srw
It's a bit more complicated than that...
Is it my imagination, or was there one once upon a time? If not, can I suggest one? Having organised my first yesterday, there were things I could have done with thinking about in advance.
As a contribution, here are some thoughts, after a somewhat eventful day:
Have a contingency plan if someone gets whisked to hospital. As the local, that probably can't involve you looking after the bike or the patient - but someone's got to do both, and contact a relative.
Have a (paper) map or an encyclopaedic knowledge of the local roads. For all sorts of reasons, you may need to cut short the route, and a GPS unit or a phone is not the best for on-the-fly replanning.
Have an idea about appropriate bail-out points. There are sometimes alternative railway stations which aren't on the line you immediately think of.
Don't get too fixated on specific timetables or lunch stops - events may get in the way. But make sure you've got an idea or two up your sleeve.
Ultimately, people have to take responsibility for their own welfare. That's what the "informal" bit means. But there are things you need to warn them about - like crap road surfaces and hilly sections.
As a contribution, here are some thoughts, after a somewhat eventful day:
Have a contingency plan if someone gets whisked to hospital. As the local, that probably can't involve you looking after the bike or the patient - but someone's got to do both, and contact a relative.
Have a (paper) map or an encyclopaedic knowledge of the local roads. For all sorts of reasons, you may need to cut short the route, and a GPS unit or a phone is not the best for on-the-fly replanning.
Have an idea about appropriate bail-out points. There are sometimes alternative railway stations which aren't on the line you immediately think of.
Don't get too fixated on specific timetables or lunch stops - events may get in the way. But make sure you've got an idea or two up your sleeve.
Ultimately, people have to take responsibility for their own welfare. That's what the "informal" bit means. But there are things you need to warn them about - like crap road surfaces and hilly sections.
