The concept:
(For the uninitiated) |
The Big Ride is a fully supported
ride -
Camps are set up each day in the
showground or similar area of the nominated towns.
Unless you go soft and book your own
accommodation elsewhere in town, the sleeping
quarters are in tents which the participants
provide, but are carried, along with the cyclists
other luggage, on either the 'red' or 'green'
trucks between campsites. Cyclists only have to
carry what they need in between camps.
Entertainment both on and off
campsite provided each evening.
Food: 3 meals are provided by
professional caterers (Lunch stop is normally en-route).
Morning & Afternoon teas are normally
provided at rest stops by local organisations for
a nominal charge.
Water stops are normally provided
every 12 km or so.
Toilet & shower trucks are
set up at each campsite. A toilet truck is also
set up at the lunch stop.
A 'struggle-bus' or 'sag-wagon'
follows behind the last cyclists and pick up any
that have found the going too tough.
A team of volunteers or 'Orange
People' hold the whole show together, from
driving the 'struggle-bus', directing cyclists or
warning of upcoming hazards, manning water stops,
to helping set up the campsites in preparation
for the arrival of the weary cyclists.
Police patrol the route, and
often serve as a lead vehicle for heavy vehicles.
In a lot of cases, cyclists could use one lane of
the road (riding up to 2 abreast) and other
traffic would use the other lane. When things
were quiet, it was not uncommon for police on
motorcycles to ride slowly beside attractive lone
female cyclists...
|
