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Insight Race Across America 2001
Interview with Cassie Lowe
"It's wild out there. It's the greatest experience you can ever have!"
by John Hughes
Rainer Klaus Interview | Peter Lekisch Interview | Lon Haldeman Interview |
RAAM website ]
UltraCycling: Cassie, congratulations on your second consecutive RAAM win. That's a great achievement! Tell me about your race.
Lowe: Thanks! I feel good. [Less than 24 hours after finishing!] I felt good going into the race and I wanted to try for top-five. I was pretty confident because of my training and nutrition. I knew that I could push harder on certain sections and then recover. I'm a strong climber and I like to ride the hills hard!
In Oklahoma, I knew that I was close to Klaus and Patten and that they had had physical problems. They dropped off a bit, I kept the speed up, passed Klaus in Oklahoma, Patten in Mississippi, and finished fourth overall!
David Kincannon photo |
UC: That's a big improvement from last year, when you finished seventh. But your time was slower this year: 10d 7h 42m versus 10d 3h 9m last year. Why?
Lowe: We had great tailwinds last year! This year we had more headwinds the first few days. We didn't have any rain this year, but it was very cold the first night - 26 degrees!
I was much fitter this year and rode much harder. And we were more efficient with breaks. If I got a little cold, I'd just put up with it, instead of stopping for tights or a windbreaker.UC: Tell me about your training. How many miles did you ride?
Lowe: I'd have to add it up. I rode 500 miles a week, more toward the end. I try for a lot of variety in my training. I really concentrated on the intensity. I really hammered the California doubles; that really brought my form on. The double centuries are the best training for RAAM. [Lowe was fifth overall at the Devil Mountain Double in April and first overall at the Central Coast Double in May.] Where I was training, it was very windy, so I rode a lot into the wind.
UC: What did you eat?
Lowe: Platinum Performance bars and E-Caps products. I cut out simple sugars, no cakes, no biscuits. I was never bloated - I had a small stomach the whole way. I think that cutting out simple sugars is key!
We had a food plan, and I could eat anything on the menu. I ate about half liquid, Sustained Energy, and half solid food, including ham and cheese sandwiches and peanut butter sandwiches. Food is fuel for the body, to drive you forward. You need to believe that the products will work for you. You can eat ice cream later.UC: How much did you sleep?
Lowe: 90 minutes the first night, then three hours each night. The last two nights I only slept 90 minutes. The last nights were very hard. I was hallucinating badly. The sleep deprivation was the most difficult to overcome. If I got too sleepy, I'd take a five minute nap in the van.
David Kincannon photo |
UC: How big was your crew?
Lowe: I had seven people. A van and an RV. They were fantastic!
UC: What's your strongest memory of the race?
Lowe: The police escort to the finish! Half-way across the bay bridge, they stopped all traffic. It's so nice to be acknowledged!
UC: Will you come back next year?
Lowe: I don't know. It's so expensive. It's two Australian dollars for every American dollar. It would help if there were prize money.
It's a fantastic race! Thanks to Lon and Susan for doing such a great job. It's wild out there. It's the greatest experience you can ever have!
Rainer Klaus Interview | Peter Lekisch Interview | Lon Haldeman Interview |
RAAM website ]