Even with minimally supported brevets there is a need for volunteers to staff the start/finish zone and rare intermediate controls along the route. What follows is some information about volunteering and worker's rides.

Ready to volunteer? Submit the Volunteer signup form

Volunteering questions? Contact the Volunteer Coordinator for information.

Volunteering

For each brevet there are a number of tasks that can be filled. All jobs are very simple but critical to the success of our events. Here are some brief descriptions about the most common jobs we have:

• Start Control: We always need people to check the riders in and distribute brevet cards. Things work better if we have more than one volunteer, and some of those volunteers will be free to ride the brevet as well after the riders are checked in. You can read the Volunteer Procedures for the Start Control


• Pt. Reyes Lighthouse control: We list the Pt. Reyes Lighthouse 200km once or twice a year. Volunteers here would pick up gear at the ride start in SF, then drive out to Point Reyes Lighthouse for a shift that runs roughly from 9am to 1pm.


• Secret Controls: Some of our brevets have secret controls at some point out on the course.


• Intermediate campground support on the Mendocino Coast 600, and bag drop: This is a multi day committment and involves camping at a campground and supporting the riders on their return from Fort Bragg. Bag drop involves picking up gear at the ride start and taking it to the campground and back. The tasks can be broken up.


• All Day Contact: A job you can do from the comfort of your home. All you need is a phone. Volunteers and riders alike might need to call in to relay information about DNS or DNF status or Volunteer status. We use a Google Voice number to recieve calls and print that phone number on the cue sheets sent electronically to riders just before the brevet. You will receive instructions from the Volunteer Coordinator for the event to set Google Voice to forward calls to a number of your choice.


• Finish Control: There will always be multiple shifts for this task, more shifts when the brevets are longer. Our goal is to have at least two volunteers per shift. Riders return in bunches so it is usually long quiet periods punctuated by a short burst of activity when a rider pack arrives. You can read the Volunteer Procedures for the Finish Control


• Runners: Sometimes we need people to buy and deliver groceries, supplies and/or equipment. This can be on the day of the brevet or at somepoint both before and after the brevet.

San Francisco Randonneurs covers the expenses for registered volunteers incurred when performing volunteer duties in support of the riders. Examples would be bridge tolls, purchase of requested supplies, gas for travel to and from a remote intermediate control, permit fees.

Volunteers who can complete their tasks and ride the brevet on the date scheduled, or who ride a worker's ride do not need to pay the registration fee for that brevet. See below for details on SFR worker's rides.

Worker's rides

In order to encourage volunteering, on an as needed basis SFR can offer worker's rides so that volunteers can both support the ride on brevet day, and also ride and earn credit for completing the brevet. RUSA has rules and guidelines for holding these worker's rides. Here are some of those rules:

Volunteers shouldn't be put at a disadvantage when it comes to riding brevets. In order to support volunteering, on an as needed basis SFR may offer worker's rides so that volunteers can both support the ride on brevet day, and also ride to earn credit for completing the brevet. Worker's rides are set up to meet the following criteria, so that volunteers who complete the ride can earn RUSA credit (and ACP credit where appropriate):

• Worker's rides must be held within the 15 days prior to the date of the actual brevet. (No post-brevet worker's rides.) Dates for Worker's Rides are at the discretion of the RBA.


• Worker's rides are held for the benefit of brevet date volunteers. Worker's rides are not held simply because the actual brevet date is inconvenient for some riders.


• To avoid any conflict with RUSA brevet rules regarding support outside of controls, all riders must be riding the worker's ride for credit.


• Riders should register with the SFR Volunteer Coordinator (or RBA) to secure a volunteer assignment before the worker's ride date.


• Results from the worker's ride will be submitted as if participants rode on the scheduled day of the brevet.


• A rider can not do the worker's ride one day, and then ride a different brevet or permanent within the same time frame as the original brevet (no two ride credits for one day).

If you are interested in volunteering contact the SFR Volunteer Coordinator for information.