LET GO: The Trials & Triumphs of THE FIRST INDIAN to finish RACE ACROSS AMERICA (RAAM) Paperback – December 8, 2020

A great read for those interested in ultra racing of any kind, and RAAM specifically. Three highlights for me from the book: First of all, the author provides a lot of background into his person and how it came that he raced RAAM. From troubles in school to rescuing military comrades a full personality emerges. Secondly, it reports in detail on two RAAM attempts, the first one unsuccessful and the next one highly successful. His crew member and wife Prafulla says after the first loss "He'll be back next year" even before the author has a chance to digest what just happened. They learned from their mistakes, which is the key to successful ultraracing, for DNFs are ever looming at the smallest error. And finally, the book shows how in a tight race, if the racer sticks to a regular sleep schedule, the time put in at the beginning pays ample dividends at the end.

This book is a short memoir of Srinivas Gokulnath's (Srini) challenges and accomplishments to reach the finish line of the Race Across America (RAAM), the toughest bicycle race in the world. Most people don't understand riding a bicycle for over 3000 miles in under 12 days. Not many people understand just how much time, effort, training, and money go into a single race on the part of the rider. Maybe they don't understand just how important a good crew is. Your crew can make you or break you. What drives these cyclists to do such an insane race, knowing they are going to face some grueling challenges such as the heat of the desert, pedaling up mountains, wide open plains where the wind blows like crazy, rain, thunderstorms, even tornadoes? You're exhausted, demoralized, and hallucinating from lack of sleep. What makes a person do this?Let Go explains it all from Srini's point of view. The book was a quick, easy read. I felt the heartbreak and the jubilation with him and his crew. I was drawn into his story from the very beginning and got caught up with the excitement at the end as he competed with another rider from India who was also going for the honor of being the First Indian to finish the Race Across America in the solo category.Even if you're not a cyclist, you might enjoy this book. It's not all about riding a bike across the United States. It's also about the strength of the human spirit and the drive to do something that hadn't been done before.There are a lot of pictures in the book that add to the ambiance of the story and made this a totally enjoyable read.

Sir, Heard your story today @ Sushruta Hall...... Somehow rekindled a hope, in my life... So just had to read it.Thanks a lot for the book. It's an inspiration....

A book is the best way to pen down our learnings...everyday each one of us r battling "races" in our lives....learning n letting go would be happening too.....we almost always read, hear a lot about "success" invariably ignoring d failure n its learnings! Keeping ourselves "motivated" on a daily basis to carve a path, set a goal n relentlessly working towards d goal ...n "letting go" when need arises is what has been my learnings.... this book though is about "ultracycling" , its learnings r universal....

This is a very touching & inspiring book - very well written!!!One must congratulate the author for all the efforts taken!!!

Very touching & inspiring

Even though the book is largely about Colonel Gokul’s travails on his way to becoming the first Indian to successfully complete the ‘Race Across America’, what makes this endeavour unique is the ordinariness and simplicity of his circumstances that are so much a part of a persons life. Colonel Gokul not only accomplishes his dream but reproduces the tale brilliantly in this moving account of an arduous journey that serves to inspire the reader. ‘Let Go’ symbolises for him the ‘it’ moment – when you just let go of your inhibitions, constraints, fallacies and whatever is holding you back. The author takes you on a scintillating and racy journey of 55 time stations, while cycling across America over 11 days covering more than a whopping 3000 miles and relives the best and worst of this life alongside. The reader cannot help but be part of this journey that is pulsating, inspiring, draining and intense – all at the same time. A beautifully captioned book that shakes you from day to day drudgery to find your ikigai !!!