OFF TO THE RACES

With Cycling Weekly’s volunteering drive in full swing, features editor Vern Pitt puts his back into it at the Perfs Pedal Race to find out what it’s like to do your bit

- Vern Pitt

Iron-Man has his armoured suit, Batman has his cape and cowl and I have a hi-vis jacket. The power of the hi-vis jacket is not to be underestimated. It invests the wearer with automatic authority and respect. People treat you differently – when they can see you coming from four clicks away they look to you for support, help and advice even if you’re not really qualified to give it.

And that is how I came to meet Joe Surmon. Joe, who rides for the University of Bristol, was riding his first road race – he’d done a few crits before – and having exited the sign-on area with his numbers he saw a man milling about in a high-vis jacket and thought, “I’ll get him to help me put these on, I’m sure he’s done this before.” Unfortunately for Joe the person in the jacket was me and I have only pinned numbers on very sparingly and not while someone was wearing the garment I was doing it to.

Predictably, I fumble around, prick Joe several times and end up with a result I fear number-pinning grand master Doctor Hutch might get me fired for. Joe is very understanding and after far too long he trots off very happily, numbers billowing at an angle I estimate is costing him 17 watts.

I’m at the Perfs Pedal Race, just north of Portsmouth in Hampshire, because for the past few weeks Cycling Weekly has been urging you to volunteer by registering your interest with British Cycling or CTT and getting involved, so it seemed only fair we do our bit too.

Organiser Mick Metcalf seems only too pleased to have another pair of hands, as inexperienced as they might be, and I’m treated to a smorgasbord of roles. Most of the work that needs doing is before the race even starts.