Wanted: 300 Road Marshals for Tour de Victoria

Just over 1,000 people have signed up so far for the Tour de Victoria – and organizers say if you want to be a part of cycling history, you’d better not put off getting your entry in. Meanwhile, organizers are busy working out all the details of what will be Victoria’s largest-ever cycling event.

The Tour starts and ends in downtown Victoria. But in between, it will wind through 13 municipalities. And coordinating everyone on street closures and ensure that the safety of people driving, watching and riding the Tour is protected has been a big job.

But the logistics are worked out and the routes have been decided, so there’s just one more thing to do – get the Road Marshals in place for Tour day.

“We need at least 300 Road Marshals, to be located along the route,” says Tour Director Seamus McGrath. “They’ll be responsible for directing the riders on the course, and notifying the public of the event”

“The Road Marshals are a critical part of this whole event – it won’t happen without them.” says McGrath. “That’s why we’re putting out a public call to people throughout the region to sign up.”

The one-day Tour de Victoria is a mass participation cycling event, featuring the opportunity to join Tour de France star Ryder Hesjedal on a 140 km ride through the roads throughout the Greater Victoria area. There’s also a shorter 90 km ride, which will be led by Olympian Simon Whitfield and Olympian Andreas Hestler.

There is also a community ride taking place, led by Silken Laumann.

Organizers have been delighted by the response so far to their call for volunteers, but there are still plenty of opportunities out there. And some volunteer groups are getting into the competitive spirit.

“We’ve got bike clubs, sports teams and even cadet groups, who are trying to be the group that gets the most members to volunteer,” says McGrath. “People are coming up with all kinds of good reasons to step up. High school kids are able to claim volunteer hours, local residents can Marshal their own block and families and friends of the riders can be involved on Tour day.”

The Tour de Victoria will be holding Ride Marshal training prior to May 28th. Times and locations will be posted on www.tourdevictoria.com and sent to all signed-up volunteers.

The detailed route maps, which also show how many Road Marshals are needed in each of the 6 Tour zones, are available at www.tourdevictoria.com.

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For more information contact:

Kim Van Bruggen, Communications Director

250-727-7464 (office) 250-888-1822 (mobile)