAM.
Unlike the tour de France which is a staged race ie completed in many stages RAAM is a race in which the cyclist has to complete it in 12 days. Once it starts the clock keeps ticking all the time. The best timing so far in RAAM is 7 days 15 hours of an Austrian solo cyclist. All the three Indians who have completed it so far have done so in the last hours of the last day.