Hope for the best, prepare for the worst

Jon Steele must always be ready to go on race day, but he prays he never has to do anything.

As bike mechanic for Sigma Alpha Epsilon, Steele spends half his time in the pit and half his time in the infield, holding the backup bike in case of a crash.

“If they go down, even worse than a crash is just not having a bike ready,” Steele said. “Hopefully, it’s a position that never has to be used, but if it needs to be, it needs to be fast.”

Steele’s job is to make sure everything goes smoothly for the team leading up to and on race day.

He works on the bikes during nights before the race to make sure they pass inspection so the team doesn’t get a penalty. He carries all team bikes and training equipment to the track for race day. And, of course, if a crash happens, he has to have the backup bike ready, then be prepared to go to work on the battered one.

“It’s exciting to be able to help,” Steele said. “They put in, all the riders, not just for our team but all across the race, they all put in a lot of effort and a lot of work into it. It’s fun to be able to go out there and help them with whatever they need.”

Steele joined the team as the mechanic last year. He had no training in bicycles and knew nothing about them, but he was eager to learn and fill a spot on the team.

“I’m not athletic enough or fast enough to ride by any means,” Steele said. “So I said, ‘Do you need any help with mechanics?’ One of the alumni sat me down for four or five hours, and we took the bikes apart, and he made me put them back together.”

Steele said he has always been good with his hands. After repeating the process of tearing down the bike and putting it back together, he said he now feels comfortable with the position.

During last year’s race, Steele got called to action immediately. SAE went down on lap seven in a big crash. It was time to go to work.

“I wasn’t panicking, but it’s nerve-wracking,” Steele said. “You just have the adrenaline because it’s like, ‘Oh, crap. One of your riders just went down.’ You want to make sure he’s OK, but you want to make sure the bike’s OK. For the betterment of the team, unfortunately, you have to make sure everything is going well.”

Steele said he’s now more able to recognize what’s happening on the track. He helps call things out to the team, like when other teams are doing a burnout or when a rider is getting tired.

He said it’s always good to have an extra pair of eyes on the track.

As for race day, Steele hopes he doesn’t have to do anything on the track once the green flag is waved.

“Hopefully, there’s no crashes that I’ll actually have to fix,” Steele said. “But you have to be prepared for the worst.”