'Cuz it hurts so good

Well I have signed my contract, applied for my USAC/UCI racing license, and preregistered for my three upcoming events. Thanks for all the notes of support from everyone, they are appreciated!

While reading through my contract a few things popped out at me that I thought I would share. First, we are considered a "development team". A large part of our mission is to garner interest in racing in Ohio and the surrounding areas, develop local talent, and provide advertising opportunities for our sponsors. On paper, this may not look any different than riding with a club and getting some free stuff, however the reality of our responsibilities is driven home best by our recent performance in the Ohio State Criterium Championships. As a development team, we are privileged to attend the Pro-Am race series in Ohio, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia and can potentially race with any of the Pro teams within the United States (think Garmin-Slipstream or Jelly Belly). Because of this the potential for publicity is heightened at the races and therefore our sponsors would obviously like some face time. Ben of Team Athens was our hope for a Cat1/2/3 win at the Crit Championships this year. From the gun he charged off the front of the peloton and stayed away for 5 laps of a 6 lap race. Heroic yes, however he was eventually swallowed up by the peloton and ended up in 21st place (even that is not too shabby though). Ben was happy with his performance and the first thing he said to me was "At least I got some press for our sponsors". As soon as I heard that I knew this was a different ballgame altogether.

The further I read down through the contract, the more interesting things got. Any prize money won by the team is split evenly, there is a hierarchy of membership even within the team, and any event we do (charity ride, race, etc.) we are expected to wear a Team Athens kit.

Now some of those reading may be thinking "Wow, that doesnt sound fun at all." But understand that road cyclists follow an unwritten "Code of conduct". Splitting the prize money makes sense because whether or not it looks like it, competitive cycling is a team sport. Within a team you would hope to have a pool of talent for each part of a road stage: climbers for the hills, time trialists for the flats, and sprinters for the finale. Over the length of a course, each team member would play a part in delivering the team captain to the line first, even if it meant sacrificing their own chances for glory. The climbers are pulled along on the flats by the time trialists until they reach the hills. Then the climbers take over and set tempo for their captain while the time trialists are left to get over the hills as best they can. Following the hills, hopefully there will still be some sprinters left in the bunch to deliver the the final push at the end of the race for the finish line. So, while it is true each man is riding his own race, at the end of the day if you have ridden as a team, everyone should share in the spoils.

On our team there is a hierarchy of membership simply because anyone is able to join the team. You can be a non-competitive rider and buy the team kit, ride on the training rides, and be part of the listserv mailing list, however you are not afforded the privileges of "Racers and Elite Racers". The Racer category is filled by Cat 3/4/5 riders and requires that you either are experienced in a large number of races or have placed considerably well in a handful of races. You are afforded sponsorship at this level and are eligible for some of the perks associated with the cycling team (reimbursement for some races, members only treatment at some of the local sponsors, some free stuff). Elite racers are Cat 1/2 riders that not only are experienced but bring home consistent results. This is the level that everyone strives to achieve, as they get the best deals from sponsors, free clothing, and full reimbursement for races/travel. Few riders reach this status, however those that do are some of the fastest guys you will ever ride with. Essentially these are the guys that the ProTour teams search out when they are looking for new up and coming riders to go Pro. We have a handful on our team and they are FAST. I was asked to be in the "Racer" category of the team, so I have some sponsorship deals and will be getting my team kit as soon as they come in from the clothing sponsor. I plan on riding with the team at least a few times a week (they have tempo rides on Tuesdays, mock races on Wednesday, and Group rides on Thursdays and Sundays) and obviously will be racing with the team a handful of times this summer. They are also trying to get me into cyclocross...which I am not sure of yet but time will tell.

The feel of the team is fairly casual and our race requirements are laid back (we dont have a set number of races we need to enter in a year). Everybody races because they want to and we do well because we push the limit for ourselves, as much as our sponsors. While there may be a bit more pressure to do well than if you were an "unattached" rider, the excitement of being part of a sponsored team is hard to describe. Essentially, this is the "minor leagues" of cycling...but you can race with the guys in the "majors". What other sport allows that? What other sport is so simple and pure? What other sport has such raw courage, strategy, and pure physical animosity?

I have never seen suffering like that of a man on a bike, utterly destroyed but still pushing his body into the oblivion of pain just to be able to cross the top of a mountain first. I have never seen such courage as that of the breakaway soloist that forges ahead for hundreds of kilometers, knowing full well his chances of making it to the line alone are slim to none. In no other sport have I seen the ability of athletes to push themselves so far past the point of pain that they literally cannot stand, walk or sit without support...and then say it was a good day. Cycling is a sport that every man, regardless of ability can experience in exactly the same way. Every cyclist has felt the burn of intensity in his/her legs and lungs as they crest a hill, everyone has fought the temptation to throw their arms up in a victory salute each time they finish a ride or pass a town sign, and every cyclist has crawled off their bike only to slump onto a seat or the ground because they pushed themselves so hard/long/fast it is impossible to support their own weight. We have all experienced these things...and they are what keeps us coming back. When I was younger, Joe H. and I would joke that if someone forced you to bike, it would be considered torture rather than pleasure. And its true, cyclists do seem to be masochists, however we are a community bonded by a similar experience. We are a community of sufferers. We suffer so we can feel the elation of beating the next guy to the line, taking on the mountain pass, or surpassing a distance barrier that has plagued us for years. We suffer because knowing the limits of your body and understanding how to push past them is a lost art. It connects us to our past, to those great cyclists that have gone on before us, that have suffered ceaselessly to prove that the human body is capable of so much more than we give it credit for.

So for the remainder of the season, I plan on suffering...alot. I do it "cuz it hurts so good".