The Amazing People that Make Ride the Rockies Happen
A sag vehicle making sure that riders are okay
Ride the Rockies could not have occurred without the highly devoted, caring and efficient staff, most of whom are volunteers. They worked incredibly hard, long hours to make Ride the Rockies happen safely and efficiently as possible.
It’s hard to imagine what would have happened if the volunteer staff did not carry out or do what many riders, myself included, often took for granted.
Yet every aid station was set up and taken down by volunteers. The water and Gatorade in the dispensers were hauled there and continually filled so that 2,000 riders could stay hydrated.
Volunteers were continually busy keeping the juicy slices of oranges, bananas, and grapes stocked so that bicycle riders could grab nourishment and keep going.
The grapes that may have been dropped, along with the stems, were actually being picked up by someone long after the rider that dropped them had departed. (After all, if these are picked up, there’s less of a chance that a deer, raccoon, or some other animal will find the delicacy and stand in the road for a vehicle to hit.) All these things were then hauled to another destination.
Volunteers put up, then cleaned out all the recyclables in the little brown tents. Volunteers cleaned up each evening’s camp after the riders left. I had a mechanical mishap and drove back over part of the route (to pick up a functional bike, although it was my mountain bike) and was surprised to see that Fellin Park in Ouray was back to a normal, clean park. It was amazing.
Sag wagon picking up riders
The sag vehicles were staffed by dependable, competent drivers who picked up riders, put their bicycles on the roof, drove to the next aid station and took all the bicycles back down. Then they drove back to pick up other riders. This was done in an efficient, coordinated manner so that as riders progressed through the ride, the previous sections of the Ride were still being covered. Communication between the watchful State Patrol and the sag vehicles was continuous. Some of these volunteers are principals, distribution managers or from other professional segments of society.
Many of these volunteers use their vacation time to do a grueling week of volunteer work on Ride the Rockies. It’s really incredible. Every volunteer worked incredibly hard and sacrificed for the riders. I heard one volunteer directing traffic say that she would wait to eat a potato so that riders would be able to have them before her. At some intersections, both officers and volunteers stopped traffic so that riders could continue on their way. All these things were much appreciated.
Please keep the contributions of volunteers in mind when participating in Ride the Rockies. Yes. It was a long, hard ride. But we all knew this before signing up for the lottery. We knew that there weren’t any rest days and we knew that there were 4 long days that had about 90 miles in them. I realize that pushing one’s body to one’s physical limits can also challenge a person’s emotional psychology, but that is something that every person needs to work on. I witnessed behavior that made me embarrassed to be a rider in the form of rude comments to volunteers that were uncalled for and should not have been made. Just something to keep in mind for future activities.
Come to think of it, volunteers likely put up the little signs for where riders were to camp indoors. Then there were also the volunteers that worked with Ride the Rockies from the different communities. I’m sure that there are many other aspects of volunteerism that I’m missing, however, I am thankful for all the efforts that were put forth by the volunteers and staff. Thank you.
A community volunteer in Pagosa
I’m also thankful for the other people on the ride. Not only the medics within the riders, but also the everyday, normal, courteous, fun-loving, nice, cool people that were riding.
I think we all do these activities for the joy and challenge within a tough ride. I enjoyed talking with people at different rest stops. A certain camaraderie develops as one sees the same people day after day. I like that people look out for one another. Thank you for the experience.