Over the weekend of May 14 and 15, 2011, over 40 amateur radio volunteers devoted their weekend to provide support for 1352 cyclists in the annual bikeMS Citrus Tour. The tour, an annual fundraiser for the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, raised nearly $900,000 to fund MS research, and provide support services for those in Central Florida living with the disease. I have volunteered on the ride since 2006, and served on the organizing committee since 2008.
For those of you who volunteered for the Virginia Dare tours in the 1990’s, this is a similar event, but larger. The 2011 Citrus Tour began in Lake Wales, Florida at Bok Tower, one of the highest points in the state, traversing rural roads and highways, to the edge of the tourist sector of Orlando, where we finished at the Caribe Royale Resort, just a few miles from the Disney area. Riders chose from three Saturday courses (50, 75, 100 miles) and two Sunday courses (50 and 75 miles). All routes have the same start and finish points, but the longer routes take more twists and turns between the start and finish. It’s not a race; it doesn’t matter if a rider finishes at 10:00am, or 4:30pm.
Year after year, amateur radio plays an increasing role in the support and execution of the event. We provide fixed communications to each of the seven rest stops along the way. A fleet of rover and SAG vehicles continually patrol the route, providing assistance for bike and/or rider. Even the delivery trucks (as many as possible) are operated by hams, to provide more rapid deployment of supplies. Event directors are shadowed by amateur radio operators, to keep them more informed of the action on the course.
As a volunteer, I had often wondered what it would be like to ride the course on two wheels. For the first time in 2009, I did just that. Not wanting to be left out of a volunteer role, we created the position of Ride Marshal. In 2009 and 2010, two of us provided additional eyes on the course, giving a unique perspective along the way. In 2011, we grew from two riders, to seven. With different route selections and riding skills, we provided valuable additional coverage on the course.
All of this is coordinated from the starting line in Lake Wales. Over 80% of the course is within Polk County, the largest county in Florida. For the past several years, not only have we had the support of Polk County ARES, but we are privileged to have the support of Polk County Emergency Management, who generously provide their mobile command post trailer, for our exclusive use that weekend. Inside the trailer, we had direct 800MHz communication with Polk EM, if law enforcement or EMS transport was required. We also had access by phone to liaisons in the other two counties we would pass through (Osceola and Orange). In another part of the CP, staff from AMR maintained constant contact with their personnel, keeping them close to the riders, should a medical emergency arise.
More importantly, we were on the amateur bands, until the last rider crossed the finish line each day. Between the WC4PEM repeater in Polk County (444.950), and the K4ZPZ repeater in Orlando (443.100), we had seamless, blanket coverage throughout the entire course–even for those of us with little more than an HT clipped to our Camelbak packs.
Each year, we also increase the number of on-course volunteers with APRS. Each year, we have even more appreciation for the value of APRS. With APRS apps now available for a number of smartphones, more people had the opportunity to make their presence known on a map than ever before. Our APRS visibility was more than double that of last year.
We’ve come a long way in the last three years, when we first started using the Net Control structure that we currently have. It’s greatly improved our response times in all areas of support, and provided valuable assistance to the National MS Society. Some society officials have also earned their own amateur licenses, and were able to directly participate in our net this year.
We work to make each year better than the last. We’re going to add even more on-air support next year, and improve our communications structure to comfortably take on the increased traffic. With a Net Control who runs a VERY tight ship, we’re able to handle a lot of traffic, but we’re still reaching critical mass. We’ll have a plan in place in time for next year’s ride.
I don’t know how many other similar events have the level of amateur radio support that we do. I can’t imagine an event of this size without it. With a pool of dedicated volunteers who come back year after year, alongside many new volunteers, it’s never hard to put a good team together. We love what we do, we’re proud to do it, and when it’s over, we’re already planning for next year.
Oh, and for anyone that is curious, I completed 90 miles in this year’s ride, over the two days.
(Note: Pictures will be posted, once I get the privileges to do so.)
