Being a member of any club, the call for volunteers is something we all hear a lot. Over the years I have volunteered a lot of my time to swimming clubs, School Boards, various school committees, coached children’s sports teams and I’ve even been known to man the BBQ at the odd sausage sizzle. However, with cycling (apart from being a member of the Bike Manawatu Board), the majority of my interaction with volunteers has been as a competitor, thanking the Marshall’s as I ride past.
At the end of 2017 I decided to try and give something back, so I volunteered to help out with the Novice Tour, I drove the Lead Car for the U17 Girls Road Race. It was a totally new experience viewing the race from this angle, and really quite inspiring to see so many young cyclists participating in the tour and thoroughly enjoying themselves. And the weekend before last, as I wasn’t riding the Slicks and Stones event, I decided to volunteer for this as well, again it was fantastic to be out there helping a local event and viewing the race from a different angle, and it was somewhat rewarding to be able to give something back to a sport that has given me so much over the years.
As you know, we are currently recruiting volunteers for this years Novice Tour. This event has been running since 1974, and previous tour winners include well known cyclists Eric MacKenzie, Gary Anderson, Cath Cheatley, Greg Henderson and Campbell Stewart to name a few.
While the Tour is a weekend long event, any time you can spare would be a huge help, and what a great way to help your club and the future superstars of the New Zealand cycling scene – we’ve all seen from our clubs U23 riders at the Elite Nationals what the depth of youth cycling is in the mighty Manawatu.
If you can help out please contact our secretary Keryn Paekau