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The Michigander Bicycle Tour

Mon July 13 - Sat July 18 Traverse City, MI 49686 US Directions

Volunteer Inquiry

At least 34 more volunteers needed.

Details

We are delighted that you are interested in volunteering your time, talent and energy to The Michigander Bicycle Tour, presented by Michigan Trails & Greenways Alliance.

The Michigander Bicycle Tour serves to promote the sport of cycling while benefiting Michigan Trails.

This year, we will host the 29th ride from July 13-18, which takes 500-800 cyclists on a one, two or six-day ride on trails and roads through Northwest Michigan on a Tour of the Two Peninsulas. Riders will explore Old Mission and Leelanau Peninsulas, Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore and Crystal Mountain, enjoying the towns of Traverse City, Suttons Bay, Frankfort, Empire, Glen Arbor, Lake Ann and Thompsonville. This Tour draws upon the efforts of up to 50 volunteers to assist and support cyclists in their challenge to successfully complete the ride.

If you have never volunteered for The Michigander, surf this website to get an idea of what the ride is all about.

Volunteer Positions include:

General Volunteer Crew

Site Management

Vehicle Fleet Management:::

SAG Management

Health, Wellness & Bike Repair

Communications

Route Management

Volunteer Resources

Food and Beverage

To be considered, please fill out this registration form and note this does not confirm your volunteer registration has been approved. We will notify all applicants by March 1, 2019 for available openings.

Location

The Michigander will have two base camps and volunteers will be needed at both.

Traverse City
We will be camping at the Grand Traverse County Civic Center, 1213 W Civic Center Dr, Traverse City, MI 49686.

Frankfort
We will be camping at Frankfort High School, 534 11th St, Frankfort, MI 49635.

General Volunteer Crew

You must be 18 or older to volunteer for this task.

At least 15 more volunteers needed.

Details

This role is for those who are able to assist and jump in on any number of tasks. It is best for a veteran Michigander volunteer or those who have volunteered on other multi-day bicycle tours.

Location

All

Resources Needed

Registration Set Up - 6 - 8
Registration-Check-In - 4 - 6
Merchandise - 4 - 8
Parking - 2 - 4
General Crew - 4 - 8

Site Management

At least 1 more volunteer needed.

Details

Main and Assistant Site Coordinators: The main site coordinator ensures all details of the camp are in order. Must be detail oriented, have previous Michigander Volunteer experience, have a take charge approach and be an early riser.

Assistant Site Coordinators: work under the direction of the main site coordinator to ensure all details of the camp are in order.

The main goal of both positions is to ensure the camp venue is prepped and ready for riders. This role is typically very busy interacting with the ride director, schools/campgrounds/kitchen staff, VeloSante Cycling Services, Shower Truck crew, PortaJohn Delivery Crews and riders. The assistant provides support. No previous Michigander Volunteer experience necessary, just a kind demeanor, willing to take direction, and good at multitasking with a great sense of humor.

Location

Dates and Locations:

#1: Noon, Sunday, July 12- to 11:00 a.m. Wed., July 15, Grand Traverse County Civic Center

#2: 9:00 a.m. Wed. July 15 - Sat. July 18 11:00 a.m., Frankfort High School




Resources Needed

Site Coordinator - 2
Assitant Site Coordinator - 2

Vehicle Fleet Management

At least 1 more volunteer needed.

Details

We have many vehicles in the fleet for The Michigander Bicycle Tour

Fleet
2-3 15 ft. Luggage Trucks with ramps
1 15 ft. Supply Truck with lift
1 SAG Sweep/Route Checking Vehicle, ensuring riders have what they need and checking in at SAG Stops to give breaks and marking the route out of the venues nightly and placing signs when necessary at eye level for the cyclists along the route.

Positions:
Luggage Truck Drivers: two to three luggage trucks for camping gear/duffle bags and set up gear during the Michigander, generally a 15 ft. or larger Enterprise Rental Truck. Truck drivers will assist with loading and unloading the luggage trucks for the riders during set up and tear down at each site. Drivers are responsible for prepping the trucks in the morning and arriving to camp no later than 11:00 a.m. when moving from one camp to another. Once the last bags find their way into the truck and the site coordinator gives the all clear, you will drive to the next overnight site and again direct riders in unloading the truck. This position is for someone who does not want to ride daily or would like a day off from riding.

Luggage Porters: two people per luggage truck to load duffles for cyclists on the mornings we depart for the next town.

Supply Truck Driver: this position will will work with the site coordinator and general volunteer crew to ensure all camp signs, cell phone charging stations, water horse, etc are loaded for the next camp. Then, when the site coordinator gives the clear, this truck will be the first in the fleet to depart for the next camp to meet the next site coordinator to unload and set up camp. This person will not ride on the days we move to a new camp.

SAG Sweep Vehicle: This position requires the driver to use their vehicle to patrol the route, check in with the SAG Stops and coordinate any rider needs/issues with the Mobile Bike Repair or First Aid Team. Best to have a bike pump, quick repair kit and bike rack on the vehicle. Best with two in the vehicle, one to drive and one to man the Zello app on your mobile device to communicate with Base Camp. We will reimburse driver (s) for gas and lunch.

Route Checking Vehicle: This position heads out afternoon prior to the next day’s ride to check on the road markings, freshen road markings where needed and, mark the route out of the venues. If needed, this crew will place supplied signs where necessary for the cyclists along the route. Best for a team of two, will need to be able to climb in and out of pick-up truck/van, lift, bend and insert signs/markers into the ground. This position is best for two people who do not intend to ride every day on the tour and may be split between several teams. Once the route is checked and complete, this person will communicate to Base Camp and the Ride Director any issues that were found and confirm the route markings are good to go by dinner the day before the next day's ride.

Must have a clean driving record. If you have CDL, that would be fantastic, however it is not required.

Location

Lansing, MI: staff supply truck(s), route check pick up truck

Grand Traverse County Civic Center, Tuesday afternoon, delivery of 2-3 three luggage trucks, need 2-3 drivers for Wednesday morning.

Wednesday morning to Frankfort

Saturday morning to Traverse City, MI, leave luggage trucks for pick up. Supply truck loaded to drive back to Lansing.

Route checking and SAG sweeps occur daily.

Resources Needed

Luggage Truck #1 - 1 - 2
Luggage Truck #2 - 1 - 2
Luggage Truck #3 - 1 - 2
Route Marking Vehicle - 2
Main Supply Truck - 1

SAG & SAG Management

At least 8 more volunteers needed.

Details

SAG: Sets up rest stops along the route and provide water, snacks, first aid supplies and support for riders during their ride. Will need cell phone to communicate with other SAG stops, Water Truck and Roving SAGs. Must depart camp early to arrive at SAG on time for the first riders passing through. All SAG volunteers will also be responsible to carry filled water containers with them prior to leaving camp as well as additional ice (may pick up along the way from Speedway or other gas stations that carry ice) to their SAG. Time slots will be determined by SAG Coordinator.

SAG Distribution: All SAG Volunteers will check in with this person in the morning each day to pick up refreshments for their SAG. This position requires getting up early, filling water jugs with ice, distributing an assorted variety of KIND bars, fresh fruit, snacks and peanut butter and jelly sandwiches (**fruit and sandwiches will be provided by school or catering staff by 7:00 a.m. each morning, only SAG #3 will receive sandwiches).

SAG Volunteers are required to wash water jugs daily upon returning to camp and then return them to the SAG Distribution Volunteer each evening so they may be filled with ice in the morning (we realize it may be problematic at Leland).

Roving SAG Support: Drivers that are willing to be mobile for the majority of the day, traveling from SAG stop to SAG stop to help SAG Staff, give breaks to SAG Staff and support riders that are broken down or need assistance. It is not necessary to be able to fix bikes, but a bike rack or vehicle to carry riders and their bikes to the nearest SAG is required.

Motorcycle SAG: The primary function will be cruising the route, looking for riders that may need assistance and providing fresh ice water and snacks in a pinch to cyclists that need it. This person will need a smart phone and must download the Zello App for communicating, the ability to carry a 5 gallon water container filled with ice and water and refill it when necessary along the route. We will provide snacks, ice, water, camping, breakfast and dinner daily. Must be available to ride all day from 9am-4pm, or in shifts from either 8am until Noon or Noon until 4pm each day traveling from SAG stop to SAG stop to check in, giving breaks to SAG Staff and supporting riders that need ice water along the route before reaching a SAG Stop, or need assistance by calling for assistance to the mobile bike repair or notifying the First Aid Team if someone needs help. In the event of an emergency, knowing when it is time to call 911. All bikers must wear a helmet.

*Gas, approved SAG supplies and lunch (up to $11 per person, no alcohol) will be reimbursed. Keep receipts to submit with your expense report. Checks are cut and mailed for reimbursements within two weeks after the ride.

**If there are breakfast items (such as fruit and pastries) left over after 8:30 a.m., either the last SAG heading out, or a Roving SAG will carry them forward to be distributed at SAG Stops.

Location

We will provide all of the following for SAG Volunteers, and SAG Volunteer Vehicles must have enough space to carry all of their items in their vehicle upon departure each morning. These are sample SAG foods that will change as the tour progresses:

SAG #1: Ice, Ice Water, Gatorade, Assorted Granola Bars, Bananas, Grapes, Pretzels, Peanut Butter, Twizzlers

SAG #2: Ice, Ice Water, Gatorade, Assorted Granola Bars, Peanut Butter/Cheese Crackers, Fig Newtons, Cut Fruit: Assorted Melons, Seasonal Fruit and any leftover breakfast items when available.

SAG #3: Ice, Ice Water, NUUN, Gatorade, Assorted KIND Bars, Animal Crackers/Vanilla Wafers, Fruit Snacks (Single Serve Applesauce, Raisin Packets, Dried Fruit) Smarties, Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwiches (provided by school/catering crew)

SAG #4 will emulate SAG #1

SAG Totes: one for each SAG:
Clorox Wipes, Hand Sanitizer, Large Trays for Cut Fruit, Paper Towels, Food Service Gloves, 13 Gallon Garbage Bags, Method or Watkins Cleaning Spray (non-toxic), First Aid Kit, Bug Spray, Cotton Towels, Suncreen, Bike Pump, Basic Bike Tool Kit, Water Key

Roving SAGs will collect pin markers and route signs from the start of the ride as they move forward. This will ensure no pin markers or signs are left behind at the close of each day's ride (may begin approximately 2 hours after last rider has headed out of camp, until 4pm, or when final SAG closes for the day).

Resources Needed

SAG #1 - 2 - 4
SAG #2 - 2 - 4
SAG #3 - 2 - 4
Roving SAG - 2 - 4
SAG Supply Distribution - 2 - 4

Health, Wellness & Bike Repair

At least 10 more volunteers needed.

Details

First Aid Team: Trained medical professionals needed to assist cyclists and offer on-call first aid support in case of injury. Please note, all First Aid Team volunteers in this role should have CPR training and/or a medical background.

SAG Sweep: SAG Sweeps play a crucial role in keeping the ride running smoothly and safely, this if for experienced cyclists who traverse the route providing assistance to riders along the way. Must be an incredibly experienced rider who lives to ride more miles than anyone else on any given day and have an innate understanding of how to identify riders who may be stressed and need to rest.

Massage Therapists: Provide scheduled post ride sports massage therapy each day for fee.

Location

All

Resources Needed

First Aid - 4 - 8
SAG Sweep - 4 - 8
Massage - 1 - 2
Mobile Bike Repair - 1 - 2

Communications

At least 1 more volunteer needed.

Details

Evening Updates: This position will give updates in select locations each evening during dinner at 6:00 sharp to run down the next days route and any changes, answer rider questions and share highlights for the next days ride. Must be comfortable with public speaking, experienced using a microphone and able to set up and tear down a small PA System. Set up and tear down should take 5-10 minutes, with the route overview limited to 15-30 minutes for presentation and the Q&A.

Information Hub: This is where riders get all ride information during the tour. Maps of the route, map updates, things to do, places to eat and more concierge services. The Information Hub will need to be set up by noon each day and staffed from 6:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m., then again the following morning during breakfast to answer rider questions. When we are in towns for more than one day, the Information Hub will be set up throughout our stay and then taken down at 9:00 a.m or earlier if the last riders have left camp, and sent to the next camp with the Supply Truck.

Evening: 6:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.

Ground Control: This role is acts as radio dispatch during the ride each day. They will communicate via the Zello App on their smartphone as 'Base', which means all volunteers will report to this person so that they can dispatch First Aid, Roving SAGs, SAG Sweeps, and Mobile Bicycle Repair to cyclists and communicate directly with SAG Volunteers to keep them updated and informed and vice versa. We are looking for two volunteers to rotate shifts that have experience with dispatch and very calm communication skills. This is a stationary position, the dispatcher will manage the ride and the ride phone line will ring to their cell phone to assist riders in the event of breakdowns, getting lost and other situations. It is best if those volunteering for this position have experience with The Michigander and the Michigander Volunteer Crew.

Location

All

Resources Needed

Evening Updates - 1 - 2
Information Hub - 1 - 2
Ground Control - 1 - 2

Route Management

At least 8 more volunteers needed.

Details

Route Marking: The week prior to the ride, marking the entire route with pin markers. Must be available overnight, accommodations will be provided.

Route Checking: checking route markings the afternoon prior to the next day's ride, posting pin markers that have gone missing. Includes posting signs when needed for turns, bends, etc to ensure rider confidence and safety. Vehicle will be provided. Must be able to lift, bend, use stakes and drive for long periods of time. Requires two people, one to drive, the other to mark.

Location

All

Resources Needed

Pre-Ride Route Marking - 4 - 8
Ride Route Marking - 4 - 8

Volunteer Resources

At least 1 more volunteer needed.

Details

Volunteer Coordinator: this role will assist with ensuring volunteers are on time for their assigned tasks and will be the point person on the ride for all volunteers to answer questions. They will assist with volunteer training, distribution of volunteer resources; including ride maps, information guides, area hospital/medical center lists, "road bibles" and scheduling. They will schedule a person to give volunteers a break and assist volunteers as needed throughout the ride. All volunteers will rely on this person's expertise and demeanor to maintain the wellness of the volunteers overall throughout the ride.

Requirements: Must be experienced as a volunteer coordinator, great organizational skills, calm, have a great sense of humor and able to think fast on the fly. This is a position for the person who views life with the glass half full and is able to manage people impeccably with grace.

Volunteer Manual: this team will assist with writing, editing and reviewing the Volunteer Manual.

Location

All

Resources Needed

Volunteer Coordinator - 1

Food and Beverage

You must be 23 or older to volunteer for this task.

At least 1 more volunteer needed.

Details

Food & Beverage Manager: This role will facilitate communication between the dining area and the kitchen, including checking in with food services and catering personnel to ensure they are on time, have what they need, and that all food is labeled and ready to go on the buffet line and that catering staff are set to serve the food on the line before letting the riders proceed.

Once you have received the all ready from the chef, then you will announce breakfast or dinner is served to the riders. You will also stay on during the meal to keep an eye on the flow and guide the riders when necessary to appropriate lines for food, oversee customer service, making sure riders are greeted, and receive proper service. It is important that this volunteer act as a host/hostess for the riders answering questions about the meal and the ride ahead.

Restaurant or customer service experience is preferred along with a calm demeanor with a great sense of humor. Must be able to think quickly and come up with solutions on the fly so that everything is runs as seamless as possible for the catering staff and the riders.

This person will gently ensure riders are not going into the kitchen or interfacing with catering staff as food is being set up and refilled throughout the meal.

Location

All

Resources Needed

Breakfast - 1 - 2
Dinner - 1 - 2

Ride Info Activities/Add-Ons Volunteer
Things to Know Jerseys
Amenities Donate

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