There are 42 roadie teams made up of 398 roadies that serve, support and make this event possible. We are the people who do all sort of things, many thing that the riders may not even notice. Through out this week I want to share with you what these amazing people do .
First of all, all the roadies are volunteers. They take time out of their lives, time away from family, spend their vacation time, talent and resources. While they don't have to fund raise, many do. Many, like myself, can't ride a bike for this sort of trip due to physical limitations... so we serve the greater good by supporting the overall cause. (I never thought I could be a part of such an event because of my bad knees. Then I discovered that I AM useful as a roadie.) We may not be featured in documentaries, but we're thrilled with what we do...
If you don't or can't ride the bike for this event, you might consider being a roadie.
Today I chatted with Lauren. She's a roadie on "Advanced Setup" There are 2 team of 8 people each that go out to the next camp site and set up the tent grid, put up the markers, decorate them, and then clean up the tent markers. Each camp site takes about 10 hours, broken into two parts, just to set up the tent grid. They set up 1,200 tent positions.
I asked her what the ups and downs were of her job.
Ups: A really tight and cohesive group. Getting to BBQ and enjoy their own food. (they get a modest food perdiem.) Getting their own time. Seeing a sense of spacial accomplishment.
Downs: They only get to join the group every other day so they can feel isolated.
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The food service people are always super cheery. I'm really amazed at that because I know that the riders are coming in tired and sometimes really emotionally stressed. They're totaly aware that their smiles and comments make other person's day. Each of them seem to engage with each diner with authenticity and sincerity. None of those hollow and meaningless "how are you" comments. They look each rider in the eyes and give them a big smile.
You ought to know that food service staff work on breakfast and dinner. They get up at 3am each day and wrap up late at night. I don't know how they do it....
Genuine smiles and kindness really make a difference.
