Clydesider: Photo Team at the Sir Chris Hoy Velodrome

I feel so overwhelmed by my experience volunteering at the velodrome for the Commonwealth Games that I'm resorting to a series of vignettes rather than a narrative!

The Photo Team volunteers were, without exception, fantastic people: really friendly and conscientious. Our manager really helped to make an 'experience' out of our work, from a team photo by Tom Jenkins (yes, that Tom Jenkins) to a picture with Chris Hoy:

Photo: Tom Jenkins (!!)

I'm not sure if Chris Hoy knew that Cav (the photo manager, not the venue) had arranged for us to be in the picture too as he seemed a bit surprised when the green-bibbed people leapt onto the rostrum with him. In typically cool Hoy style he simply greeted us with 'Hey guys!' and kept posing. But then he had had someone leap into his taxi for a selfie at traffic lights that morning...

Then there was the Jonathan Edwards Shirt Change. On the first morning we were standing in the infield an hour or so before the spectators were due in when I saw a movement and looked up to see Jonathan Edwards taking his shirt off. I've been a fan of his since he came to my school about 18yrs ago and gave an inspirational talk on athletics (and God, but it was the athletics that stuck). Anyway, let me just say, he's still in great shape. The next day there was no shirt change, so I complained...

And on the last day my team leader, Tracey, sent a message up to the commentary box that Jonathan's Twitter Stalker really wanted to meet him. And he was charming :)

Fachie & Mclean

I've seen the footage of the Decider between the Scottish and Aussie para duos in the tandem sprint and it doesn't do justice to what happened. Tired from the 1K TT triumph, Fachie and Maclean had lost the race. Then the crowd went nuts, like really nuts. I'd been there for every race and not heard anything like it. I had goosebumps as the Scottish pair rode the roar and accelerated around the outside of the Aussies pulling out a huge lead over the line. They had lost, they had nothing left to give, and then they did. It was one of the most amazing things I have ever seen and will stay with me forever.

Close Encounters of the Athlete Kind 

I had taken Trekkie (my road bike) so I could cycle from Uddingston to the Velodrome each day on the Clyde Cycle Way. I wanted to keep my fitness ticking over whilst volunteering as the long hours didn't give much space for running (and it's less than 4 weeks to the ultramarathon!). On the first day I passed an athlete out running from the Athletes' Village with her accreditation pass bouncing on her back, on the second day I passed four runners and it kept increasing! This did mean I had to slow down as I neared the velodrome... but I still managed to scoop a Strava Queen of the Mountains on an earlier stretch (a very generous definition of mountain, but I'll take what I can get). It might also explain why one morning, approaching the velodrome in my Sky cycle shirt I suddenly realised there were loads of people taking photos of me! Mistaken identity - or just opportunists thinking I might be someone.

On the last day I was standing by the photographers' rostrum, just below the commentary box when Graeme Obree came and stood beside me. I couldn't resist a quick smile - and one of the photographers (himself a triathlete) couldn't resist abandoning his position and leaping towards him hand outstretched, camera forgotten. The same photographer (from Velo Veritas) later fixed my bike whilst waiting for a train.

As we escorted the photographers to the infield for the victory ceremonies we had athletes all around. But I can tell you it is very hard to remain professional when two members of the England track team squeeze in between you and the photographers saying 'lets take selfies!' and start taking pictures of themselves with their teammate behind them on the podium! Then there was Wiggo ducking out of the mixed zone and brushing by Rachel...

We were able to take pics before the velodrome opened in the morning and I think my pictures illustrate why professional photographers are necessary. Pretty sure that was Peter Kennaugh (second of the four), but it's kind of hard to tell:

 

This one's not so bad:

The only downer was the Camping Ninja Campsite

Arriving exhausted after working a full day and then driving over two hours in heavy traffic, the grumpy guy at check in told me I had to pitch on the top field (a 1km round trip to the facilities). I was too tired and keen to just put the tent up and crawl in to ask why. It turned out he was sending me to the spectators' field and not the volunteers'. By the time I realised this - and had been kept awake into the early hours by torches and chatter - I couldn't be bothered to repack and move the tent. The advertised facilities were about as basic as it was possible to get. 50% of the toilets were out of order at any one time and the remaining loos had water around 20% of the time. It made a mockery of the norovirus alerts insisting everyone wash their hands (with what, exactly?). 

The fellow campers were great though, at least to start with. I had an Aussie couple on one side and a triathlete family the other with an older couple in front who kindly provided hot water for my coffee. Unfortunately they left before I did and another family set up their behemoth of a tent with the back centimetres from my porch. 

Training

The campsite was though a great location for sport and I did manage to squeeze in some exercise of my own over the five days (3 hrs 21 cycling, 3 hrs 34 running), almost all of it on the Cylde Cycle and Walk Ways.  

On the cycle way I quickly figured out which bits were safe - fewer than 1 empty Buckfast bottle per mile - and found some stunning surprises:

Stumbled on Bothwell Castle twice (from different directions)

South of Uddingston (and the castle)

The paths south of Uddingston were beautiful dirt tracks but if you looked hard enough you could find more rugged terrain (that's a straight drop to the river to the left)

I was a bit disappointed to see that dernies weren't allowed on the cycle paths, so that's the Keirin out:

So, what now? Well I have the ultra in 23 days, then I'm going back to Glasgow for a track taster session - hopefully with my new friends from Team Cav...