Frederic Daigle
The Canadian Press
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Like many, your first instinct was surely to ask yourself: “Why? “.
“We do it out of passion, because we find it interesting. It must be said: it’s not a burden,” laughs the 42-year-old athlete from Quebec City during a telephone interview with The Canadian Press, a week before his departure for Oceanside, California, where will be launched on June 14 the “Race Across America”, which will conclude on the 25th, in Annapolis, Maryland.
“It’s like someone who plays golf: I won’t ask him when he will stop playing, I know it’s his passion. The endurance sport is mine; it fills me with energy. Then, as I live with type 1 diabetes, it’s clear that I want to prove to people living with this condition that great things can be accomplished. »
You read that right: Sasseville has type 1 diabetes, a diagnosis he suffered when he was 22 years old. His blood sugar level should be constantly monitored. It’s already constant work, imagine when you also have to cover some 450 km by bike every day.
“Running with type 1 diabetes is an enormous layer of complexity that you add to something that is already complex”, explains the adventurer who has already climbed Everest and crossed Canada in the race. and cycling, in addition to participating in a few ultramarathons.
“Managing blood sugar is all the time: calculations, balancing insulin and blood sugar, making sure blood sugar is at the right level to be able to perform, but also to sleep with the few hours we have to sleep. It’s about mastering the tools we use, like the insulin pump, the continuous glucose meter. My team must also be trained in all this. It’s a race over a race, that’s for sure,” added the only Canadian entered in the competition.
Important logistics
This team is made up of 10 people who will constantly follow him in two pursuit trucks and a recreational vehicle, where he will sleep – little: he will be on his bike 20 hours a day – and will take showers and meals.
“They don’t necessarily have to be diabetes specialists, but without them, nothing happens,” says Sasseville, who makes a living as a corporate speaker. This race is a story of collaboration. […] We agree that at 20 hours a day, there is accumulated fatigue that sets in and they help me make good decisions.
“I have a race director in one of the pursuit vehicles, I have someone who is dedicated to the kitchen, because we have 10 people to feed for 11 days. We have our drivers, our navigators. It’s about finding the perfect balance between clearly defined roles, but also a mission that guides everything we do. We must get to the other side as quickly as possible, and everyone is working to find solutions to achieve this end, ”he added.
Everything must be settled on a quarter-turn for this competition which is 30% longer than the Tour de France, but contested in half the time.
“It’s a choreography: when I have to go from the bike to the shower, or from the bed to the bike, everything has to be done very quickly. When I wake up, my clothes are ready, the GPS is on the bike, everything is done. Same thing when I arrive in the evening: we take the bike to bring it to maintenance, I arrive in the shower, I have a ‘kit’ ready and my meal will be ready when I get out.
“I joke that I don’t know where my underwear is in the motorhome, but it’s true! It’s the whole team that manages it. Beyond the physical condition, hundreds of hours have been invested in our logistics, and that’s what makes the difference in a race like this,” he said.
A demanding challenge
Preparing for such a race takes months. After weeks of intensive bodybuilding, Sasseville had to go into exile this winter to be able to ride long distances, outings of 100 to 400 km. Having like everyone else only 24 hours a day, he had to sacrifice parts of his life.
“That’s what has been difficult over the past six months: there was no time for anything else. Social life took a hit. It’s a moment of intensity, but we find the balance afterwards. My days and weeks aren’t always balanced, but my years are! “, he launches.
Cost of the adventure: more than $100,000, estimates Sasseville, which is fortunate to be sponsored by big players in the pharmaceutical industry, such as Eli Lilly, Dexcom and Tandem Diabetes Care, for example.
“These are people who believe in projects like this, who see the impact it has on people living with type 1 diabetes. We want it to inspire, to feel good. Their support is needed,” he said.
Where does he see himself ending the competition?
“It’s a race: there will be a winner. I would like it to rank well: I think I have what it takes. Now, it’s a first participation and anything can happen: I could finish last or not finish. There is a third of the participants who do not finish, and we are talking about the best ultracyclists in the world.
“In the end, I want the team and I to be proud. It’s the most difficult ultracycling race in the world, if it can have an impact on people, it would make me happy,” concludes Sasseville.
A few highlights
- The race has existed for 38 years.
- It crosses 12 states over some 4800 km and 54,500 m of elevation.
- It can be done solo, or in a team of two, four or eight cyclists who will take turns along the route.
- Over the years, athletes from 35 countries on six continents have competed.
- In 2022, more than 220 cyclists are registered.
- You can follow Sébastien Sasseville on his Facebook, Instagram (@sebinspire), TikTok (@sebinspire) and LinkedIn pages, or on his website, www.sebinspire.com.
- The Race Across America website: raamrace.org.
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Frederic Daigle
The Canadian Press
–
Like many, your first instinct was surely to ask yourself: “Why? “.
“We do it out of passion, because we find it interesting. It must be said: it’s not a burden,” laughs the 42-year-old athlete from Quebec City during a telephone interview with The Canadian Press, a week before his departure for Oceanside, California, where will be launched on June 14 the “Race Across America”, which will conclude on the 25th, in Annapolis, Maryland.
“It’s like someone who plays golf: I won’t ask him when he will stop playing, I know it’s his passion. The endurance sport is mine; it fills me with energy. Then, as I live with type 1 diabetes, it’s clear that I want to prove to people living with this condition that great things can be accomplished. »
You read that right: Sasseville has type 1 diabetes, a diagnosis he suffered when he was 22 years old. His blood sugar level should be constantly monitored. It’s already constant work, imagine when you also have to cover some 450 km by bike every day.
“Running with type 1 diabetes is an enormous layer of complexity that you add to something that is already complex”, explains the adventurer who has already climbed Everest and crossed Canada in the race. and cycling, in addition to participating in a few ultramarathons.
“Managing blood sugar is all the time: calculations, balancing insulin and blood sugar, making sure blood sugar is at the right level to be able to perform, but also to sleep with the few hours we have to sleep. It’s about mastering the tools we use, like the insulin pump, the continuous glucose meter. My team must also be trained in all this. It’s a race over a race, that’s for sure,” added the only Canadian entered in the competition.
Important logistics
This team is made up of 10 people who will constantly follow him in two pursuit trucks and a recreational vehicle, where he will sleep – little: he will be on his bike 20 hours a day – and will take showers and meals.
“They don’t necessarily have to be diabetes specialists, but without them, nothing happens,” says Sasseville, who makes a living as a corporate speaker. This race is a story of collaboration. […] We agree that at 20 hours a day, there is accumulated fatigue that sets in and they help me make good decisions.
“I have a race director in one of the pursuit vehicles, I have someone who is dedicated to the kitchen, because we have 10 people to feed for 11 days. We have our drivers, our navigators. It’s about finding the perfect balance between clearly defined roles, but also a mission that guides everything we do. We must get to the other side as quickly as possible, and everyone is working to find solutions to achieve this end, ”he added.
Everything must be settled on a quarter-turn for this competition which is 30% longer than the Tour de France, but contested in half the time.
“It’s a choreography: when I have to go from the bike to the shower, or from the bed to the bike, everything has to be done very quickly. When I wake up, my clothes are ready, the GPS is on the bike, everything is done. Same thing when I arrive in the evening: we take the bike to bring it to maintenance, I arrive in the shower, I have a ‘kit’ ready and my meal will be ready when I get out.
“I joke that I don’t know where my underwear is in the motorhome, but it’s true! It’s the whole team that manages it. Beyond the physical condition, hundreds of hours have been invested in our logistics, and that’s what makes the difference in a race like this,” he said.
A demanding challenge
Preparing for such a race takes months. After weeks of intensive bodybuilding, Sasseville had to go into exile this winter to be able to ride long distances, outings of 100 to 400 km. Having like everyone else only 24 hours a day, he had to sacrifice parts of his life.
“That’s what has been difficult over the past six months: there was no time for anything else. Social life took a hit. It’s a moment of intensity, but we find the balance afterwards. My days and weeks aren’t always balanced, but my years are! “, he launches.
Cost of the adventure: more than $100,000, estimates Sasseville, which is fortunate to be sponsored by big players in the pharmaceutical industry, such as Eli Lilly, Dexcom and Tandem Diabetes Care, for example.
“These are people who believe in projects like this, who see the impact it has on people living with type 1 diabetes. We want it to inspire, to feel good. Their support is needed,” he said.
Where does he see himself ending the competition?
“It’s a race: there will be a winner. I would like it to rank well: I think I have what it takes. Now, it’s a first participation and anything can happen: I could finish last or not finish. There is a third of the participants who do not finish, and we are talking about the best ultracyclists in the world.
“In the end, I want the team and I to be proud. It’s the most difficult ultracycling race in the world, if it can have an impact on people, it would make me happy,” concludes Sasseville.
A few highlights
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