Following the highly successful Elstead Audaxes on 8th June, when more than 115 riders took part, thanks to the efforts of Neil McIntyre, the rest of the WSCC events team, and volunteers, it’s now time to turn our attention to the Tour of the Hills (TOTH) Audax.
As most of you know, TOTH is a 120km ride that takes in all the main climbs in the Surrey hills, with around 2,300m of ascent. It takes place this year on Sunday 9 August, at Shere Village Hall. The event is open to all cyclists who are intrepid enough to take on the challenge, and we normally attract cyclists from across the country (and even beyond).
Entries have already started to come in and we are on track for a healthy number of participants. As well as being a very significant income source for the club, TOTH is also a very sociable occasion that brings a lot of club members together and creates excellent publicity and goodwill for the club each year.
Alongside TOTH, the club runs a gentler Tour of the Greensand ride on the same day and venue, which is also open to all comers. Further details of the Greensand ride, which normally attracts a good number of club riders from the G2 and G3 groups, will be posted on Spond nearer the time.
Entry for TOTH (the fee is £15) is via the Audax website at:
https://www.audax.uk/event-details/calendar/14064-tour_of_the_hills
There are two main ways you can help:
- Volunteering for one of the roles on the day
- Assisting with publicity for the event
Please take a moment to read on and consider how you can help the club make the event a success.
Volunteers
TOTH cannot function without a small army of volunteers in the hall, and out on the course. Each year, we have had a fantastic response from club members who have taken on these roles, and our volunteers have also had a great time in the process.
Checkpoint Marshals
There are 6 separate checkpoints around the course, and we need at least two marshals at each one of these. Their job is to check the riders in and out, stamping their Audax cards and – most importantly – handing out jelly babies, water top-ups and encouragement.
We are also need someone to coordinate the marshals from the Village Hall. We have a well-drilled system for the checkpoint stations (and all the necessary equipment) so the requirements for this job are already well set out. Expert guidance is on hand for anyone who would like to give it a try for the first time!
Catering and in-hall support
We have a small team (Marion Isaac, Alison Ingram, Jessica Shipp and Alison Dorsett – advised by Jill Ridyard) masterminding the catering logistics ahead of the event, but plenty of help will be needed to prepare and serve the food and the actual day. Our catering is one of the main attractions of the event. Once again there will be two shifts for helpers (morning and afternoon) to ease the load on anyone who steps forward.
There are also a few other jobs in the hall itself, including a volunteer to deal with on-the-day entries, and checking in riders when they return to the hall at the end of the ride. And, we need a volunteer to coordinate entries for the Greensand ride too.
Spond poll
In the next couple of days, I will set up a poll on the club’s Spond page that allows you to register your availability for all the volunteering roles, at the click of a button. Alternatively, you can just get in touch with me directly or via your ride leader, if that’s easier. It would be very nice to see some of our newer members getting involved this year.
Publicity
We have already sent out emails to last year’s entrants and more than 60 cycle clubs throughout the South-East and further afield to let them know details of the event, and the Audax magazine and website also provide valuable publicity.
But word of mouth is always a great way to promote this event, and it would be very helpful if club members could use their own cycling contacts and local knowledge to ensure that we bring TOTH to the attention of potential entrants. Also, please mobilise your social media presence! A classy looking graphic (png file) is attached to this post showing details of the event with a QR code link to sign-up. Please use this on any Instagram/Facebook/website where we have a good chance to reach fellow cyclists who might be interested in signing up to ride TOTH.
Finally, we have printed some TOTH business cards and posters that can be displayed in cycle-friendly cafés and other hot spots, so please get in touch or ask you ride leader if you would like to help in that way.
Thanks, in anticipation of your support!
John Carolin
