The Psycho 48: Cycling for 48 Hours Straight

The morning sun peaks over the pines, revealing some 60 cars and trucks parked on the side of a road flanked by an unharvested soybean field. No houses can be seen from this rural spot on highway 304 in Bayboro. Men and women in Spandex eat bananas, tighten bolts on their road bikes and sort through the specialized food and other essentials in pockets on the back of their bike shirts. Their metal toe clips scratch the highway until they mount their bikes and lock in to their pedals.


The “Psycho 48” ultra-cycling race is about to begin. A mix of people from across the country, along with a few locals, have camped and parked just down the road from the home of Carol and Rich Beliveau. This is the second year Carol, a long-time ultra-cyclist whose nickname is “Queen Psycho,” has organized the race.


The race has five start times, each 15 minutes apart: 100 miles, 12-hour drafting, 24-hour drafting race, 24-hour non-drafting race and the 48-hour race—pedaling a bike around the county for 48 hours straight. The cyclists ride laps around a 35-mile loop.


“The Psycho was Michelle’s idea,” Carol tells me, pointing to a rider wearing an unfastened bicycle helmet and munching on a power bar.

Michelle Wood is from Winston-Salem and is one of 16 participating in the 24-hour non-drafting race. “We wanted to do a big ride…and psycho is how our group of riding friends refer to each other,” she tells me with a smile and a shrug. “We sent out emails and people showed up.” Last year she did 240 miles in 12 hours at the inaugural Psycho.


At 8 a.m., Carol casually calls riders for the 100-mile race. Christa Hathaway, from Morehead City, lines up her bike. Although she has been cycling for only a year and 10 months, she tells me, “I started to cycle because my husband was, but he had a knee injury…now I’m doing it alone. I’m hooked for life.” Appearing more excited than nervous, she pedals forward with the crowd as the race begins.


Thirty minutes later, five cyclists line up for the 24-hour drafting race. For this, cyclists can bike behind each other, taking advantage of the low pressure in the wake of the cyclist ahead of them, which reduces the wind resistance and the amount of energy required to pedal.
Carol looks at her watch and says suddenly, “Oh—it’s 8:30—go!” and the riders line up on the road. “We are so high strung,” she jokes as she watches them head down the straight road.

Gerry Eddlemon, who is 77 and drove out last minute from Tennessee, walks his bike up a minute after the five cyclists from the 24-hour drafting race biked away. “Oh, I missed it,” he says, but he doesn’t sound disappointed. He will participate in the final open race instead.


The laid-back atmosphere is the best part of “The Psycho,” says a man in the next group of cyclists, who are lining up for the third race—the 24-hour non-drafting. Many have slept in their car or a tent nearby, and they seem relaxed about their turn in the race. Last year, Carol used stacked bags of mulch as an award podium. Paper plates were made to resemble medals; this has now become tradition. “Seems we’re having a proper podium built this year; I think that makes me sad,” Carol says.


The 24-hour non-drafting race includes the Psycho’s more serious riders. Now lined up, they are focused, almost meditative. In the future they hope this race can qualify people to participate solo for RAAM—Race Across America—that runs annually from California to Maryland. Currently, they are the World UltraCycling Association (WUCA) North American championship which means whoever gets the most mileage in 24 hours is the champion and receives world recognition.


After Carol calls out “Go,” the crowd buzzes down the road. They build slowly to their tempered speed, weaving their way through the other bikes into the position they seek.


Next up is the 48-hour race. This race is open to people who actually try to ride for 48 hours, as well as anyone who wants to cycle for their own desired goal. I ask Carol about the weather for the next 48 hours—I saw rain in the forecast. “I’m more worried about the wind,” she responds with a smile, explaining that rain tends to be more manageable, while the wind can cut people short on this long race.


“Who will be the last psycho standing—or lying down?” laughs a man on a recumbent bike in front of the lineup. Most of those in this race are riding recumbent bikes, which place the rider in a reclining position, with the pedals reaching in front of them.


“Look at those nutters,” says Carol, to the cyclists. She eyes them, many of whom she knows well, and all of whom are smiling, and then at her watch. Five seconds before the start, she asks, “Any last wishes?”

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A note from Carol about the end of the race:


“We ended up with four that actually rode the clock out—amazing considering that it poured a very good part of Sunday. These guys were great; every time they came through. They were smiling, joking and just taking care of business—adding or changing layers, replenishing food/beverage. Troopers for sure.



“The four finishers (of the 48 hour race) included three recumbents and a ‘standard’ bike. There was one ‘trike’—he rode until he hit 400 miles. The sun had already come up on Monday so he was pretty darn close to running out the clock, but 400 was his goal.”

(check out the results and their site here)

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