[*BCM*] Volunteers needed for the Beanpot Classic!

[Java Shane]

CALLING ALL CYCLING ENTHUSIASTS: MARSHALS NEEDED FOR BEANPOT 2007

What:
 - The 2007 Boston Beanpot Cycling Classic Road Race
 -Course Marshals are needed to direct cyclists along the course

Who:
 -The Eastern Collegiate Cycling Conference (ECCC)
 -The Host colleges' cycling teams (Boston College, Boston University,
Brandeis, Harvard, MIT, Northeastern, Tufts)
 -Cycling enthusiasts
 -Local residents
 -You!

When:
 -Saturday March 31, 2007
  -Either a morning or afternoon shift (the commitment is
approximately five hours)

Where:
  -Grafton, Massachusetts (just west of I-495 on the MassPike).
Transportation will be provided from Harvard Square
  -once in Grafton, Course Marshals will be provided with
transportation to their course locations and then back to the town
center (food will also be provided)

Why:
  -you once raced in the Beanpot
 -some of the racers are on your local team or club
  -you like cycling or want to learn more about it
 -you like the free food and fresh air
 -you want to help make the 2007 Boston Beanpot the best one ever!

   RSVP:
               - beanpot.volunteer at gmail.com



As temperatures plummet and snow begins to fall the last thing on the
minds of most Bostonians is the coming race season.  Not those on ski
slopes or ice rinks, but the collegiate cycling season.  Those
shivering pacelines, decked in their school regalia, drafting off
snowplows and salt trucks, are actually the first sign of one of East
Coast cycling's largest and most highly organized race weekends... The
Boston Beanpot !

The Beanpot has become legendary within the cycling community and New
England as a whole.   Not only for its events, courses and
competitors, but for its seamless preparation and execution as well.
The 2007 Beanpot continues in this tradition, but we need the support
of our fellow students, residents in neighboring communities, and
cycling enthusiasts to make this Beanpot a success... we need
volunteers to be Course Marshals!

Anyone who has spent time on country roads in New England knows how
winding and rolling they can be -- roads that make for a memorable
course, but that can be extremely difficult to navigate, especially at
high speeds.  This is where we need help: it is the Course Marshals
who direct the riders.  If you don't know whether to turn at the cow
pasture or stay straight, Marshals point the way.  If you're not
familiar with the course or the large pothole that awaits you as you
exit the next turn, Marshals steer you around it.  They are your
guides, your GPS, the people that allow you to focus on the race and
still take in some of the scenery.  They could be the difference
between a memorable race weekend or the one you lament for years to
come because you got lost and rode to New Hampshire.

Volunteering as a Course Marshal can be as memorable as being in the
race itself (and for those of you who are hoping to participate as
racers: you can do both!  Marshaling will not keep you from racing the
Beanpot).  Not only will you be out on the course close to the action,
watching the peloton break away or this year's top riders battle for
position on the last lap. You'll also know you are helping to keep one
of collegiate racing's most well orchestrated weekends just as
anticipated for years to come.

As critical a role as the marshals play, there is NO EXPERIENCE
NECESSARY.  Beforehand you are given a brief orientation of what is to
be expected out on the course. We will transport you from Harvard
Square to the course (Grafton) and provide you with lunch and
instructions that are specific to your assigned location.  You then
make yourself visible and gesture to the approaching riders where they
are to go. Extremely simple and extremely satisfying, having pack
after pack of frantic cyclists dependent entirely on your directions
to get them to the finish.

This is a great opportunity to give back to the Boston community and
collegiate sports culture. If you would like to volunteer as a Course
Marshal or would like more information, please contact us at
beanpot.volunteer at gmail.com .