On The Pegs September 2019 - Volume 4 - Issue 9 | Page 110

On The Pegs
110
Qualifying was the easy part.…
How to prepare for the ISDE
B y R achel G utish
Now, it’s true that there are riders who spend the better part of their riding ca-
reers trying to make an ISDE club team. There are some riders who will never make
it, and plenty who know better than to even try. But have you ever wondered
what happens after a club rider qualifies? As far as the AMA and the Trophy Team
fundraising efforts are concerned, the Club Team riders are on their own finan-
cially, and the costs can quickly add up. While I was never a Club rider, everything
I talk about here comes directly from experience; the years I rode on the Women’s
World Trophy Team (2012 – 2016), we were treated like club riders from a financial
standpoint.
Time Commitment
First, there is a huge time commitment involved in getting ready for the ISDE.
Besides the physical training required to have a successful event, there are plenty
of other things you need to do to get your effort off the ground. You invest count-
less hours into packing your crate (which contains your tools, bike, parts, gear, and