The Race Across America (RAAM) is regarded as the world’s toughest bike race – participants ride more than 5000km, climb more than 3300m and they race continuously rather than in stages.

Few cyclists ever attempt it, but one who has is Glenn Druery, who in 2005 became only the fourth Australian to ever complete the event in its 25-year history.

Just as Evans is far better known in Europe, Druery has a much higher profile in America than in his home country.

But he is about to become a lot better known on the Coffs Coast, with the ultra star agreeing to be apart of the ROMAC Ride for a Smile 500km challenge at the Toormina velodrome next month.

Druery has completed the RAAM twice, finishing second in category both times.

In 2005, as a member of Team JDRF Velokraft - a four-man recumbent team - he completed the epic in six-and-a-half days. Two years later as a member of the two-man Team Velokraft, he raced across the country in just over seven days.

Druery is an accomplished racer on recumbent bikes and uprights and his racing experience covers Australia, Europe and America, with wins in many long distance events.

He has also had success in duathlon, triathlon and ocean swim racing. He also has been part of the Australian water ski racing team.

But cycling is his main love and he holds many ultra distance racing records in Australia, France and the US.

It takes a certain kind of person to tackle ultra cycling and often you find they have tackled an ‘ultra’ life event beforehand.

Druery’s battle was with bowel disease. Initially, he was wrongly diagnosed with bowel cancer.

“I was told by the surgeon to ‘get yourself right with everyone’,” he said. “It was a shattering moment and one I will never forget. I was expected to die.

“Finally, they discovered I had diverticulitis and I had two-thirds of my large bowel removed.