Journo World's in San Marino

This Sunday, September 11, will see the World Cycling Championships for Journalists being held in the Republic of San Marino, one of Europe's smallest countries. The Championships will be run for Under 50s, Over 50s, Consultants, and Women's categories on a testing circuit of 6.6 km to be covered six times (39.6 km) for Over 50s and Women and nine times (59.4 km) for Under 50s and Consultants. The winner of each press category is awarded a special rainbow jersey on a green background, as green is the colour of accreditation at the Tour de France, and many other races.

The category winners last year were Andrea Agostini (Under 50), Peter De Groot (Over 50), Samantha Profumo (Women), and Francesco Moser (Consultants). Cyclingnews' Chief Online Editor Jeff Jones was third in the Under 50s category last year, and will be representing the site for the second time at the Journo World's.

"I'm super motivated," said Jones in a hastily concocted and poorly written press release. "In this modern era of specialisation, there is only one race that counts, and that's this one. Forget the Vuelta, the Journo World's can make or break your career, and I know everyone is keen for it.

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"I've seen the course profile and I noted that it's a downhill finish. Normally that wouldn't suit me, but I've been trying to pack on the kilos in order to improve my weight to frontal area ratio. Power-to-weight is old school thinking. I mean, it doesn't take Einstein to figure out that the more you weigh, the faster you go. Or is it the other way round?

"I've modified my diet to include even more beer, chocolate, and ice cream, and I've also discovered how easy it is to eat a pack of Pringles in a single sitting. I'll be riding a special bike that's several kilos heavier than anything you'll see in the Tour de France. I'm even considering carrying a bidon full of lead shot, like they did in the old days."

Jones added that in the last eight months he has been using involuntary sleep deprivation to prepare himself mentally for the rigors of the 60 km race. He even toyed with the idea of taking up chain smoking, but balked at the cost. "Physically my condition is fine," he said. "I'm probably at 60 percent of my best shape now. I'm figuring on a 30-40 percent form improvement in the first few laps of the race, and hopefully I'll be able to hold that until the end. I don't want to peak too soon."

If the race comes down to a sprint, Jones will rely on his legendary finishing speed to try to secure fourth place. In June this year, he somehow finished third in a two man sprint, and is regularly beaten by pros in training. "I figure that's gotta be worth some virtual UCI points too, and thus a virtual bonus at the end of the season," he added.