RAAM - Team Spadaccia

VietVelo 24 hour challenge was a success! I had a great time and enjoyed seeing everyone who came out to push themselves.
We had some pretty rough conditions with the cold, periods of light rain at night, and wind throughout but I managed to still get 300 miles.🙌🏼 Thank you, Dom for taking pictures and supporting us the entire time. Thanks to Pho Wheels for providing delicious, hot food to keep everyone going. Mik and Alvin came out on a mission to pull us around the 4.5 mile loop throughout the day which was exactly what we needed to get it done.

Last Sunday, I was asked to give a talk at church about “One Percent Better” by Michael Dunn. It’s about introducing a new coaching concept to the British Cycling Team, how we can apply it to our everyday lives, and how God only asks us for progression not perfection. The aggregation of marginal gains. If we find areas in our lives that need improvement and just improve them by 1% when we put it all together the outcome is drastically better. Over the years I have done this and to my surprise my life has improved significantly.

Break time to eat some hot food. What a crazy night and absolutely miserable. Cold, windy, with a side of rain to make you feel alive. 10 more hours to go! 😏

It’s a good feeling to be able to get my long rides in outdoors. Saturday, I decided to take a ride around the James River. I’ve done this route on numerous occasions but this past weekend I did the loop around the island in Jamestown. It was the first time doing it and I can’t believe I waited so long to do it.
The Jamestown ferry trip across the river is always a great experience and usually I get asked a lot of questions about biking. People are always curious and most are very friendly. I enjoy hearing people talk about their biking stories. Seeing life pass by behind handlebars is something that I recommend to everyone.

My training ride on a beautiful Saturday I had this weekend was amazing. I was finally able to get outside to ride and hopefully 🙏 the weather will continue to improve.

I have been using Skratch Labs high carb mix. I get 90 grams of carbs per bottle and with its non sweetened blend it works well for my stomach. I have room to increase my carb intake using this product as I will increase in time.
I always enjoy a coke at my store stop to refill my bottles and of course peanut M&M’s🫣. I’m focused on my nutrition goals as I train for my upcoming events.
If anyone is interested in riding 300 miles in 24 hours to get a free jersey come to VietVelo’s 24 hour challenge May 1st. The event is free as we want to get cyclists to come out and push themselves in a group setting on a 4 mile loop. If you’re interested please sign up here: Vietvelo.org

Sebring 24 hour TT
What a awesome time and got to see a lot of my friends there.
First off, I would like to give shoutouts to Coach Giovanni for his support and his constant reminder to have fun. My idea of having fun is going out and crushing it from the beginning which we all know is a mistake but it’s about having fun, right? My next shoutout goes to Louis at Mollys Bicycle shop for all that he does to have my bikes in perfect condition. My Felt AR was fast and I had no issues.🙌🏼
I haven’t been training much because of work and the weather we had in Va. It’s hard to get my long rides in on the trainer but I’m hoping the weather will improve now. I have a lot planned for this year and I always like using this race as my first training ride of the season. My training will improve and I look forward to my next ultra cycling event at Calvin’s Challenge.
In the morning we started with temperatures in the low 60’s but as soon as the sun came out it got to the mid 80’s. Of course I didn’t wear sun block so my legs got a little crispy. I did my first 💯 in 4:35 and felt great. The second 💯 was a bit slower because of the afternoon sun and the wind picked up. The last 💯 I literally struggled the whole time which was to be expected from my lack of training lately. I did get second in my age group and I’m feeling good about my performance considering.
My training and fitness will only improve from this day forward. 🙌🏼

Sebring 24 hour TT here I come! 🙌🏼

My outdoor rides last week.

Christmas Eve, I decided to head out at 11:30pm after working all day to get some night riding in. It was chilly and I about froze by the time I got home at 3:30am.
Saturday, I did 💯 miles. I felt great and caught the sun setting as I made my way across the Benjamin Harris bridge.🙌🏼
I have some big rides planned before I head to Sebring, Florida to take on the Sebring 24 hour TT in February. I’m looking forward to this event as last year I PR’d my 24 hour with 429 miles. I’m hoping to set another PR as long as everything goes well. 🤙🏼

I hope everyone had a Merry Christmas!
Have a Happy New Year and get after those 2026 goals!

Saturday, I participated in a 💯 mile group ride put on by RVA Racing. The mission was to help 2 athletes get their first century while the rest of us rode cruiser bikes. Mike and Kat crushed it. Mike did it on a hardtail MTB and Kat on a gravel bike.🤯
We left at 8am from Stone brewery, jumped on the Capital Trail, and headed east towards Jamestown. 51 miles later we had arrived to Billsburg brewery( located in Jamestown) where we ate burgers and hydrated ourselves with Cokes & Gatorades before making the trip back. I had such a great time with people I hadn’t seen in awhile. We returned back to Richmond just before 4pm with a few restroom and picture breaks. Shoutout to Chad for lending me the bike and convincing his wife that I would take great care of it. Shoutout to Louis Molly's Bicycle Shop for making sure everything was in great working order and picking the bike up for me. Until the next adventure 🛎️ding🛎️ding on your left!🤙🏼

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Psycho 24 was a 35 mile loop that started at 8:15am Saturday morning. I lined up with temps in the upper 40’s. I knew it was going to be a struggle at night as everything was wet from the night before and it was cold( which I don’t do well in the cold). During the morning it warmed up and the sun dried up everything. My first 💯 I did in 4h:49m with a average power of 181 watts. The 2nd 💯 I did in 5h:30m with a average power of 134 watts. In the 200 miles I spent way too much time off the bike eating and preparing my bottles. As the sun was setting I decided to change kits and put on my cold weather gear. From 6:30pm-midnight it was an absolute struggle to keep warm and I changed out of my cold, damp clothes 2 more times. With no more dry clothes and cold I called it at mile 248.
At night, I would look at the stars which was amazing and plentiful. I enjoyed seeing everyone and spending time on the bike. I never regret doing any of these 24 hour TT’s regardless of how I do as I’m grateful to have the experience. I have failed more times than succeeded in accomplishing my goals but I keep going and continue to show up! My day is coming and as long as I keep training and showing up I WILL prevail. This was my last race this year and I look forward to Sebring, Florida in February 2026.

Shoutout to Coach Giovanni for his support and talking with me while I was driving down and back home via telephone. His #1 goal for me was to have fun and enjoy the process regardless of my mileage.