Lift and Load

Organized cycling events are back on the calendar in the Bay Area this year—hurray!

Our club has hosted one of these events (annually) for more than forty years, with the exception of the last two (of course). We were just a few weeks away from holding our event in 2020 when we had to scramble to cancel it due to the developing Covid-19 pandemic.

When I ride in one of these events, I often try to learn more about the volunteers. Some are run by bicycle clubs, like ours; others are community events, put on by local boosters. Either way, these events take a lot of coordination and the labor of an army of volunteers.

Some of us signed up to fill multiple roles (three, in my case) ... and yet we were still unable to fill some positions.

My first gig was a mailing party: To streamline the sign-in process, we mail wristbands and route sheets to all participants in advance. That reduces the number of volunteers that would be needed to validate registration and hand out the materials on event day, and makes it easier for the riders to get rolling once they arrive. I had been surprised to see several packets heading out of state!

Today was my second gig: Loading a truck with supplies for one of our rest stops. (The rest stop, in fact, which I will help to staff tomorrow.) I used half a vacation day to be able to pitch in.

The logistics are impressive. The morning crew transported all the supplies and equipment to a central location, then arranged what was needed for each individual rest stop. [Lots of checklists are involved. And they're checked once ... twice ... thrice ... ] Not to mention the months of planning that got us to this point.

Our job today was “easy”—all we had to do was load everything onto the truck that will transport it to our rest stop tomorrow morning. Preferably with some semblance of order so we can unload and set it up efficiently.

New to this undertaking, I was here to contribute brawn, not brains. [For some weak definition of brawn.] Along the way I picked up a new skill: how to climb up and into the back of a truck.

Tomorrow's gonna be a loooong day.