What Happens, Stays.

FKT – Fastest Known Time

Riding from point A to point B can be an adventure itself.
Riding from point A to point B within the fastets known time is going to be hard. Whether it’s a 300m bunch sprint or, as in the case of the guys from As Far As I’m Concerned, riding 555 km with more than 4500 meters of climbing from Los Angeles to Las Vegas. As fast as possible.

Discover the Route

The Preparation

The idea for this ride has been in the works for a few years now. One of the main goals of the As far As I’m Concerned project is to push ourselves as a team and see what we can accomplish when we all work together for each other. Going after FKTs like LA to Las Vegas are the perfect way for us to come together as greater than the sum of our parts.

The preparation for a long, unsupported ride like this is an odd experience. You can prepare for every possible scenario– have exactly what you need to bring in terms of layers, nutrition, lights, and other equipment– but you’re going to run into a part of the ride where it’s just you versus your fatigue. Knowing what you need to bring to make sure your mind isn’t occupied with anything other than the ride itself is a skill that you gain only from putting yourself in the situation, it’s only from experience.

The Ride

The ride definitely tested each one of us. It was hotter than we expected leaving LA, so much of the first part of the ride was managing the heat. The desert is both beautiful and taxing, biking on long straight roads where you can see your destination from miles out but can never quite seem to get there fast enough.

Riding through the Mojave through the night was easily one of the more surreal experiences we’d ever had on the bike. We wouldn’t see even another car for hours at a time. Your reality is truly the 10-foot radius of your light in front of you, and that’s it.

The final push into Las Vegas was a true team effort. Everyone is equally fatigued, riding off of exclusively caffeine and will power. We were right up against the previous fastest known time, and for a while we weren’t sure we were going to get it. The catharsis when we got to Vegas was intense, especially after setting a new FKT (by only 9 mins).

What Happens, Stays

The FKT from Los Angeles to Las Vegas was an intense mix of challenge and reward. You’re out in the middle of nowhere, hammering on isolated roads, pushing yourself to the limit, all the while riding with some of your best friends. The bonding that happens under this kind of ride – the spoken and unspoken communication, the shared fatigue, the willingness to sacrifice your body for a common goal – all of these are irreplaceable experiences and emotions that we’ll carry with us for the rest of our lives.

The Kit

The kit was a godsend on a ride like this. Spending over 19 hours riding in your kit will definitely let you know how comfortable your equipment truly is. Any seam, any rubbing, and any pressure, it amplifies over that long in the saddle. The level of care that went into designing this kit truly shines through the longer it’s put to the test. It truly is the most comfortable kit system we’ve ever used.

FKT – Fastest Known Time

The Preparation

The Ultra-Distance Kit

The Ride

What Happens, Stays

The Kit

Thermoregulation Kit for Night-Rides