The trip will see Max in the saddle for 20 hours a day for 12 days - but it’s all for a fantastic cause.
Max is raising money for City in the Community, which aims to harness the power of football to make lives better in Manchester and around the world.
Take a look at the tracker below to follow his progress, and you can pledge your support for Max here.
John Stones calls the doc!
Max has received a Facetime from the England man. Watch the video below!
Hello Missouri!
Max will arrive in Missouri in the next hour or so! He’s spent two days riding through Kansas (which was seemingly never-ending) in very difficult conditions. Extreme heat and high winds aren’t easy when you’re cycling this far.
The roads will narrow and there will be more climbs in Missouri, which we hope will suit Max. After the situation with his neck yesterday, he had treatment and then made good progress overnight, which is fantastic to see.
Halfway point reached - but tough conditions are taking their toll
It’s been an eventful last 24 hours for Max.
He reached the halfway point yesterday - that’s 1,500 miles - a remarkable achievement by anyone’s standards. He has ridden virtually non-stop in reaching that target, with less than four hours of sleep each day. Unbelievable.
He received a ‘good luck’ message from his friend Jaap Stam and his coach, Mauro, who has been awake throughout the ride in a car following Max is very, very proud of his man’s progress.
However, Max is beginning to struggle after six days on the bike. He has a condition called Shermer’s Neck, which means his neck muscles have failed from fatigue and can no longer support his head. The strong Kansas wind certainly hasn’t helped him but after some treatment and a short rest period, he is back on the road. City in the Community’s Mike Geary has run alongside Max in 100 degree heat during recent hours in a bid to keep him motivated through a tough part of the course.
This is a superhuman effort from Max and everyone at City sends their love and support. He is currently continuing to plough on through Kansas, a state that appears to go on forever...
Monday...latest
Having conquered the Rockies, Max has faced new challenges by way of high temperatures and crosswinds on the Colorado and Kansas plains. The halfway point comes at Monday afternoon. Of the 32 starting solo RAAM cyclists, only 24 remain - COME ON MAX!
1,000 miles done!
Max has completed 1,000 miles! He’s now a third of the way through his epic challenge.
Well done, Max! Everyone at City is thinking about you.
Saturday update...
Max continues to defy some brutal conditions and the fatigue factor and is staying firmly on track in his epic quest.
Ploughing on despite strength-sapping 40 degree heat, Max last night left Arizona and passed through Monument Valley into Utah - the third state he has cycled through.
He has continued on to Colorado keeping right on schedule despite the quite brutal conditions which have already seen at least five cyclists drop out through heat exhaustion.
This morning Max reached the latest check-point at Durango and his reward was a two-hour break as he readied himself ahead of another epic 12-hour stint in the saddle later today.
That will take him over Wolf Pass in the Rocky Mountains... the highest point in this year’s race.
What a star Max is!
Through the night...
Max continues to make fine progress!
He rested for a short period after my last update and then set off again, travelling through the night between Flagstaff and Tuba City. He is currently still travelling through Navajo Nation and by this evening his time (Saturday morning UK time), he will be in Utah!
But he’d better beware! During this leg of the journey, he will see warning signs for elk, horses and cattle on the road, as well as blowing dust!
I’ve just spoken to a member of his team who says his condition is excellent. He ate pasta and tomato sauce last night, had a leg and foot massage from the travelling doctor Edu and he is in fine a cognitive state.
What a City in the Community hero we have, here!
Friday update...
Max completed 102.9 miles on Thursday and is currently making his way through the rest of Flagstaff in Arizona.
He is, once again, riding through the night and he will travel through Monument Valley later on Friday as he enters Utah - the third state of his journey.
Max is currently flying and everyone at City is proud of his efforts. Keep going, Max!
The story so far...
On Wednesday, the opening day of the race, Max faced extreme weather conditions, with temperatures reaching a high of 45 degrees Celsius. Max struggled, as did a lot of the other riders, many of whom pulled out. But as the race entered the evening time, Max came into his own. He loves climbs and there were plenty of uphill climbing to do, and that gave him fresh impetus after a difficult start.
Today (Thursday) saw Max reach the 500-mile mark, 43.5 hours after the race started. In the first 22 hours he spent on the bike, Max had 25 minutes of rest and no sleep. He is currently in Cottonwood, Arizona, having cycled non-stop through the night, passing through Prescott national forest.
Over the next 24 hours, Max will be riding through Arizona, passing through Flagstaff and the beautiful Coconino national forest. He will face plenty of climbs and the temperature will be hot!
He will then enter Navajo Nation, the largest area that continues to be retained by a Native American tribe. The race organisers had to seek permission from the Navajo people to pass through.
It’s been a sensational, fascinating few days and we will continue to monitor Max’s progress in the coming days right here on mancity.com.
Forza, Max!
Day One - Max hits the road in California
