Many volunteer roles at an event require little or no training, or even prior knowledge of the sport, and are crucial to events taking place. Events take many forms, with some aiming to include all the bells and whistles and others keeping it as simple as possible, so some roles may not be required at every event.

The full Scottish Cycling events calendar can be found via the link below, along with the location and organiser’s contact details. Just reach out to them directly if you see any you would like to volunteer at with a bit of detail about who you are and why you are getting in touch.

Scottish Cycling calendar

Marshals get the best seats in the house, being close to the action. They help keep riders safe, inform officials of the status of riders and the course, and interact with spectators. On the day, marshals are briefed on their role by the Chief Marshal, and provided with the event kit they will need.

Chief Marshal is responsible for the welfare of the marshal team, ensuring everyone is fed and watered and gets appropriate breaks, as well as being the link between marshals and the rest of the event organisation team. Experience as a marshal is useful before taking on this role.

Sign-on team are the friendly welcoming face of an event, greeting riders, handing out numbers or rider packs and answering questions.

Drivers are crucial at road events, to keep competitors in a bubble, safe from other traffic. An awareness of how domestic road racing operates is strongly recommended before taking on a driving role. More info on this role can be found in the British Cycling Convoycraft guidance.

Commentator/announcer is a fantastic role if you like to chat and build the hype around the racing. As well as keeping riders and spectators informed, a good commentator can create an exciting atmosphere and engage spectators with the racing.

Start/Finish line helpers are crucial to producing accurate results, ensuring riders do the correct number of laps, ringing the bell and waving the finish flag at the right moment, under the instruction of the commissaires and event organiser.

Start gate operator/rider holders are required for Time Trials on Track and Road to enable all riders to get a fair start. Some practice in a non-race setting is recommended, but this is a skill that can be picked up quickly from someone who’s done it before.

Gear checkers are required in Youth events to ensure bikes meet the technical regulations. A working knowledge of how bike gears work is useful and the process is quick and easy to pick up on the day.

Course build/breakdown team will usually be part of the core organisation team, however organisers can often use extra pairs of hands to bring in stakes, tape, crowd barriers etc. after an event.

Mechanics are often needed in Road events in the neutral service vehicle to ensure riders can continue their race or ride back to the event HQ. Other disciplines may also welcome a qualified mechanic to help riders with quick fixes to enable them to start.

Catering is another area that adds to the event atmosphere and can really make a good event excellent. Whilst larger scale events will often have professional caterers, most domestic events will provide a light spread of sandwiches and snacks for volunteers and riders. This could be a good role for you if you enjoy putting smiles on peoples faces with a good brew.

Social media is an ever growing part of event organisation, used to advertise events, drum up volunteers and thank sponsors. A dedicated person to drive a social media campaign for an event is incredibly valuable to event organisers, as they are often needing to focus on other aspects of the event delivery.

Some roles require a deeper knowledge of the sport which is built through training courses and experience at events. If you would like to play a key part in making the whole Scottish Cycling calendar function well, and would like to support cycle sport events on a regular basis, get in touch via [email protected] and we can help you begin your journey.

Commissaires are representatives of British Cycling who uphold the standards required for sanctioned events, ensuring they are run safely and fairly. Attention to detail, good communication and a love for technical regulations are some of the key attributes to becoming a good commissaire.

Timekeepers produce results for all timed events, particularly Time Trials on the Road and Track, and are crucial even when electronic timing is being used for when the gremlins in the system mean a rider is missed. Good concentration and quick reactions with a systematic approach are essential in this role to produce accurate results.

Race secretary is a crucial role for keeping events moving and produce start lists, results and official decision documents as competition progresses. They work closely with the commissaire panel and event organisers, and require excellent attention to detail and understanding of event formats.

Event welfare officers are appointed to events to ensure that all participants have access to fun, safe activity in a positive environment. They promote good practice and are the go to for any safeguarding concerns witnessed at an event. Please see more information here, including on the required training.

National Escort Group are trained moto marshals who play a key part in maintaining the safety of events taking place on the highway. If you are a keen moto enthusiast with an interest in cycling events, this might be a role for you. More information can be found here, or by contacting [email protected].

Leading on the organisation of an event is incredibly rewarding, giving the opportunity to take an idea all the way from concept to delivery and seeing the fruits of that labour take place. It does take time – for a brand new event we would suggest a minimum 6 month lead in, depending on the level of event – but can be broken down into a number of phases as explained in the General Event Planning workshop delivered online earlier this year.

Please do get in touch as soon as you are considering running your own event so that we can support you and advise how it might fit best in the calendar. We typically begin calendar compilation for the summer disciplines around July for the following year, and for Cyclocross and Track this begins in March.

There are a number of volunteer associations which support or directly deliver the National Series inclduing Scottish Cyclocross Association, Scottish XC Association, Scottish Downhill Association.

If you are passionate about a specific discipline, can commit to supporting a series of events and think you have a skill that could help the association, reach out to them directly below to see how you might be able to get involved.

Associations Contact List