Stamp-post Workum.

Last thursday the pre-joy started by folding in. The itineraries had to be folded and together with the stamp-card and the flag, they had to be folded between the info-booklet. With all hens on deck we did the job in no time at all...

Quite a job...
Every year it is quite a job for the board of the FMC to organise such a huge event. In the first place a tour is composed. Then they need to get all the permits by the different municipalities, if they are allowed to drive these roads. If there is only one who disapproves, then the itinerary needs to be altered. But they don't only use municipal roads, but also provincial roads and so they need permits from the province too. You name it, it is a huge job. But when finally all the permits are in and the necessary checks are done, when everything is correct, then it is quite satisfying.

Preparations...
At the beginning of the year, all last years participants get a booklet with a reminder of the tour coming up. These booklets need to have a sticker with the adress and so the volunteers spend an evening putting stickers on and in the mean time catch up with each other. Always evenings of a lot of joy. In the beginning of March the enrolment opens on the website of the FMC. It is common that on the first night the first thousand participants are registred. Within days the enrolement closes as they have reached the amount of participants they have the permit for. I believe it is somewhere between 3600 and 4000 participants. For all those people itineraries, info-booklets, stampcards and of course the flags need to be printed. And what about the medal, every participant gets at the end of the tour.

Whitsuntide approaches...
In the weekend prior to Whit Monday some of the group of volunteers always ride the tour for a final check. Unfortionatly my agenda is so full that I can't join them. Such a final check is very important. Imagine that one of the roads is broken up on the friday before. Then a detour has to be made. The final announcements are always on a blackboard at the start. Then the tour can get started and by instructions of the traffic organisers the participants are pointed in the right direction. This morning I mount the bike and drive with our forum-guest to Leeuwarden. When I have taken Peter to the FEC, I greet Martin and Alie who have this task at this time of day. In the passed night we had a downpour, so the roads are clean.

Workum...
Then I move on to Workum. The rest of the people who will put the stamps on the cards are arriving in two cars. We are on the right spot in time and Anne Radelaar joins us, only to check that the stamp-post is manned fully. He drives the tour as the first person this year. Checks everything and follows the itinerary untill the finish. Then the first biker arrives. He had nothing stopping him and he is too early. This year the participants are released in groups, that start every half hour, that is how they come in more dosed and because the stamp-post is open longer we can give a stamp to all the participants. We stand on both sides and about 10 bikes apart, that way we can stamp about sixty bikes at the time. By half passed one it is quiet. Think we've had the bigger part and given them the stamp. Then we move homeward. This years job is done again. (Pictures of the event are on the page "11-steden-tocht".)

Betty Smit, Motormeisje.nl