4,500 volunteers needed for Amgen Tour of California!

More Than 4,500 Volunteers Needed for May Event from Velonews.com

LOS ANGELES (January 27, 2010) – Volunteer opportunities for the 2010 Amgen Tour of California are now posted online at the official race Web site, www.amgentourofcalifornia.com . Anyone wishing to volunteer for an opportunity to participate in the fifth-annual cycling race can apply online for positions, including hospitality, volunteer course marshals, security, and media operations, among others.

Considered cycling’s most important and successful road race in the United States, some of America’s most accomplished cyclists, including Lance Armstrong, Levi Leipheimer, Dave Zabriskie and George Hincapie have already committed to participating in the 2010 Amgen Tour of California. The fifth edition of the annual race will travel to 16 host cities throughout the state over the course of eight days from May 16-23, including the very first mountaintop finish in race history. The eight-day race will begin in Nevada City and travel by some of the state’s most scenic landmarks, with the overall finish taking place in Thousand Oaks.

“The support of the volunteers in the local communities that the Amgen Tour of California travels through is essential to the success of the race,” said Andrew Messick, president of AEG Sports, presenter of the race. “Getting involved with the race as a volunteer allows local residents to take part in an event that captures the attention of local communities and the world, in addition to witnessing first-hand in the behind-the-scenes planning involved in an event of this stature.”

More than 4,500 volunteers in communities throughout the state participated in last year’s race, making it seamless and successful from start to finish, and solidifying it as the largest sporting event in the state of California. In each of the start and finish cities, as many as 350 local volunteers were recruited to help staff the race.

The majority of volunteers are needed to serve as volunteer course marshals, providing support for the 75 professional course marshals that travel with the tour and support the local law enforcement authorities in each city. Course marshal volunteers have an opportunity to be on the race route, close to the cyclists, with responsibility for monitoring pedestrian traffic, barricades and road closures.

Volunteer positions for the 2010 Amgen Tour of California include:
Volunteer Course Marshals – Assist with the coordination and safety of the fans and participants in a designated area along the race course
Media – Assist with distribution of media credentials, media hospitality, media operations press room management, media liaisons and press events
Security – Assist Tour security staff with access-control, including on-course, hospitality, awards and special events
Site Decoration/Restoration – Assist with installation and clean up of banners
Lifestyle Festival EXPO – Assist Tour Lifestyle Festival staff with EXPO coordination – guide vendors and exhibitors to their tents for set-up; assist with festival logistics as needed; and assist with marketing activities in EXPO
Sweepstakes Surveyors – Ensure that Festival guests are aware of the Tour Sweepstakes opportunities, as well as all of the amenities of the festival
Volunteer Check-in – Assist LOC volunteer coordinator with set-up, check-in/registration and deployment
Volunteers must be over the age of 18 or accompanied by an adult. The online sign-up form offers volunteers the opportunity to rank their top-three job preferences, and every attempt is made to match volunteers to their area of interest. Shortly after filling out the online form, volunteers will be contacted by the local organizing committee for further information.

Dates of the 2010 Amgen Tour of California:
Stage 1: Sunday, May 16 – Nevada City to Sacramento
Stage 2: Monday, May 17 – Davis to Santa Rosa
Stage 3: Tuesday, May 18 – San Francisco to Santa Cruz
Stage 4: Wednesday, May 19 – San Jose to Modesto
Stage 5: Thursday, May 20 – Visalia to Bakersfield
Stage 6: Friday, May 21 – Pasadena to Big Bear Lake
Stage 7: Saturday, May 22 – Los Angeles (individual time trial)
Stage 8: Sunday, May 23 – Thousand Oaks/Westlake Village/Agoura Hills

For additional information on volunteering for the 2010 Amgen Tour of California, please visit www.AmgenTourofCalifornia.com/Tour/volunteer.

Comments Needed for L.A. City Bike Plan

(As posted from SHARE 2010/01/03)

WIIFM? The city and county of Los Angeles is backing away from their support of mountain biking, and are relenting to pressure from equestrian groups that horses and bikes "don't mix". Your voice has effect in this issue, please respond to the links below.It's easy to feel unaffected by this, but as access is lost in one area others fall easier.

The draft Los Angeles City Bike Plan was recently released and mountain bicyclists should be concerned with the direction it has taken. We need comments not only from L.A.-based riders, but from anyone who has positive stories about relationships with equestrians and other trail users on California trails.

Public comments can be submitted online or via postal mail, and are due before Jan. 8, 2010.

Here are some suggested talking points:

1. Somewhere in L.A. City Parks there should be opportunities for mountain bicyclists -- it's bad public policy that all dirt roads and trails are closed to bikes.
2. Bicycling is a positive, safe, health-promoting activity for people of all ages and should be encouraged with both natural-surface and paved riding opportunities.
3. The 2009 plan should incorporate the 1996 bicycle plan language that called for pilot projects and a gradual increase in mountain bike opportunities in the parks.
4. Bicyclists safely share trails with other trail users, including equestrians, all around the globe.
5. Mountain biking is a sustainable, manageable and appropriate activity for L.A. parks -- it works in dozens of other cities so why not ours?

Additional Information

For several years, anti-bike groups have mobilized to perpetuate the bicycle ban in LA City Parks. An older 1996 bike plan proposed a gradual increase in mountain bike opportunities, but they were never enacted. The new plan abandons those proposals and focuses instead on studies and research.

An analysis of the plan (PDF) published by the Concerned Off-Road Bicyclists Association (CORBA), is available online.

At public meetings related to the plan, anti-bike equestrians have testified that bikes and horses simply don't mix and that even separate trails for bikes and horses won't work because bicyclists won't follow rules. Most of the opposition has been from equestrians who ride in Griffith Park, many from the nearby cities of Glendale and Burbank. Griffith would be a great place to bike, especially for locals, but bicycle advocates have not asked for Griffith specifically. We've asked for some trails somewhere, but the anti-bike groups' response has essentially been, "No, nowhere, never."

You can submit comments online via the link at the top of this page, or by mail on or before Jan. 8, 2010.

City of Los Angeles, Department of City Planning
Attn:Jordann Turner
200 N. Spring Street, Room 721
Los Angeles CA 90012
jordann.turner@lacity.org

For further information, contact Jim Hasenauer at imbajim@aol.com