Stage 1 Volunteers

Today's the day …………………….. for crowd control

This is the willing band of folk that volunteered today to help steward Stage 1 of the Tour of Britain Cycle Race.  That's me on the extreme right of the picture - and it's probably the closest I'll ever get to passing under a cycle race 'Finish Gantry''.

They gave us our t-shirts, hi-vis vests and whistles - and walked us around the route of the race through the town.  We were instructed on crowd control and what we could do to ensure that the general public stayed safe - and then allocated a place to stand.  Fortunately, quite a few of the volunteers had done it all before and could give a guiding hand.

It was all great fun - and a bit of treat to play a part in the whole event.  I suppose the only downside was that you didn't get to see the actual race finish.  But there was plenty to compensate for that - Mark Cavendish asked where his team bus was and Dave Brailsford said 'hello'.

And I can watch it all on TV tonight ………………………!