1. Twelve hours days are alot to expect from volunteers. I know shorter shifts mean more volunteers but more people might volunteer for shorter periods of time....just a thought.
2. Would bike racks be useful at pit stops? I felt bad that riders had to lay their bikes on the ground...some are so expensive.. When considering a pit stop....there needs to be consideration for the 500 or more riders that are going to be at the same pit stop at once. There wasn't alot of room for the bikes on the ground.
3. Some volunteers have friends, family or co workers riding. It would have been nice to be able to see the opening or closing ceramonies. A shorter shift would allow that.
4. To have a volunteer meeting at the end of Day one(7:00p.m) for the volunteers who just put in 12 hours was a bit much.....couldn't this have been done at breakfast - Day 2? We just arrived at camp at 6:50 p.m .and were told we had to attend a meeting...sorry...all I could think about was finding my tent and my mate and getting off my feet. We had to be at Breakfast at 6:00a.m ....meet bus at 6:30 a.m and work till 6:30p.m...that was a long day...it was fantabulous...and I loved every minute of it...but I was exhausted at the end of the day and could not find the motivation to attend the meeting.
5. Have the buses pick up crew from a differnt parking location than riders and family are using. It was impossible for the bus to get threw all that traffic after 6:30 a.m. They should have been there earlier. Waiting for 2 hours for the bus was crazy.
6. Better instructions on how to handle the fruit at pit stops. We cut up way too many banannas and oranges on Day one. And we didn't cut up apples because they'd turn brown....but riders didn't take whole apples either. Carrots were hardly picked up at all....we had cases of them left over. We rec'd more on Day 2 event though we hardly used any on Day one.
7. More trail mix for the riders....less popcorn and chips.
8. Better pumps for the water and gatoraide.
9. The information on the layout of the pit stop should go to all crew members.
10. Information on the route - distance, elevation, number of inclines, and such should go to all crew members. Riders asked info about the upcoming road they'd be on but I didnt' have any informative information to give them.
I'm not complaining ....really....I loved volunteering...but if there's a way to make it more enjoyable for all then we should. Ok....maybe I complained about the meeting at the end of the day....
-- Edited by debbyj on Tuesday 29th of June 2010 06:57:52 PM
10. Information on the route - distance, elevation, number of inclines, and such should go to all crew members. Riders asked info about the upcoming road they'd be on but I didnt' have any informative information to give them.
They don't just tell you to say "It's all downhill"?
Seriously though, that would be helpful. Another possible solution would be to include that info in the pocket guide that each rider receives. It might help riders decide if they're up to attempting the next big hill or if they should just catch a sweep vehicle or shuttle to the next stop. It would also be helpful in that it would let us know if we need to save our energy for a big effort or if we can pick up the pace a bit.
Although, I really do wonder if prior knowledge of the hills might intimidate or demoralize the less-experienced riders.
As for bike racks, I think it might be more of a hindrance than anything. I think they'd have a hard time finding enough for all the riders, and I found that laying the bikes down worked fine. People were pretty good about keeping them off to the side so they didn't block the entrances to the pits.
Some pretty good points....but considering this is only the 2nd year, they've improved a fair bit over last year.
Rack...yeah, more of a hindrance to haul than what they are worth...it was easy to find a soft spot to lay the bike down.
More info on the route....you betcha. I'd suggest that someone drive the route (somewhat slowly) with a good gps with altimeter. Mark each pit stop location. Then do a poster at each pit stop with the distance to the next stop and the profile. It may intimidate some of the newer riders, but it also will give them a chance to evaluate what they have left in the tank and if they should take an extra 15 min to gas up before they go.
Fruit: yeah, bananas and oranges are most popular, but early on they won't be as heavily hit.
Pumps....I think they just needed a few more spares around. We deal with the same pumps at my work...not a bunch you can do better, so you just need a few spares for when they go south.
All in all, I'd say "great job" to the volunteers, including all the rest of the med crew :) It was a challenging ride and, again, I only had to crack open my med kit once.
My mom was a volunteer as well and she was disappointed to learn that she couldn't watch the opening ceremonies and take pictures of my sister and me start. We do this for our dad, and it would have been nice to be with the WHOLE family at the beginning. I couldn't agree with you more that the option of watching should be given to all volunteers.
Knowing what was coming up hill-wise would have been beneficial. There were so many times you just wanted to give up thinking that there might be another bohemoth of a hill ahead!! Although when you had the surprise of a downhill spurt it was a wonderful break - maybe I wouldn't want to know what was coming haha.
One of our other concerns was that we were from out of town so when my mom started at 5 it meant my sister and I had to be at the grounds at 5 as well... that made for a very long day for us riders. Added to that was the fact that we couldn't enter the check-in area until 7. There isn't exactly anything near by to keep yourself busy (or warm for that matter!)
As far as food was concerned, I have celiac disease, and a hatred towards bananas!! And now if I ever see another apple w/ peanut butter again it'll be too soon. The first day there was a break in communication for people with dietary restrictions and I was condemned to salad for lunch which had to be picked up by a volunteer (not a very hardy meal for someone who just road 80 km and had 35 more to go...) The next day the crisis was averted, but I wish there was more choices for me aside from apple slices and PB. (Trail mix was awesome day 2, however as a slow rider, some stops were out when I made it to them!)
All in all though very very very well arranged we were more than pleasantly surprised on how organized it was, and I'm sure it will only be better next year!
It's tough to get the volunteers at the opening ceremonies...with the 1st stop only 25-30 km in, the faster riders are there in less than an hour....gotta get the folks out early to set up :( I understand what you're getting at, though, CM :)
The hills and such are tougher....not many people ride the course (as a whole) prior to us getting out there. The folks driving it won't know that a 5% grade after 80 km is brutal...they would hardly feel it in a car. Most of the crew only get the information that is passed on about what it coming up from the shuttle drivers and sweeps....their guess is a bit better, but I think a profile would be nice to help folks get an idea as to what is coming up.
Hopefully next year they won't have the same hiccup with the food for you :)
To be completely honest, it's a lot more than it seems to run an event such as this. It has to be remembered that a lot of the supplies and equipment we're given is donated by business and corporations solely for the event. It's better to be grateful what you have got instead of whine about what you do not.
That being said, I do agree about route information; it's cumbersome to constantly tell riders that I do not have knowledge of the route and a response to the almost always present "why not?".
As for the length of the shifts, they never said it would be easy. The point of the event is just that; it's not easy. Neither is cancer. It's bike ride trip through southern Alberta, not a slow meander through a park. This is relative to both riders and staff/volunteers. If you cannot endure it, do not sign up for it. Personally, long hours and lack of sleep are the norm and thus I'm unaffected by the 12 hour shifts.
In the end, it's what you make of it. If you think it sucks, it'll suck; if you think it's awesome, it'll be awesome.
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RTCC Medical Crew 2009 RTCC Medical Crew 2010 RTCC Medical Crew 2011 vFF/EMR
I don't think anyone is complaining about the event. It is an amazing event, however, just like anything else there can always be improvements.
The route was tough, I'm sure no one will argue that, but as you said that is kind of the point! I did a lot of complaining (to my sister) about how sore I was and even said that we'd NEVER do it again... as soon as we crossed that finish line though I was ready to sign up again. What an amazing feeling when you finish!
The volunteers, crew and coordinators really do an amazing job and I hope that anything I said above didn't imply otherwise.
My dad never once complained about his treatments, or his diagnosis and we ride for him - the statement on here that says "our sweat is nothing compared to their tears" is so true; these 2 days is really nothing compared to what those with the disease go through.
