Cycle Marshall
I wasn’t racing at the weekend. I was standing on the middle of a roundabout near Kingston Bagpuize with a fluorescent yellow jacket. It was a 10 mile time trial organised by Oxonian CC. My club is too small to organise a race, so I try and marshal once a year for my second claim club Oxonian CC.
It’s an interesting experience standing on traffic island on a dual carriageway. Firstly, you get so many different reactions from motorists.
There are quite a few boy racers who seem to see a roundabout as a chicane on a motor racing circuit. They certainly don’t see the cycle marshall as they burn the rubber off their tyres accelerating away so they can save a few seconds entering the traffic jam to get into Oxford.
There are quite a few motorists who actually smile or wave as if there happy to see someone standing in the middle of a roundabout – especially those in hippie style vans, they always seem to wave.
Quite a few motorists manage to negotiate the roundabout whilst either speaking on their mobile phone or having an argument with their passenger. The funny thing is that those who drive with mobile phones are always driving faster than anyone else!
One motorist, was really angry with me. He was shouting something at me – though his window was wound up so unfortunately, I couldn’t hear his wise words of counsel. Maybe he had to wait two seconds to pass a cyclist further down the road or maybe he was just annoyed that I was standing on his favourite traffic island. Whatever the reason I smiled and wished him a pleasant journey.
The cyclists are also quite interesting. Some old timers actually say hi to you as they go round the roundabout very slowly. I think there just happy to get half way. The quicker rides come round gasping for breath, as if they are on their last legs. The trikes are pretty cool, they have to lean over bike so the bike doesn’t topple over.
So much fun you can have standing on a traffic island! – Mind you I was glad it wasn’t a 12 hour time trial…..
“There are quite a few motorists who actually smile or wave as if there happy to see someone standing in the middle of a roundabout – especially those in hippie style vans, they always seem to wave”
Brilliant