ISDE INSIDER
Getting the Call RACHEL GUTISH
12
my bike on a slippery mountain slope in the rain, with what I thought was a broken leg, knowing that I had 90 more miles to survive if I wanted to finish and not be a disappointment to my team and country. While ISDE Germany was incredibly difficult and largely pure misery, it didn’t scare me away. So here I am, 10 years later, preparing for what will (hopefully) be my seventh ISDE. And as I did back then, I nervously await The Call.
Given my performance last year, it’s safe to say that if I recover as expected, I’ll be on the team…but the LOI is still no guarantee. The only peace of mind it gives is knowledge that the selection committee is at least considering you. Enough Trophy riders have signed LOIs that we can field all three Trophy Teams for this year’s event in France, though it was harder than usual due to French COVID-19
PHOTOS: SHAN MOORE
J
ust competing in the International Six Days Enduro (ISDE) is the thrill of a lifetime. But actually winning it, as Brandy Richards, Britney Gallegos and I did last year? It’s difficult to even describe, and unless you’ve been there, even harder to understand. The ISDE is more familiar to the U.S. motorcycle community now than at any time since On Any Sunday was playing in theatres, yet few know how much goes into the event — or what it takes to make the team. And I’m not talking about the army of worker-volunteers who spend their vacation time supporting the team; the endless miles spent walking track sections; the grueling hours on the bike; or even the challenge of navigating narrow mountain roads with a standard-transmission van and no comprehension of the native language. I’ll get to all that eventually in these pages over the next few months as I share the process of preparing for the 2022 ISDE in as close to real time as possible. The twist to all this is that I’m actually not on the 2022 team yet, as I’m recovering from major elbow surgery. So the coming months should be interesting to say the least. Will I get The Call (a phone call from an AMA representative) as I did last year? Hard to know. I first raced the ISDE in 2012, at age 16. I remember answering the phone and hearing Jay Hall offer me a spot on the team like it happened yesterday. I got a jolt of adrenaline like I was already racing, and spent the next few months giddy with excitement. I also remember Day Three like it was yesterday. Trying to pick up
Rachel Gutish, who is currently riding for the Bonanza Plumbing/GasGas/Spyke’s/RG racing team, pictured here at her very first ISDE in 2012 when she was just 16 years old.
If you’re a top Club rider, getting selected is a formality, not a surprise. The selection rules are clear; if you finish in the top seven in the AMA East or West Qualifier series points, you will get The Call. Four more riders from the combined series points are selected as “wild cards,” and for riders on the bubble, just a spot or two outside the magic numbers, it’s nerve-wracking. Quite often, someone ahead in line will turn down the spot or get hurt. Or not. Either way, it’s a roller-coaster of stress and hope. While I haven’t gotten The Call yet, I am on the short list. In early March, our team manager asked me to sign a Letter of Intent (LOI) form. The LOI is an agreement to comply with AMA and FIM rules, plus the host country’s regulations. It is also a commitment that, if I am selected, I will attend.
AMERICAN MOTORCYCLIST • JUNE 2022
restrictions. Now comes the tricky logistics of getting 31 riders, their bikes and all the support staff to France one week before the event, but we’ll cover that later. As for me, I’m writing this piece one week out of surgery, and 15 minutes out of my most recent PT session. Once I finish writing I’m headed to the stationary bicycle. And that’s what my next month or so will look like: doing everything possible to be ready to race once I’m fully healed. Many of the other riders are out actually racing. But either way, all that’s left to do is anxiously await The Call. Rachel Gutish is an AMA GNCC racer and has represented team USA at the ISDE six times.
