Words by Tracy Fawns
Words by Tracy Fawns
At 7:45am EDT, Cat passed thru Time Station #53 in Hanover, PA, at 2873 miles into the 2005 Race Across America. She has 4 more time stations to go through and then she will celebrating her rookie RAAM finish in Atlantic City, complete with the Swedish National Anthem playing for her as she breaks the finish tape.
If all goes well, Cat will have an 8th place finish overall (this includes the men) and will be the solo woman finisher.
NEWS:
She has done it!!! Anna Catharina "Bumblebee" Berge has completed the 3051-mile 2005 Race Across America as the top woman finisher, a rookie, and 8th place overall solo (includes the men) in a time of:
11 days, 11 hours, and 20 minutes
Triumphant Cat
Atlantic City, NJ 6/30/2005
A radiant Catharina Berge received applause all the way along the crowded Atlantic City Boardwalk as she became the first woman to complete the solo Insight Race Across America since 2001.
For the Swedish RAAM rookie it was a beautiful moment and the end of a journey that began several months before the race. "It's kind of hard to believe, but it feels like a dream come true. And the fact that I am here without having suffered greatly, and that I've been able to enjoy the whole race just feels like a blessing," beamed 'Cat' at the finish.
Berge went through some knee pain periodically through the race, which her massage therapist worked out each time, and in the final days her left hand swelled up and she was unable to change gears properly. But to the 38 year-old veterinarian researcher, who lives in Visalia, California, the outcome was never in doubt. "There were no times when I thought 'what am I doing here?' I was so determined that I would get here, I carried on regardless."
One of the first things she did on arrival in Atlantic City was slip into a pair of well-worn clogs. Asked if she had missed them, she responded "There were times that I was thinking it will be nice to return to normal." It was 11 days since her feet had felt shoes other than her cycling cleats.
Out on the road, Cat was one of the more sociable riders, and she struck up a friendship with British rider Chris Hopkinson. "Every time we passed, we took our 15 minutes (the maximum allotted time in 24 hours that the same two riders can talk to one another). And when he got Shermer's Neck (a condition in which the neck muscles can no longer support the weight of the head), I had a neck brace for him. I am just so happy to see him still on the road, and I was hoping he would be able to finish at the same time (as me), because he really deserves the honors," said Cat. She slept more than Hopkinson, while he rode on into the night. After she awoke, she would pass him, meaning they saw one another regularly.
As the first Solo woman since 2001, Cat Berge has attracted a lot of attention from female cyclists, and she is willing to be a role model. "I hope to inspire them. My idea is for women who have done RAAM previously to take on a rookie woman in a two-woman team, and then we would have a lot of all-women teams." Although she plans to remain involved with the Ultra-Cycling movement, Berge has no plans for Solo RAAM in the immediate future. "It takes a lot of dedication and expense, and a lot of focus on myself. I want to work for others - I really enjoy working with other women and other cyclists more."
