For those who read these posts and are in awe of the distances these people ride, and for those who think it sounds interesting but have never ridden even a 200, I thought I’d start a topic to encourage more people to volunteer.
I was in that position in 2013 when I decided to take a week off work along with my daughter and help at Market Rasen, without a clue of what to expect. At the end of that week I felt I’d been part of a life-affirming event and I left having played a small part helping ordinary cyclists to achieve the truly remarkable. I also left with a lump in my throat and a tear in my eye as I parted from my new found friends with whom I’d shared a brilliant, brilliant time.
We gathered over a weekend and were assigned a variety of tasks which we all completed as well as we could in preparation for the arrival of the riders. There was no one checking our performance or barking out orders and things were very relaxed, and we all had plenty of time to share our life and cycling stories. Despite the communications available I remember that we were expecting a flood of cyclists at some point but it really started as a trickle which allowed us to refine our duties in food serving, card stamping, bike repairing, computer logging and the occasional bed booking.
However, our particular duties had no effect on our enjoyment. The over-riding importance was that we were united in a common aim to get this bunch of cyclists to Edinburgh and back and to help them in any way we could (even if it meant cleaning the loos!). And they were all SO appreciative of our work and delighted to share with us the tales of the road that we did feel entirely engaged in their desire for success.
The hours were certainly long, and sleep almost as limited as the riders – I remember emerging from a few hours kip having left a quiet dining hall and returning to a place packed with bodies, dripping jackets and shoes everywhere. Our beds were full and there were sleeping heads both on and under the tables but we carried on with a cheery air as the ‘bulge’ passed through.
There were a large number of those on the return leg close to the time limit, and we certainly saw every possible symptom of exhaustion at some point during the week, and it was delightful to see the northbound riders that we’d previously chatted to heading south, closing in on their target.
Come the end of the week my daughter and I left along with the last few riders as we had a family holiday planned. I felt so guilty leaving the others to clear up.
I heartily recommend that if you have time available, whether it be a whole week or just a day, that you think about getting involved – the organisers will be forever grateful and so will the riders. This applies especially to anyone in Yorkshire as I’ve been entrusted with running the Barnard Castle control this time and need all the help I can get!
https://londonedinburghlondon.com/volunteer/This post is not officially sanctioned, it’s written from the heart (though I’m sure the organisers will appreciate it). It would be perfect if other volunteers could add their experiences below, too.
