ISDE Support Staff
words by Rachel Gutish photos by Mary Rinell // mjsmotophotos , Pole Position Communication , and Suzy Moody
Eight hours on a bike for six days makes a long week . But the ISDE workers have days longer than the riders , and their week is more like a fortnight . These volunteers ( for aside from a few AMA officials and mechanics , theirs is an unpaid job ) are the unsung heroes of Team USA ’ s success at the ISDE . Given the length , difficulty and unique rules of the event , there are a wide variety of jobs to be done . Here is what a typical day looks like :
Riders arrive out to the paddock ( staging area ) early in the morning ; the workers get there even earlier , sometimes leaving the hotel as early as 5:45 to arrive at 6:15 . Each night , everything is secured in the container , so every morning it must be unloaded again . They also must carry supplies to the morning work area , which is usually a good distance from the Team USA pits .
Before the race even began , the paddock workers were the ones who received the shipping containers when they arrived and set up the Team USA pits . They were also there to help riders with their bike builds . After the final moto , they will be working late getting everything packed back into the container so that it can be sent home the next day .
Next , each rider walks to impound and is greeted by worker holding small pieces of laminated paper . These are the timecards – they are specific to each rider and based on their starting row . They show what
ON THE PEGS // PAGE 82