It's the middle of May, in the middle of the night, pitch dark, and I'm straddling my bike with my front wheel in Arizona and back wheel in New Mexico. I'm only a few minutes away from starting my attempt at the Arizona state crossing east to west record.

Derek Slife waiting for the stroke of midnight.

My mind and heart are racing with nervousness and anxiety. Out of my peripheral vision, I can see my crew running through a pre-ride checklist. Rear facing strobe lights, check... Slow moving vehicle triangle, check... Caution Bicycles Ahead sign, check... And they continue... check... check... check... I start to think, ěHave my crew and I prepared for everything which might occur on this attempt? How will the weather turn out? Have I fully recovered from my knee injury from a few months ago?

Then, three honks and some cheers from my crew notify me of the stroke of midnight. I jump on my saddle and embark on the first few pedal strokes towards Nevada. As I continue, my mind and heart finally settle down. The nervousness and anxiety turn into excitement and motivational drive.

I ride through the dark moonlit night. My path is continuously illuminated by my crews' pace vehicle's lights behind me. The coldness of the desert night starts to set in. I find myself sinking into a rhythm over the first 120 miles of gradually descending and flat terrain.

The sky starts to lighten and shadows finally to appear. The sunrise re-energizes my spirits just in time for the 40+ mile ascent towards Flagstaff, AZ and the Arizona Divide. As I climb, I notice the countryside turning from painted desert into rolling plains which transition into bush land and finally into to the tall ponderosa forest. The snow covered peak of Mt. Humphries just outside of Flagstaff acts as the great beacon of our halfway point.

Slife at the Arizona Divide.

Along with the splendor of sunlight and the beauty of the Arizona views brought the ruthlessness of a taunting head wind. Most of the state crossing records which have been established are set going west to east. I'm told that this is usually because of the head wind factor and winds statistically blowing from west towards the east.

I crank through the wind and climbs until I reach the Arizona Divide (Elevation 7,335 ft.). The terrain over the next 150 miles is mixed between rolling hills and passes over the northwestern Arizona mountain ranges.

About this time I begin entering my zone. I can describe it as a state of focus where my thoughts are clear and my mind free of distractions, almost a meditative state. The hours go by in a matter of minutes. I'm feeling on a high. I think to myself, "This is the reason I ride."

Slife and his crew in Laughlin, NV.

I couldn't have had this amazing experience without the support of my family, friends, crew and the UMCA official. This is something we will all reflect on for the years to come.

Slife will be racing for Team Insight in RAAM '05. He started his record ride at 12:00 a.m. on May 14 on I-40 at the New Mexico-Arizona border. He rode 345.9 miles in 23 hours 3 minutes, 15.01 mph. The record ride finished at Davis Dam on the Arizona Highway 68 across the Colorado river. Mark Chesney, who will also be racing for Team Insight, was the UMCA official.