WEEKEND WARRIORS

To kick off our volunteering drive, Vern Pitt speaks to a selection of volunteers from across the country about what they do, why they do it and why you should too

- Vern Pitt

THE FLAG WAVER

LUCIE GALLEN

For Lucie Gallen, accredited marshal and member of Team Milton Keynes, volunteering has been crucial to preserving a work-life balance.

During the week, Gallen translates technical documents from German, mostly, to English. A lot of her work is for companies in the cycling business. But it’s a solitary existence. “It’s just me and a computer. Lockdown hasn’t affected how I work at all!” she says.

“Volunteering means I meet people. It’s different people as well, be it at the race finishes or fellow marshals, people that I would never cross paths with were it not for a shared love of cycling. That’s very important for someone like myself,” she explains.

Gallen started volunteering not long after she got into the sport in 2010 when a “classic mid-life crisis” saw her sign up for a couple of charity rides. Soon after that she was told: “If you want to get fast on your bike, you have to ride in a club.” So she did, which led to forays into time trialling, cyclo-cross and road racing.

“I got my Cat-3 road race licence by giving it a go. I’m not the fastest, I’m definitely a diesel engine, but I just like the friendly atmosphere there is at races,” she explains. “Every type of cycling has its own family.”

She was already doing some volunteering at races by this point but being a racer herself hardened her resolve to get more involved. “I was all too aware that none of the events, even club events, can go ahead without volunteers. I offered to red flag at a road race and enjoyed it. This was just as accredited marshals were becoming a thing for road races,” she recalls.