Teacher and Army veteran Ed Abdella is gearing up to cycle over 3,000 miles from Oceanside, California, to Atlantic City, New Jersey, to compete in a gurgling test of endurance, Race Across America (RAAM). Since 1982, RAAM has become an iconic event, attracting elite athletes and adventure enthusiasts eager to conquer an extraordinary test of mental exercise. RAAM is a grueling, non-stop, transcontinental race that pushes participants to their physical and mental limits. And it has been a six-year dream for Abdella and his team.
“For me, it started six years ago. I’ve started seeing videos on some Race Across America, which intrigued me,” said Abdella. “I thought, I want to do something like this one day! So I started training pretty hard. Got a crew and started doing a bunch of qualifying races.”
Abdella was no stranger to the bike when he set the goal to train for RAAM. He started riding recreationally as a teenager and credits cycling with helping him manage his mental health after retiring from service in the military. The physical and mental discipline of the military lends well to endurance cycling, helping Abdella and his team qualify for RAAM.
“My crew and I have done the Natchez Trace 444 three times,” shared Adbella. “Finally, we finished under the 44-hour time cap to become qualified for RAAM.”
Abdella doesn’t just cycle for training but uses his unique goal to raise awareness and money for subjects near and dear to his heart. In July 2013, Adbella completed a Bike Around Mississippi, raising money for Merrehope in Meridian. Merrehope, a 26-room Victorian mansion currently serving as a historic house museum, was originally built in 1858 and desperately needed a new roof.
“We did 1,156 miles in four days, three hours, and 16 minutes,” shared Abdella. “It gave us a bird’ s-eye view of exactly what I would need for RAAM and taught us what would cost us time. And we raised almost $13,000 for a new roof for Merrehope.”
Every year, Abdella raises funds for the West Lauderdale High School Band, where he teaches.
“I call it the 24-hour challenge, where I ride for 24 hours straight,” explained Abdella. “Last December, I covered 371 miles and raised close to $8,000 for the band. They are great kids, and I love those guys. I told them I would do it yearly for as long as possible.
Abdella’s students may think their teacher is nuts, but they are used to seeing Abdella on his bike, training for RAAM.
“The students here are so accustomed to seeing me on a bike,” shared Abdella. “I’m already riding to school and back home and training around town on the weekends. It’s to the point they realize this is really happening, and they’re getting excited, too.”
West Lauderdale recently received an A rating and paused to celebrate. Upon returning to class, the students didn’t want to dive back into classwork for the last few minutes but instead wanted to hear more about their teacher’s upcoming adventure.
“Our school celebrated our A rating with a little bit of a party,” shared Abdella. “When we returned from class, I told them we could do whatever for the last thirty minutes. And they wanted to talk about the race. I showed them a video of a guy’s journey who didn’t finish. And it sparked great conversation. When I turned the video off and started looking at the students, they asked what would happen if you ended up like this guy?”
At almost 60 years old, Abdella isn’t naive to the feat he faces. Out of the 44 single riders at the startline on June 11, 52 to 60% will drop out due to the triple-digit heat of the dessert portions. Others will have equipment malfunctions or physical or mental impairments and never see the finish line. They don’t call it the ultimate endurance challenge for cyclists around the globe for nothing.
In response to his students’ concerns about Abdella not being able to finish, he said, “I’m sure I would cry and apologize to my crew; I certainly don’t want to be the person who doesn’t make it, but sometimes in life you have to give things a good college try, knowing that you are well prepared, and see what happens.”
While Abdella will be the only one biking RAAM, he will be accompanied by a 10-person crew who has dedicated as much time and resources to this goal as he has. Together, they will have 12 days to get Abdella across 3,071 miles, 100,000+ vertical feet, 15 states, three deserts, four of America’s longest rivers, and three mountain ranges with little sleep.
But again, Abdella and his crew won’t be riding in vain.
“We will be riding for something bigger than finishing RAAM,” shared Abdella. “We hope to raise a million dollars for Hope Village for Children in Meridian.”
Hope Village for Children was founded in June 2000 by actress Sela Ward, a Meridian native, with a vision to lead each child to a place where hope is born. The Hope Village campus consists of two emergency shelters for children ages birth to eighteen, two cottages licensed as long-term therapeutic residential facilities for children ages twelve to eighteen, and two transitional homes.
If you want to support Abdella on his journey or donate, visit Hope Village for Children’s website.
