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My mate has just had his entry confirmed for this year's 3 - peaks. I am going to act as his nominated support/ helper. Anyone done this befor? Any advice for giving the best help at the best time?! Any comments appreciated.
Cheers.
Tell him to do shit loads of walking up steep stuff/ stairs carrying his bike.
As for you I'd just sit in the cafe and wait for him to finish. 😉
See him off then **** off as quick as you can to the bottom of the first descent, and park beyond it. Take spare wheels (for punctures), or a spare bike with you and wait for him to pass. Then **** off as quick as you can to Ribblehead, and take a spare bike (pref) as far as you can up the track down from whernside, plus a bottle of energy drink. When he passes you, **** off as quick as you can to the bottom of the descent off Pen-Y-Gent, and wait for him to pass with spare bike/wheels. That's it really.
You can give help to other folk too, but don't compromise your support for him by doing so.
Check the 3Peaks website for the instructions for support as if you haven't read it you risk getting him DQ'd.
singlespeedstu has the best advice. If he's so serious that he needs support, any mechanicals are going to put him out of the running so there will be nowt you can do anyway.
I've had all sorts of mechanicals during the 3 Peaks - from punctures to spokes wrapping themselves around cassettes. Having a spare bike or even spare wheels at the service point is very worthwhile.
Similarly having someone at the service points means they can pass you food or water, so you don't have to carry it all during the race.
Finally it is nice to have some support, and if the rider has to pull out for whatever reason it's good to get to a service point for a lift rather than all the way back to the finish.
When I've been supporting I'd carry wheels/bike, food, water, warm clothing for myself and rider, tools to help with repairs at the service point, track pump. All have been needed at some point - Keith Bontrager even pinched my track pump to keep himself going a few years back.
Thanks guys. Singlespeedstu seems to have it nailed. As long as it doesnt involve me running up hills with abike on MY back I should be fine!
Read the info on the Three Peaks site re support staff/vehicles, there's rules about where you can and can't hand out spares etc.
I've never had support out for me cos a) I'm nowhere near good enough and b) I don't have spare bikes or wheels so it wouldn't be worth it. I did nick a trackpump off a helpful chap a few years ago to get me back up to pressure after I'd double flatted though.
It takes a bit of practice to get sorted and you need decent driving skills to get past all the other riders, spectators and the various support vehicles that will be crowding the verges at every vantage point. If you/your mate are planning on doing it seriously and doing well, it's worth heading up there for a recce if possible, work out where you'll be to hand up spares. If he's going to be a middle of the pack type then personally I'd just chill out and wander up to Whernside with a camera!
Buy a motorbike and strap spare bike/wheels on your back. Then you can nip in and out of traffic (and there will be lots of that) and park in the best spots. Better yet, find an ex-Tour de France moto camera rider to do it for you. Ideal solution is to find an ex-Tour de France neutral service moto rider and his bike, then it'll have racks for spare wheels etc.