2026 Update! Caleb has successfully set 10 New World Ultra Cycling Association and Guinness World Records riding virtually on Zwift. In a world first, Caleb rode over 436 miles in a 24hr period.

Redefining the Possible: How the Rusty Dogs of War Conquered the Toughest Race in the World

They say Race Across America is the hardest cycling race on the planet! No stages; no breaks; just over 3,000 relentless miles from the Pacific to the Atlantic. It’s a race that tests the strongest athletes to their limits.

The Rusty Dogs of War didn’t show up to prove they were the fastest; they came to prove something deeper that purpose, grit, and unity can carry you farther than muscle alone ever could. Every member of the team carried more than just gear and water bottles. They carried spinal injuries, blindness, chronic illness, and the heavy weight of combat trauma. They carried the stories of brothers lost, of bodies rebuilt, of identities shattered and reformed.

Words from Caleb:

Race Across America is a cross country journey starting in Oceanside, CA and finishing in Atlantic City, NJ. 3065 miles with 175K+ feet of elevation gain. We cross both the Rocky Mountain Range and the Appalachians. This is a nonstop race, no stages and no breaks. That's why this is the hardest cycling race in the world. As the officials like to say, this ain't no tour!

The Rusty Dogs of War took a very unique and unprecedented approach as each rider on the team has different unique abilities but also disabilities. We tried to pair our low riders (myself on the VTX & Wendy Larsen on the Handcycle) with an upright rider because we wanted to maximize everyone's unique advantages to provide the most efficient outcome for the team as a whole. That being said, Wendy and I still did some climbing, but we spent most of our time going down big descents or flats and using upright riders to blast up climbs.

Beyond the unique abilities approach we also used just two to three riders at a time weather and terrain dependent versus the most common approach of throwing either a team of 4 or 8 upright riders at a section and having them push maximum effort for 5-15 minutes. This high output approach can be effective if the training prior to it is done correctly, but requires a higher level of recovery that is hard to maintain over the duration of the race. Our pulls usually lasted between 45 minutes to 3 hours, conserving energy and saving athletes for the parts of the course that again they could do with the most efficient effort.

Where we noticed this paying off was when we crossed into the flat lands of Kansas, I got out for my second day with a long effort and our tandem bike which we kept in reserve until this point of the race was led by a Retired Marine Brian Milton and the rear rider Mark Woodard who is blind. We blasted through Kansas holding an average speed of 25 miles per hour all day in Zone 2 level efforts. For the first time with my aggressive gearing on the trike of a single big chain ring up front (62T) and 10-30 on the rear plus all 3 wheels being discs truly paid off and I finally understood the true capabilities of the VTX. We started that hand off 44 miles behind the able bodied German team and at the end of that 384 mile section we cut the lead to 3 miles. 

Through the night our uprights battled to close that gap and the following day in Ohio I was able to pass them almost as if they were standing still. We even had people who were 'dot watching' think I was cheating because of the high average speed I was able to maintain throughout this portion of the race, but really the team came together with a fire and the pride of the USA that we would not be defeated! From that point forward we buried everyone we could get our hands on and never looked back. 

Our total time was 7 days 14 hours and 34 minutes!

Caleb Cline

A West Point graduate and former U.S. Army Infantry Officer, Caleb Cline served with honor for over nine years, leading troops and preparing for combat deployments. But during that time, a series of high-impact Stryker vehicle incidents left him with severe spinal injuries, ending his military career and sending him into a dark spiral of chronic pain, depression, and identity loss. Stripped of purpose and physically and mentally broken, everything changed when he discovered a recumbent trike through the Wounded Warrior Project. What began as rehab became ritual. In pain, he found power. Caleb founded the Rusty Dogs of War to prove that you don’t have to be whole to lead—and that sometimes the most broken among us are the ones most worth following.

Ed Abdela

A decorated Army Airborne Ranger, Ed served in Grenada, the Gulf War, and Iraq, witnessing some of the most brutal realities of combat. The injuries he carries aren’t only physical—they’re moral, emotional, and deeply spiritual. Now a high school teacher in Mississippi, Ed rides to honor the fallen. Every mile is for a brother lost, a name on a bracelet, a story that still haunts him.

Greg Quarles

An elite Army Ranger and Sergeant First Class, Greg survived a devastating explosion in 2012—shot in the head, neck broken, body shattered. His recovery spanned years and nearly broke him. But through adaptive sports, Greg discovered cycling. He started on a trike, then pushed into upright racing.

Wendy Larsen

Wendy is a force of nature in a handcycle. A cancer survivor living with Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome, spinal injuries, and immune system complications, she battles pain daily—but rides with fierce defiance. Though wheelchair-bound, Wendy crushes mountain descents and proves that limits are meant to be challenged. Her grit and humor are central to the Rusty Dogs’ bond and spirit.

Mark Woodard

Mark lost his vision at age 10 when a friend accidentally shot him in the head. The trauma could have ended his story—but instead, it shaped a warrior. Through tandem cycling, Marc found not just movement, but freedom. As Brian Milton’s riding partner, Marc brings intuitive strength, courage, and an unwavering will to show the world what blind athletes are capable of.

Brian Milton

Brian is a 30-year Marine Corps Sergeant Major and cancer survivor. He has built a life around discipline, duty, and putting others first. Through cycling, Brian has begun confronting the truth he often avoids: that even the strongest need space to heal.

Steve Carter

Steve is a retired USAF Tech Sergeant with 20 years of service and multiple deployments, Steve has spent years battling anxiety and the toll of Crohn’s-adjacent illness. Steve channels his quiet resolve into every climb, proving that it’s never too late to choose a new mission.

I know in the past there have been different brands of trikes that have done this as a relay, but it wasn't due to disability or need from my understanding. The Rusty Dogs of War didn't choose these life challenges, but we also never let them define what we were capable of. We just came up with a strategy to show ourselves and the world that situations and circumstances don't have to dictate outcomes. With the right people, the right mission, and a common goal, you can achieve far more than you ever can alone!

This summer, the Rusty Dogs of War are set to make history at Race Across America (RAAM) as the first all-mixed disabled team to take on the legendary coast-to-coast challenge — and they're doing it their way.

"We might not break the existing 8-person relay record, but we’re gunning for something more meaningful: to go down as one of the most memorable, most relentless, and most inspiring teams to ever finish the race in its entirety. Our secret weapon? Strategy. Each of us rides where our strengths lie. I (a proud VTX pilot) will handle the descents and flats with ease, while our upright cyclists take on the climbs. Our tandem and handcycle riders? Also crushing flats and descents. It’s teamwork, precision, and grit — all day, every day" says Caleb Cline.

More Than a Team: A Brotherhood of Warriors with Caleb Cline

We’re a unique crew: 75% disabled veterans, 25% challenged athletes, 100% unstoppable. Every single one of us has been told what we can’t do — by doctors, by society, sometimes even by the voice in our own heads. But that’s not our language.

We live to prove that limitations are just someone else’s opinions, and we don’t take opinions personally. This is about showing others like us (and the world at large) that your past doesn’t define your potential, unless you let it.

Some of our athletes have been shot. Others blown up. Some can’t walk. But here’s the thing: if you’re looking for excuses, you won’t find them here. We don’t think outside the box - we don’t believe there is a box.

The Road Ahead: RAAM and Beyond

RAAM is just the beginning. After we cross that finish line, I’ll be setting my sights on the 12-Hour World Championships this fall. Then it’s straight into a full winter assault on the indoor ultra-distance world records - aiming for a clean sweep of every category from one hour up to 24 hours on a trainer. That’s 11 records, including a 500-mile goal.

But it doesn’t stop there...

Come spring 2026, I’ll be heading to the legendary Sebring 24 with one mission: smash the outdoor world records to match my indoor feat, and go beyond 500 miles again. Another 11 records on the hit list!

The Trike That Does It All

I’ve ridden nearly every competitor’s trike out there. I’ve raced them. I’ve tuned them. And I can say this without hesitation: the ICE VTX stands alone.

The difference is adaptability. Whether you're setting it up like a time trial machine with a massive front chainring and disc wheel covers, or configuring it with a climber's cassette and reclined seat angle — the VTX delivers. Want hub brakes for aero gains? Done. Prefer disc brakes with smooth multi-piston performance? Done. Bluetooth shifting? Mechanical? Your call.

Hard to flip. Harder to break. Impossible to beat.

It’s the only ride I’ll ever trust. Thousands of miles in, and the only thing I’ve changed? Tubeless tires from sheer usage.

The Rusty Dogs of War aren't here to play by the rules - we're here to rewrite them. And with ICE Trikes beneath us, we’re doing it one historic ride at a time.