Chris Ragsdale covers a lot of ground chasing after his 14-month-old son Caden at the Ballard Commons Park, but put a bicycle under Ragsdale and he can cover even more.

This summer Ragsdale, 31, won the National 24 Hour Challenge in Michigan for the third year in a row in only his third year of competing in the event. Last year he set the record for the event, becoming the first cyclist in the competition to travel more than 500 miles during the race.

The National 24 Hour Challenge pits cyclists from all over the country against each other to see how far they can travel in 24 hours of riding.

Ragsdale said to win, especially three years in a row, it takes mental and physical endurance.

"A lot of it is obviously physical ability," he said. "But a lot of the ultra-distance stuff is psychological - choosing to push yourself harder and choosing to be a little more uncomfortable than the next guy."

Ragsdale said he moved to Seattle 11 years ago after two years at a community college in a small town in Michigan because he wanted to try life in a bigger city. He has lived in Ballard for the past six years.

He said he started cycling after Sept. 11 when he realized life was too short not to do the things he wanted.

That spring he bought a bicycle and despite not really knowing how to ride it, rode from San Diego to St. Augustine, Fla., falling in love with the feeling of covering ground on the open road.

Three years ago Ragsdale won the 24 Hour Challenge by riding 470 miles. He set the goal for the next year of breaking the 500-mile barrier, something no one else had ever done in the Challenge.

That next year he won again, traveling 502 miles in the process and beating the previous record by nine miles.

This year, his 473-mile total was once again good enough for first place.

Though the race is grueling, especially for those top 10 riders competing for first, Ragsdale said it's not always 24 hours of straight riding.

"Certainly, I have down points during the race," he said. "This last race I stopped once for five minutes. I was falling asleep around 2:30 or 3. I'm like, 'I need to stop.' I told my crew, 'I'm laying down on the concrete for four minutes, we're going to stand up and slam a Red Bull, I'm going to put a fresh jersey on and I'm taking off.'"

In order to mentally prepare for the feat of riding such great distances, Ragsdale said he runs through the entire race in his head over and over beforehand.

"Before I've ever gotten there, it's like I've done it 100 times in my head," he said. "I know what it's going to be like and I know what the challenge is going to be. I envision what it's going to feel like and how it's going to hurt."

Ragsdale said he stays in shape riding with the Seattle Randoneering Club and his training partner. He also chooses two or three other races to enter per year.

Last weekend, he competed in a 12-hour race in Illinois where he won and set a new race record. Next month, he is attempting a 508-mile race in Death Valley that features 30,000 feet of elevation change.

The 24 Hour Challenge and these other races are just a small part of what Ragsdale wants to accomplish.

The ultimate goal he said is to attempt a 24-hour world record within the next three years. In the meantime Ragsdale will continue covering ground on his bicycle and enjoying the sights of the open road.

"It's pretty much guaranteed you're going to see something incredible when you're on a bike for 24 hours."

Michael Harthorne can be reached at 783-1244 or michaelh@robinsonnews.com.