Yale Child Study Center (YCSC) Assistant Professor of Clinical Child Psychiatry Suman Baddam, MD recently completed a 4,200 mile self-supported bike race across the United States. The Transamerica, or Trans Am bike race, started in Astoria, Oregon on June 5, 2022 and ended in Yorktown, Virginia 32 days later.
With participant progress tracked live via satellite through the Trans Am Bike Race 2022 Live Tracker, race participants, family members, “trail angels” supporting racers, and others following the race (known as dotwatchers) followed rider progress while also communicating with one another through a FaceBook group dedicated to the race.
Ride conditions included rain and storms as racers started out in Oregon, followed by steep climbs, increased altitude, and high elevations in Montana, Wyoming, and Colorado, where riders reached a peak of 11,000 feet. The flat plains of Kansas involved 90-degree heat, high humidity, and headwind. The last leg of the ride through Missouri, Kentucky, and Virginia led racers through rolling hills in high temperatures.
The challenges were traffic along the route, unpredictable weather, and loose dogs in Missouri and Kentucky. People who ride the route usually enjoy the national parks, numerous national forests, historical markers, and the hospitality and generosity of the people in the small towns along the route.
Suman Baddam, MD
“The challenges were traffic along the route, unpredictable weather, and loose dogs in Missouri and Kentucky. People who ride the route usually enjoy the national parks, numerous national forests, historical markers, and the hospitality and generosity of the people in the small towns along the route,” commented Baddam.
An attending on the inpatient unit in child psychiatry, Baddam finished 18th of the 53 riders who started the ride and 27 who completed race. He welcomes questions from anyone interested in participating in the future.