That was fun. Because I wasn't expecting to be working I responded to
@redfalo's call for volunteers - something to do rather than bumming around at home. In fact I got a job in June, so it turned into a good break from sitting behind a desk at home for 9 hours a day.
I was up at St Ives on Saturday for some of the setup (and the pub visit) and then spent Sunday as the first face of the St Ives control until the flood dried up to a tiny trickle. Mostly fun and games and very patient drivers (more than expected given a netball tournament at the school!) but there was a rather impatient supporters' car whose driver got sworn at and stood in front of as I let the riders through rather than accede to their self-importance. Oh, and Roger the Moneyman who wanted to stop and prove who he was rather than just following my signal and going straight through to the carpark to keep the roundabout clear for cyclists.
On Monday I rode down from St Ives along the home route to Chigwell, which was my base for the second part of the week. My longest ride since about 2019, and only about my fifth ride over 5k this year. I was pleased to arrive!
Then on Tuesday I helped Tim and the team set up the finish control and go shopping, and from Wednesday until yesterday around 7pm (except overnight) I was part of the control team. Mostly on computer duty but also occasionally stamping cards and presenting medals. I'm very proud that we managed to give everyone who wanted to the chance to photograph their stamped card before it got squirreled away to be checked -
@Alien8 standards seemed to have slipped after I left, unless you've posted the wrong pic. So most people who rode will have had the misfortune to have met me a couple of times.
I was also some of the fingers behind the St Ives and Finish twitter accounts for a while.
Despite the dire predictions of the first couple of days, the estimated dropout rate was lower than last time - I reckon that most people who made it back to England made it all the way to Debden. The first two days were hard enough that people who were not going to finish dropped out quite early.
Despite the occasional complaints about the route through the North York Moors almost everyone who arrived was absolutely buzzing, or emotional for all the right reasons. Several people asked whether they could go out and do it all again. The overwhelming feedback at the control desk was positive - about the route, the support, the controls, the volunteers, the food (mostly at least...) - everything. Since people who are happy don't tend to give feedback I'd encourage the happy people to let the organisers know they were happy!
