Organisers of the UK's Halfords Tour Series are looking for volunteers to help out at their eight urban road races this summer. People are needed to marshal each circuit at crossing points and other strategic locations.
Every volunteer will receive a goody bag, while the ‘star volunteer’ will win a VIP experience for two to the Tour of Britain this September. Marshals will be needed from 1pm at each round. The series kicks off on Tuesday 24 May on the tough cobbled climbs of Durham.
"I'd like to thank everyone who volunteers to be a part of this year's Halfords Tour Series," said technical director Mick Bennett. "Volunteers are an integral part of cycling in this country, and without people giving up their time to assist in the running of events there wouldn't be such a diverse range of cycling events."
Ten teams will battle it out in this year's series, which was won last year by Motorpoint-Marshalls Pasta. Races take place every Tuesday and Thursday throughout May and June. This year the tour will visit Wales (Aberystwyth) for the first time, with the final round held at Canary Wharf in London on 16 June.
“From Durham to Canary Wharf, we can once again expect a thrilling and action packed four weeks of racing from Britain’s top professional cycling teams," said Bennett. "This year the Halfords Tour Series really is too close to call, so spectators at all eight rounds should expect to see some more of the very close and exciting racing with which the series has become synonymous.”
New for 2011 is the Johnson Health Tech Women's Grand Series, which will take place at four of the rounds – Peterborough, Stoke-on-Trent, Oldham and Woking – bringing top-class women's racing to the series for the first time.
The full schedule of the 2011 Halfords Tour Series is as follows:
- Round One - Tuesday 24 May, Durham
- Round Two - Thursday 26 May, Aberystwyth
- Round Three - Tuesday 31 May, Peterborough
- Round Four - Thursday 2 June, Colchester
- Round Five - Tuesday 7 June, Stoke-on-Trent
- Round Six - Thursday 9 June, Oldham
- Round Seven - Tuesday 14 June, Woking
- Round Eight - Thursday 16 June, Canary Wharf
To apply to be a volunteer, email info@thetour.co.uk stating the venue you want to volunteer at (in the subject line of the email), along with your name and contact number. For more information, visit www.tourseries.co.uk.
