> home
> About
> Contact Us
> Editorial Info
> IEEE-USA

07.10

By Terrance Malkinson

In 1887, newspaperman George Nellis crossed the United States on a 45-pound front wheel direct drive high-wheel bicycle with no gears. He followed railroad routes during this 80-day journey.  Others followed, using a variety or routes and bicycle configurations. In 1982 a group of four adventurous cyclists decided to race across the United States. In this, its first year as an organized race, the event was called the Great American Bike Race. The cyclists started at the Santa Monica pier and raced to New York City. The winner was Lon Haldeman.  Renamed Race Across America (RAAM) the race has run every year since, achieving the stature of one of the most respected endurance sporting events; attracting the best athletes globally, racing solo or in relay teams, in an event which many respectfully call The World’s Toughest Bicycle Race.  www.raceacrossamerica.org 

Each June, close to the summer solstice, racing begins in Oceanside, California, passes through 55 checkpoints, 14 states, and finishes 3005.1 miles later in Annapolis, Maryland.  The clock starts in Oceanside and does not stop until the racer crosses the finish line in Annapolis. Cyclists stop, and stop only briefly when necessary, for sleep.  Each cyclist is accompanied by a crew in a follow vehicle who provide support in the form of navigation, nutrition, safety, and motivation to name but a few.  This year’s winner in the solo category was Jure Robic from Slovenia, a previous RAAM first-place finisher, who completed the distance in an amazing 9 days 1 hour and 1 minute. 

In 2008, a shorter version of RAAM, called the Race Across the West (RAW) was added for those athletes who do not have the time or resources to cycle across the nation but who wished to participate and compete in the toughest part of RAAM. www.raceacrossthewest.org This 860.3 mile race is held in conjunction and runs simultaneously with RAAM following the same route, but finishing in Durango, Colorado. It was my privilege this year to be a member of the support crew for one of these extraordinary athletes, and next year I hope to participate as a cyclist myself.

Many of the racers use RAAM and RAW as an opportunity to raise funds for charities of importance to each athlete. What motivates an individual to participate in such a challenging event?  Each athlete has their own reasons.  It is the desire to test oneself against unbelievable challenges, it is a lifelong dream to do something that so very few can even contemplate, it is the opportunity to look back at the end of one’s life with no regrets, and it is the opportunity to raise money for a worthwhile charity.

Not all the athletes who start in Oceanside are able to reach the finish.  Each athlete, however, has the right to be proud of how far they were able to travel as a participant in The World’s Toughest Bicycle Race.  Congratulations to all.

Other Bytes

Here are some of the things going on in and around the community:

• The cover story in FORTUNE [161(8), 14 June 2010, www.fortune.com ] provides a series of articles that comprise FORTUNE’s “2010 Retirement Guide: You Can Still Win.” We are all facing difficulty deciding what the best plan is to achieve retirement security.  In the introduction Geoff Colvin discusses the importance of thinking through three fundamental factors in retirement financial success: how we invest, save, and live.  The author believes that the classic advice is still the best route to retirement success. New challenges simply mean thinking differently about what the old rules mean in a new world. Other articles in the feature provide information of value to you for investing and planning your retirement.

• The accumulation of space trash and its implications is discussed by Evan Schwartz in “Waste Mgmt” [Wired, 18(6):172-178, June 2010,  www.wired.com ].  The author in the articles introduction discusses the 1978 publication of Donald Kessler “Collision Frequency of Artificial Satellites: The Creation of a Debris Belt” where he provided the scenario of “old satellites and other space trash would collide and shatter into countless fragments, setting off a chain reaction of still more crashes.”  On 10 February 2009, true to his prediction, two satellites crashed, resulting in roughly 2,100 pieces of space debris.  Implications of this and possible mitigation strategies are discussed.

• Harvard Business Review in its managing your professional growth focus provides an interesting article of importance to many at a time when employment opportunities are at a premium.  “Turn the Job You Have Into the Job You Want” [88(6):114-117, June 2010, www.hbr.org].  Amy Wrzesniewski, Justin Berg and Jane Dutton provides a case study and strategies for tailoring (“job crafting”) your current responsibilities into one that incorporates your motives, strengths, and passions allowing you to gain a greater sense of control and satisfaction.

• A how-to-guide to help you life and work at the top of your potential is provided by Laura Cameron et. al. in Canadian Business [“The Ultimate Guide to High Performance,” 83(9):55-72, 14 June 2010.  www.canadianbusiness.com ].  The corporate athlete, personal grooming and wellness, how to look good in a photograph, manners and etiquette, travel, leisure and entertaining are but a few of the topics discussed.

• Members of USA Today’s 21^st Annual All-USA College Academic Team are profiled in the 9 June 2010 issue of USA Today [pp. 40-41].  These 20 undergraduates at U.S. four-year colleges have a broad range of interests and accomplishments and represent well balanced excellence and provide optimism for our future as they assume leadership positions in our society. In an interesting inset they offer advice for this year’s class of college-bound high school students.

Terrance Malkinson is a communications specialist, business analyst and futurist. He is Vice-Chair of the IEEE-USA Communications Committee, an international correspondent for IEEE-USA Today's Engineer , editor-in-chief of IEEE-USA Today's Engineer Digest, associate editor for IEEE Canadian Review, and a member of the editorial advisory board of IEEE The Institute.  He was an elected Senator of the University of Calgary and an elected Governor of the IEEE Engineering Management Society as well as an elected Administrative Committee member of the IEEE Professional Communication Society. He has been the editor of several IEEE conference proceedings, and past editor of IEEE Engineering Management. He is the author of more than 400 publications, and is an accomplished triathlete. His career path includes being an accomplished technical supervisor and medical researcher at the University of Calgary a business proposal manager for the General Electric Company, an associate for Sears Canada Inc. and research administrator with the School of Health and Public Safety/Applied Research and Innovation Services at SAIT Polytechnic in Calgary Canada.

The author is grateful to the professional support of the Haskayne School of Business Library at the University of Calgary. He can be reached at todaysengineer@ieee.org.