The Other Side of Racing...

This past Saturday I had the pleasure of "working" for Primal at the Bailey Hundo, a 100-mile mountain bike race in Bailey, CO. They also offer a 50-mile version, the 'Hundito'.

I was tasked with manning an aid station for the racers. I worked alongside another fantastic Primal ambassador, and we had our tent and supplies set up by 8:30am, just in time for the first racer to roll through right before 9.

Primal, all ready to roll at Aid Station #5!

We had tables of food and water out, along with energy gels, sports drink mix, and all manner of sweet and salty snacks. A couple more volunteers joined us throughout the day, people who just donated their Saturday to help feed a bunch of sweaty bike racers-amazing!

Yummy snacks!

My point to all this is that, as a racer, you never quite realize how much work goes into putting on a single race. And how many people graciously volunteer their time just because they enjoy cycling, or their spouse or friend is in the race, or because they are just good people.
And watching some of the first professional racers come through, and seeing their less-than-stellar attitudes, it was a good reminder to me to always be nice to the volunteers and race marshals. ALWAYS!

Unfortunately, it was the professional men who were the least gracious, didn't say thank-you, and who griped about the course, lack of directions, etc. They stormed through the station, took what they could find, and left a trail of dust in their wake. Not the best way to show your appreciation for the volunteers who made the aid station possible.
Now, on the flip side, once the pros were gone, the remainder of the racers were exceedingly thankful and grateful that we were there. They all said their 'pleases' and 'thank-you's' and were much more fun to help! They even let us pour water all over their heads and necks!

So that's the end, just be nice and thankful for the people who make racing possible. Myself included, I will now always, always thank all the volunteers and race directors!

Thanks for reading, I will step down from my soap-box now...