Stage-race hands : Volunteers fill critical roles that keep cycling race rolling
Posted on Monday, May 12, 2008
People were still leaving establishments on Dickson Street when Mike Oxford arrived there at 3 a.m. Sunday.
He said there were still 15 to 20 vehicles parked along a street with signs stating that all vehicles would be towed come Sunday morning. After that was taken care of, he said, he set to work putting up roadblocks, setting up tents and stages, and accomplishing everything else that needed For coverage of the Joe Martin Stage Race see the Times sports section, page A 10. to be done before cyclists from all over the world pedaled the streets of downtown Fayetteville.
Oxford, of Fayetteville, was one of more than 250 volunteers working the 31 st annual Joe Martin Stage Race over the weekend. Race Director Bruce Dunn said the event would not be possible without the men and women who give up their time to come out and support the cyclists.
Dean LaGrone, a volunteer coordinator for the race, said people from all walks of life and all over Northwest Arkansas come out and lend a hand each year.
"All ages, too," he said. "We've got kids all the way to 70-year-olds working."
The volunteers do a variety of jobs for the event. Some direct traffic and safeguard intersections from vehicles while the bikers zoom by in giant packs. Some man souvenir shops or work at feed stations to make sure the 700 bikers from 42 states and 14 countries get something to eat.
Oxford said he doesn't necessar ily enjoy the stress of setting up entire courses and putting in long hours loading and unloading hay bales to protect riders from dangerous objects on the street, but he enjoys sitting down Sunday night, when the races are over, and knowing he had a hand in the event's success.
"It's a cool goal to get it done," he said.
Fayetteville resident Cindy Creel sat in the shade of a tent on a windy Sunday afternoon while selling T-shirts for the cause. A cycling enthusiast, Creel has been a part of the Joe Martin race for 10 years.
"I'm a biker, and I like to see the sport promoted," she explained. "I just like things like the excitement, the speed and the colors."
Creel added that it wasn't all fun and games. Nobody likes to volunteer on cold, windy, rainy days like Saturday, she said, but the show went on.
Shawn Garls spent a lot of the weekend on a motorcycle leading the bikers through the course or watching the back of the group to make sure everyone was following the rules and riding safe, something that carries extra importance when bikers are flying through some of the busiest places in Fayetteville.
"I've been doing this since there were only seven of us organizing (the race )," Garls said. "I moved to Arkansas and got right into cycling."
He said he loves the race itself, but mostly he looks forward to the afterparty at Jose's Streetside on Dickson Street.
"Seeing it all pulled off is incredible," he said with a laugh.
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