VOLUME 59 ISSUE 1 JANUARY 4, 2022 P71
make you feel like, well, a rock
star.
Aldon and the team all at-
tended the evening launch, too.
The event was catered but only
after the legendary training guru
hand-picked the menu. Whole-
grain rice, steamed veggies,
and a choice of roasted chicken
or salmon were the options.
No dairy, no desserts and no
alcohol were found anywhere
near the premises. Aldon runs
a tight ship and always keeps a
close eye on his riders. The me-
dia crew ended the night joking
about a late-night ice cream run,
but the feisty glint in Aldon's eye
warned us otherwise. We were
sent home at a reasonable hour
and were advised to rest up for
the day ahead.
Eight-thirty Monday morning
came quick. The riders gathered
early outside of Aldon's home.
Being late is not an option. The
skin-tight spandex, aerody-
namic helmets, clip-in shoes,
and skinny-tire road bikes are
a far cry from the shiny new
gear and glamorous Saturday
nights inside the stadium. Out
here there's no one cheering
your name, no one taking your
picture, and no one wanting your
autograph. It's just you versus
you. And you have to want it.
Aldon warned that Monday's
pace would be faster than the
day before and advised us to not
get in the mix with his riders. We
were allowed to ride with them,
if we could hang, just staying
back in the draft while the others
took turns leading the group.
This crew had a good vibe about
them. We all know motocross
is an individual sport but having
a team of riders to work with
makes the suffering that much
easier. You can tell these bonds
were real and their success
comes as a group effort. We
averaged a no-joke pace of 21
