I am a full time student. Life between now and the 23rd of May will still go on -but with a difference. I will refrain from speculating on how a professional would prepare for the event and instead attempt to give an insight into how the other half prepare.
There exists a norm, which we as a team must conform to; certain expectations exist within the cycling community. I will be riding for University College Dublin. The actions we take will reflect on the college and on the wider cycling fraternity. There is a pressure, both internal and external, to achieve a minimum acceptable level of organisation. The only problem is that this minimum level requires a substantial temporal investment.
The team is comprised of three guys with full time jobs and two full time students - for both categories time is at a premium. Herein lies the challenge; to balance a 'normal life' with the logistical and physical demands of a professional cycling race.
Although the race does not begin until late May, the physical preparation began some six months and many kilometers ago. Winter is the time when the foundations of a season are built; the Ras will test the strength of those foundations. It will reveal those who sacrificed the most and expose those who over-indulged. One can only hope, at this stage, that when the professionals decide to turn up the heat that it does not melt my, as yet, untested foundation.
I will, over the coming weeks, provide a peek behind the scenes of an amateur in a professional world.
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