Volunteer Information
Helping Out and Having Fun at the Races
by Glenn Swan
Some of you may wonder what's involved in volunteering to help at
bike races. Here's a summary of some of the jobs that need to be
filled during the Hollenbeck Spring Classic, Cornell Cycling Club
races, and other events, such as the State Championships that will be
happening near Ithaca this season.
Corner Marshalls. The most common position for volunteers is that
of "corner marshal." Since we race on roads that remain open to cars
and trucks, it is extremely important to have people located at every
intersection to monitor traffic. Racers often act as though they are
immortal (or brain dead; take your pick) and assume that, since they
are in a race, they can fly around corners as though there's no
traffic. On the other hand, some drivers figure that any cyclist who
isn't on the sidewalk needs to be weeded out as a part of the
natural-selection process. You can imagine the potential results of a
meeting between two humans with such attitudes. That's where the
corner marshal comes in.
The specific, most important role of a corner marshal is to warn
racing cyclists of the presence of traffic, and to warn drivers of
the imminent arrival of cyclists. A secondary role of corner marshals
is to direct cyclists to the proper race-course route at
intersections.
Since only an officer of the law can legally stop traffic, the
corner marshal can only warn drivers of the bicyclists. This is done
with flags, hand gestures, and any other creative communication
technique a marshal may invent. If a particularly dangerous situation
appears imminent, the corner marshal can use any means to signal the
racers to stop. However, successfully conveying such a message to the
oxygen-starved, pea-size brains of racers is doubtful. Rest assured,
the final responsibility for safely negotiating any situation rests
with the riders (and drivers) themselves.
Having Fun. The best way to enjoy being a corner marshal is to
come prepared. You may be asked to sit at a corner for three hours in
the middle of nowhere, under a hot sun or in freezing rain. This can
be a drag. But if you have a chair, an umbrella (rain or shine), some
food, and something to read (and perhaps a camera, binoculars, or
radio), it can be a lovely way to spend part of a day outdoors.
Bringing along a friend or two makes it a lot nicer, too.
At most FLCC events you will be provided with an orange vest,
flags, and food and drink. Moreover, you will be reimbursed for any
gas expenses involved in getting yourself to and from your station.
It shouldn't cost you money to volunteer your time.
While most riders will be grateful and polite to you for making
their race possible, occasionally some riders will be
less-than-courteous to corner marshals. If you ever encounter one of
those riders, I suggest that you direct them off course, preferably
onto a dead-end road with lots of vicious, hungry dogs running loose.
At the very least, make a note of their number and let the promoter
know of the situation so that the rider can be publicly humiliated
after the race.
SVDs. Another vital job at the races is that of "support vehicle
driver." During most road races, and for each category of the race,
we provide a lead vehicle to warn oncoming traffic of the approaching
bike riders. Lead vehicles also minimize the likelihood that riders
will make wrong turns and go off course. The driver of a lead vehicle
tries to stay 50 to 200 yards ahead of the first riders at all times.
Flashers should always be on, and it's good to wave at oncoming
traffic to indicate that something special is coming at them. On
downhills and other fast sections it is best to increase the distance
between the car and the riders so that the racers don't draft the car
and won't crash should the vehicle suddenly have to slow down for a
corner, a dog, or some other hazard. Lead vehicles don't stop, except
for real emergencies such as injured riders or armed hijackers.
Followers. If there are enough volunteers we also try to provide
"follow vehicles" behind each category of riders. The basic role of a
follow vehicle is to provide replacement wheels to riders who get
flats, and to help with other repairable problems. The follow vehicle
will also stop to help any injured or stranded cyclist.
It takes a bit of judgment to know how far behind the pack to
follow, and when to pass groups of slow riders that are dropped from
the main bunch, so the role of follow vehicle is usually assigned to
people with racing experience. It really helps to have two people in
follow vehicles to be aware of all that goes on and to decide where
to be at any time.
When stopping to help a rider, you should pull off the road on the
right, behind the rider so that you protect her or him from any
traffic that might be coming. Also, by being behind the rider, after
you fix the problem, the rider won't have to pull out around your
vehicle and possibly get hit by a passing vehicle, and won't risk
hopping back on the bike and sprinting into the back end of your
vehicle.
Followers will have a small notepad on which to write the numbers
of any people that are aided, particularly if you give them a
replacement wheel. That way we can make sure they get back their dead
wheel after the race and we can return the spare to whomever it
belongs.
In the best of all possible worlds, a rider with a flat tire will
receive a replacement wheel so quickly that they can catch up to the
pack and resume the race with little handicap due to their
misfortune. In reality it usually takes a little while for the follow
vehicle to reach the rider in difficulty, and then the communication
about what the rider may need is less than perfect. It takes a minute
to get out an appropriate wheel, to get it on the bike, and for the
rider to get under way. This is one of those stressful times for the
cyclist (not to mention the volunteer) and occasionally bad words are
spoken. Once again, most cyclists are grateful for your help and will
thank you and show their appreciation. However, if cyclists are
upset, rude, or ungrateful, I recommend that you let them know that
they are being impolite, and suggest to them that they can walk their
bike to the finish line. I don't recommend driving over their bike,
even though you may feel like doing so. This is a chance for you to
feel the adrenaline that is involved during a bike race. You'll be
amazed at how intense things are even though from a distance it may
seem pretty calm.
Prep Work. A basic yet very important pre-race volunteer job is
that of course-marking and corner-sweeping. Those duties can be a
real drag if you are the promoter and have little or no help, and you
have to drive around and sweep and shovel dirt and gravel (and worse)
from intersections of roads so far out in the country that, when you
look at the locals who pass you by, you wonder if they're thinking
about the movie Deliverance. On the other hand, if you have a few
friends who want to do it together, it can be a fun traveling party
when you summon an Indy-pit-crew attitude. Four or five people pile
out of the car, armed with shovels and brooms, and with the radio
playing, and the fur flies! The job gets done in no time, and you
share all the latest jokes and stories. If it's the Hollenbeck course
(Virgil), there's usually some food in the car during the job, and
certainly afterward. It can be much more than a job&emdash;an
adventure if you have enough people.
- - -
There is satisfaction in a job well done, and a bike race put on
by volunteers who know their jobs and do them well can be as
satisfying for the volunteers as for the racers themselves. Feeling
competent about the jobs you perform and seeing the results of that
competence in the form of a seamless race and the enjoyment of the
participants is cool. If there are enough volunteers, it is fun and
nobody gets burned out. And when that happens, it's easier to make
the same race or some other similar event happen in the future,
too.
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