Marshalling – all you need to know!

You’ll know that we rely on our members to volunteer in order to run our many events over the year. A number of new members have recently taken their first bite at volunteering. Thank you to Ros Knight for this lovely account of how it went.

Boxing Day 2022 was to be my initiation into marshalling at a cycling event, the WVCC Jeannie Foster Boxing Day Shield.  The promise of mince pies at the end was tempting.

Being a newbie to the area, the first challenge was going to be correctly identifying respective marshalling positions en route.  There was no need to worry though as a couple of weeks beforehand we were sent a set of comprehensive instructions and maps from Roger, the event organiser.  A weekday cycle with Tim and Sophia fellow first time event marshals, plus Judith, a previous entrant of the event, took us part way around the course so we could establish our exact positions for the big day.

On the morning of the event we reported for duty at the appointed HQ, Church Langton Community Hall, at 930.  Some cyclists arrived wearing Christmas jumpers, colourful socks and overshoes in honour of the festive season.

Us marshals were issued with high viz jackets, red flags, direction and warning signs.   Roger talked us through the positioning of signage at our respective spots and explained what we were expected to and not expected to do, as per the risk assessment documentation.  All seemed straightforward and clear.  No stopping of cars or authority to close roads.  That was a relief!  Just ensuring signs correctly placed and waving the red flag in the general direction the route was taking, whilst keeping an eye out for unexpected hazards that cyclists might need to be aware of.

Myself, Tim, and Sophia, the first timers, packed our signs etc into the car boot and set off round the course to our allocated spots.  We were happy to recognise the marshalling positions that we’d recced two weeks earlier.  Having dropped the other two off I continued to my spot and set up as instructed and waited.

The weather was bight and sunny, but quite cold, having had a touch of frost overnight.  The riders rode to Langton Brewery for the push off, just slightly later than planned, to reduce any risks from icy roads.

After approximately 25 minutes at my position the first cyclist appeared.  I’d planned to get photos for posterity but found it too much to take photos and wave my red flag.   The cyclists started coming through at good pace, my flag waving was going according to plan.  Before long the last rider identified themselves and it was time to clear away my signs, pick up Tim and Sophia and head back to HQ at Church Langton, for the promised mince pies, arriving back approximately two hours after reporting in time.

For anyone thinking of volunteering to help out at cycling events, I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend it. The event was really well organised and with full guidance given, it seemed that nothing was left to chance.  It was straightforward and a fun thing to do.  Roll on the next event!

PS If you’d like to get your volunteering for 2023 in early,  you can volunteer your services at the Misterton cyclocross on 22nd Jan:  Welland Valley Cycling Club: Volunteer Rota 2022 (signupgenius.com)