14th Annual Buena Vista Bike Fest

The beautiful century route goes North to Leadville, along the scenic rolling hills of Turquoise Lake Road, around the Mineral Belt Trail passing aspen groves and conifer forests, meandering through the historic Leadville Mining District, and back to Buena Vista in the shadows of Colorado’s highest mountain peaks. Nearly all of the climbing is completed over the first 60 miles of the ride, with the last 40 miles essentially downhill to flat! Riders also have options to take shorter routes including a 35 miler, a 50 miler, and a “metric century” (62 miles) while still enjoying the Collegiate Peaks’ magnificent scenery.

BVBF is sponsored by the Colorado Springs Cycling Club, the Chaffee County Chamber of Commerce and the Bristol Brewing Company of Colorado Springs. The Colorado Springs Cycling Club prides itself in putting on one of Colorado's finest events. We have been told by our riders that our rest stops are the best of any ride they have ever done. Our routes are well covered with SAG vehicles. For your safety, the Chaffee County Search & Rescue provides EMT support.

BVBF 2012 Post Ride Celebration will be highlighted with:
- Live music by "Grass It Up", a bluegrass band with far reaching musical skills and interests
- Bristol Brewing Company of Colorado Springs
- Vendor Expo

BVBF 2012 Custom Ride Jersey by Primal Wear: (Sizing) (Front & Back View)

JOB DESCRIPTIONS FOR BVBF VOLUNTEERS
Colorado Springs Cycling Club Membership Not Required

 (* = Full-day volunteer position, qualifying for a volunteer gift.)

1.      PLACE ROAD SIGNS/CLEANUP:  FRIDAY AFTERNOON, ~3-5 PM.  (Need 2-4 volunteers) Pick up the signs at the Vista Inn, then drive around the course (or ride your bike around the Mineral Belt loop) and set out signs to mark turns for the route and rest stop locations;  sweep gravel and remove debris from the course;  mark sections of broken pavement and paint caution signs on the road to warn riders of sharp turns, etc.  You can volunteer on Friday evening even if you are registered and plan to do the ride on Saturday.

2.      PACKET PICKUP:  Held in the tent at McPhelemy Park in Buena Vista.  When riders arrive to pick up their packet, you greet them, highlight their names on the rider list, give them their packets, wrist band and number for their bike.  If someone wants to pick up a packet for someone else, just have them sign their name (legibly) next to the name of the person whose packet they picked up.  There are two options to work on packet pickup:

• FRIDAY EVENING, ~3-9 PM.  (Need 8-10 volunteers)  You can volunteer on Friday evening even if you are registered and plan to do the ride on Saturday.
• SATURDAY MORNING, ~6-9 AM.  (Need 8-10 volunteers)

3.      SET-UP FOR POST-RIDE PARTY AT McPHELEMY PARK AT BUENA VISTA:

• FRIDAY EVENING, ~3-7 PM.  (Need 6-8 volunteers)  Set up perimeter fencing and move picnic tables and trash cans within the park, to the party area.  You can volunteer on Friday evening even if you are registered and plan to do the ride on Saturday
• SATURDAY MORNING,  ~8-11 AM.  Set up any additional fencing, help with setting up the beer stand, band equipment, and catering tables.

4.      REST STOP SET-UP AND TEAR-DOWN: 

• FRIDAY EVENING, ~5-9 PM.  (Need 10-15 volunteers)  Fill water containers at the Vista Inn, and load them in to the U-Haul truck.  Load other rest stop equipment (e.g., bike parking stands, tables, canopies) and supplies (food, drink mix, etc) into the truck.  You can volunteer on Friday evening even if you are registered and plan to do the ride on Saturday.
• *SATURDAY, ~5-8 AM & ~3-6 PM.  (Need two volunteers)  In the morning, drive/ride in the U-Haul truck to deliver and help set up the rest stop equipment and supplies at each rest stop.  In the afternoon, drive/ride in the U-Haul truck to tear down and load the rest stop equipment and supplies back into the truck.  Unload the truck at the Vista Inn.  Bring warm clothing, a hat and gloves.

5.      THEME TEAM:

• DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION.  ~2-4 hours/week (evenings and weekends, as scheduled), January to May.  (Need 6-12 volunteers)  Work with other creative members of the crew to come up with the theme for the rest stops, ideas for the decorations at each location, help figure out how to build them, then help do the design, painting, and construction.  You can volunteer in the months leading up to the event, even if you are registered and plan to do the ride on Saturday.
• HAULING.  FRIDAY AFTERNOON, ~12-4 PM.  (Need 2-6 volunteers)  Help load the Theme Team materials into the U-Haul truck in Colorado Springs, and drive it up to the Thunder Lodge at Buena Vista.  You can volunteer on Friday evening even if you are registered and plan to do the ride on Saturday.
• *SET-UP AND TEAR-DOWN.  SATURDAY, ~5-8 AM & ~4-6 PM.  (Need 2-3 volunteers) In the morning, drive/ride in the U-Haul truck to deliver and help set up the Theme Team decorations at each rest stop.  In the afternoon, drive/ride in the U-Haul truck to tear down and load the Theme Team decorations back into the truck and return to the Thunder Lodge.  Bring warm clothing, a hat and gloves.

6.      REST STOP VOLUNTEERS:  There will be a rest stop chairperson who will be in charge of each rest stop.  A U-Haul truck will arrive with your rest stop supplies.  Before riders arrive, you and other volunteers will need to help set up canopies and tables, organize food, water, sports drink and start cutting up fruit and other food items.  As riders come and go, you can greet and talk with them, but your main job is to make sure there is enough food, water and sports drink available.  You can also help coordinate SAG support for riders who arrive at the rest stop unable (or unwilling) to continue riding the rest of the course, by taking them to the HAM radio operators to ask a SAG driver to come to the rest stop, or just taking them over to the SAG driver if one is there at the time.

This can be a long day depending on the hours the rest stop is open. There is an option for half day at Rest Stop #1&5 at Granite.  If you volunteer to work early Saturday morning, plan to stay in Buena Vista on Friday night so you can arrive at your work location in time for the start of your shift. No experience is necessary for this position.  Just have fun!

• REST STOP #1.  SATURDAY ~7 AM-5 PM (Need ~6 volunteers at a time)  At Granite, 18 miles north of Buena Vista on the west side of Hwy 24.  Bring warm clothing, a hat and gloves.
  o   *Full-day:  SATURDAY, 7 AM-5 PM
  o   Half-day, first shift:  SATURDAY MORNING, 7 AM-NOON
  o   Half-day, second shift:  SATURDAY AFTERNOON, NOON-5 PM

• *REST STOP #2/4.  SATURDAY ~7:30 AM – 4 PM (Need ~6-8 volunteers) At Malta, 30 miles north of Buena Vista on Hwy 24, at the intersection with 300A.  Bring warm clothing, a hat and gloves.

7.      *LUNCH STOP MANAGERS:   SATURDAY ~8 AM – 3 PM.  (Need 2-4 volunteers)  At Ice Palace Park in Leadville.  The Colorado Springs Cycling Club has “sub-contracted” the responsibilities to provide, prepare and serve the food at the lunch stop to a local group in Leadville.  Volunteering for this position means you will contact and coordinate with this group in Leadville well in advance of the event, to be sure all their plans are on track to smoothly serve lunch to our riders.  A U-Haul truck will arrive with your lunch stop equipment (canopies and tables).  Before riders arrive, you will need to help set up canopies and tables, organize food, water, sports drink and make sure the food items and serving crew are all there, in place, and ready to serve the riders as they start to arrive.  When riders arrive, you oversee operations to make sure there is enough food, water and sports drink available.  The main feature of your job will be to act as the Club’s liaison to the sub-contractor group from Leadville, to make sure things are going smoothly, and to take creative actions to straighten things out if they’re not.  Bring warm clothing, a hat and gloves.

8.      *MECHANICAL SUPPORT DRIVERS: SATURDAY, ~6 AM – 5 PM.  (Need 8-10 volunteers)  SAG drivers patrol a section of the route to help riders who have mechanical or physical problems. No experience is necessary, but some basic bike maintenance skills are a plus.  You will be provided with some supplies and a first aid kit, but you will be expected to provide a floor tire pump.  There  will also be a professional bike mechanic at each rest stop in case of serious mechanical difficulties. You should also be prepared to take riders and their bikes to the nearest rest stop, when they are unable to make it on their own or if they have minor injuries.  Plan to stay in Buena Vista on Friday night so you can arrive at your work location in time for the start of your shift.  You will need to have seating for at least three other people in your car as well as a way to transport two or more bikes. You need to have a working 12 volt outlet in your vehicle to allow for a HAM radio operator to ride along with you. This is a full day commitment.  There’s also an option for a couple of SAG volunteers to ride their bikes on the Mineral Belt loop, to help riders with minor mechanical problems or injuries.

9.      POST RIDER PARTY AND MEAL AT McPHELEMY PARK IN BUENA VISTA:  SATURDAY ~11 AM – 6 PM.  (Need 8-10 volunteers at a time)  Party starts at about 11 AM.  You can volunteer for as much time as you’d like to spend here, but please commit to at least two hours.  You might be asked to help check riders in as they arrive for the party by marking their wrist band.  You’ll give them their meal and drink tickets, an empty beer glass, and collect the entry fee for any non-riders.  You will also help to make sure no one leaves the enclosed area with an open beer container (as required by the liquor license).  You might be asked to help pour beer.  And if you’ve volunteered to be there at the end of the day, you’ll also be expected to help clean up after party, which involves taking down the perimeter fence and rolling it up, moving the traffic barriers and stacking them in a pile, taking down the tents, and helping to carry the picnic tables and trash cans back to where they belong in the park.  Please indicate which shift(s) you’d like to volunteer for:

• *Full day:  11 AM – 6 PM
• 11 AM – 1 PM.
• NOON – 2 PM.  You can volunteer on Saturday afternoon even if you register and do the ride.
• 2-4 PM.  You can volunteer on Saturday afternoon even if you register and do the ride.
• 4-6 PM.  You can volunteer on Saturday afternoon even if you register and do the ride.