[GRRiders] Gold Rush Volunteers

[Tony]

Well put Amy

Unlike you, we are used to riding by our selves here (Sweden), so that part
of it wasn't a problem.
Coming to the controls was like being greeted like a long lost son/daughter.
For Ove and myself it was like we had died and gone to heaven.
With all the chat about cold weather, it came as a bit of a shock to arrive
and find ourselves in the middle of a heat wave, but we managed to get
ourselves through it.  I don't think I would have lasted another day in it
though.
To you all of you who help make GRR1200 a great ride, I thanked some of you
on the return leg and at the post ride celebrations, but here is another big
THANK YOU for all you time and effort, well done.

Tony Mellsop

----- Original Message -----
From: "Amy Rafferty" <aerafferty at ucdavis.edu>
To: <dbc at dbclist.org>; <goldrushriders at dbclist.org>; <grr at dbclist.org>
Sent: Monday, August 01, 2005 9:34 PM
Subject: [GRRiders] Gold Rush Volunteers


> Well, I think I'm finally recovered from my adventures on the Gold Rush
> Randonnee, and I wanted to express my sincere thanks to all the volunteers
> who made this event possible. I wish I could have written this note a day
or
> two after finishing, but the day after the ride was over I was sidelined
by
> a bad cold (1200 km sure can mess up the immune system!), and then I was
> greeted by a mountain of deadlines when I finally made it back to work in
> the middle of last week. So this note is a little late, but heartfelt,
> nonetheless.
>
> As we all know, when riders do PBP, we're cheered on and encouraged by
> thousands of people at the start and all along the course. At the last
PBP,
> I recall closing my eyes before the start and attempting to "absorb" all
the
> good will I could from the spectators -- I knew I'd need it later in the
> ride. And whenever I felt low or tired during PBP, someone along the
course
> would give me a smile or words of encouragement, and I'd find the will to
go
> on.
>
> Well, the Gold Rush is a bit different. There were a few very enthusiastic
> folks at the start, but once we got rolling, we were pretty much on our
own
> between rest stops. There weren't many towns, the people living in the
> places we did go through didn't really know what we were doing, and when
we
> explained, the response was almost universally "that's crazy." We rode up
> mountain passes in blistering temperatures, we shared the road with
> seemingly hostile truck drivers, and we covered long, lonely stretches of
> the course by riding through the night with little or no sleep. Looking
> back, I'm amazed I was able to finish this ride, and when I think about
it,
> I realize there's only one reason I was able to do it:
>
> The volunteers.
>
> When I pulled into a rest stop, you greeted me warmly, you told me I was
> doing great, and you asked what you could do to help. You reminded me to
> check in and get my card signed when I forgot, and you answered my stupid
> and repetitive questions with a smile. You made me wonderful, homemade
meals
> that went beyond physical sustenance, and then you filled my bottles and
> pockets and sent me on my way. And between the stops, when I'd start to
feel
> down on those long, lonely stretches, a SAG driver would appear. You'd
offer
> me something cold to drink, ice for my bottles, and, most importantly,
> encouragement. The folks at GRR headquarters kept track of our progress
and
> let our families and friends know we were OK.
>
> I now realize that during an event like this, the word "support" means so
> much more than attending to the physical needs of the participants. Quite
> simply, the volunteers were my reason for continuing. There were so many
> times I wanted to quit this ride. It was too hot, I was too sore, I was
> short on sleep, my saddle felt like a cheese grater -- there were a
million
> reasons to stop. But I kept moving forward because whenever I was tempted
to
> give up, something a volunteer said or did kept me going. Sometimes I'd
run
> out of reasons to continue, but the one that always remained was that I
> didn't want to disappoint all the people who had taken the time to help
me.
>
> I know many volunteers took time off work and away from their families,
> drove hundreds of miles from home, and stayed up day and night, becoming
as
> exhausted as the riders they were there to help.
>
> The words "thank you" don't seem grand enough to express my gratitude, but
I
> don't know what else to say. I've been dreaming of finishing the Gold Rush
> for more than a year. Thank you for helping me achieve my dream.
>
> Amy
>
> --
>
>
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