24..25-Sep-22
One September weekend I volunteered in support of the Multiple Sclerosis City-to-Shore Ride (AKA MS150), a fundraising event involving bicyclists riding from Cherry Hill, NJ to Ocean City, NJ. I didn’t do the riding, but I supported the event as a radio communications volunteer. I was assigned to a checkpoint about midway through the ride in the pine barrens of southern New Jersey.
About the event – It is a bicycle ride that started on a Saturday morning in Cherry Hill, NJ. It ended late that afternoon in Ocean City, NJ. If one ‘does the math’, one finds that the course is ~77 miles in length. Each bicyclist is a volunteer, giving of their time and bicycling endurance to ‘go the distance’, to raise money to support research to find that cure for Multiple Sclerosis. The scope of the event is far and wide enough that mishaps can occur and no one would even witness them.
Why do this? – What would drive a person to voluntarily place themself out there like that? For those just learning about Amateur Radio, one discovers that helping in public events like this is a reward unto itself. For those who’ve ‘been there and done that’, one can also testify as to the quiet yet essential roles played in providing a public service. The role of the Amateur Radio Operator placed on the course brings a level of safety to the event, especially since the area covered is far greater than that of a football field.
My experience – The weather was perfect for the riders both days! September can be like that, sunny, but not crazy hot, and dry. While they were moving along, the bicyclists created their own cooling breeze.
One could say that southern New Jersey is ideal for bicycle training, because it is quite flat. I’ve seen teams of riders in formation flying by, moving along near the pace of an automobile, shouting instructions to each other and covering some miles. Over the 77 mile length of the course, the elevation is quite mild, peaking out at 125′ above sea level, but for the most part settling around 45′ above sea level. Perfect for bicycling!
My job was to keep an eye on the bicyclists, looking for any with mechanical problems, injuries, anything that could hamper one’s path to the end. In the spot I was placed I could see ‘up and down the line’ far enough to watch for trouble.
One would expect these riders to be fit, to be fast and to be ready to race! However, it’s not really a race, but rather a ride. The ultimate goal here is to raise money for MS research.
Both days were awesome!
If this interests you – There are resources you can look into to see if this would be something to consider a future event: