Olympic motorcycle escort role for Barry man (From Barry And District News)

Olympic motorcycle escort role for Barry man

4:30pm Saturday 28th July 2012 in News

A BARRY man is set to cycle his way to a front row seat at the Olympics after being chosen as a motorcycle escort for the road race events.
Roy Guttridge, of Barry Island, will have the privilege of working at the heart of the action when the London Olympics sporting events start on Saturday.
Roy will be working as a motorcycle escort for the road race events and will be a section leader making sure Richmond Park is kept safe for the race to progress.
62-year-old Roy, a healthcare manager for Cardiff and Vale University Health Board, has a passion for cycling and is thrilled to be playing such a key part in the Games.
Having had a love for cycling from an early age of 13, Barry Island resident Roy has been involved in professional cycling for 40 years.
He has gone on to work on up to 30 events a year as part of the National Escort Group and is looking forward to playing his part in the Games.
"I have worked as a motorcycle marshal on the Tour de France and the Tour of Britain for seven years and have been selected to work on the Olympics in a similar role," he said.
"The Olympic Road Race is the first event of the 2012 Olympics and with Mark Cavendish we have a great chance of our first Gold Medal.
"I'm so proud to be a small part of the team helping toward that goal."
After having an interest in the sport from a young age Roy said his favourite experience had been at the Tour de France watching some of the best cyclists in the world.
He said: "I am looking forward to seeing Mark Cavendish and Nicole Cooke win the gold medal on the road and Cardiff's Geraint Thomas win the gold medal on the track.
"I think my family are quietly proud about the fact I'm playing a part in the games and some of my friends in work are quiet impressed too.
"It should be a great occasion and I'm really glad to be part of it."
Following Roy, some of his colleagues from Cardiff and Vale University Health Board are also in the starting blocks ready to swap their day-to-day jobs to play various roles in making sure the 2012 Olympic Games run smoothly.
Sian Vaughan-Evans and Chris Lambert will be providing support for the football teams playing at the Millennium Stadium - Sian has even postponed her honeymoon to play her part supporting the games.
Colleague Howard Young has already played his part and helped interview potential volunteers, but will now also be supporting the work of the doping team in London.
Maria Battle, Chair of Cardiff and Vale UHB, said: "Cardiff has an important role in the games and the health board is playing its part by supporting the events at the Millennium Stadium.
"But we are also incredibly proud of the efforts of all our staff who have volunteered to give up their own time and offer their own excellent skills and expertise to make sure the 2012 Games run smoothly and play their part in Olympic history.
"Myself and everyone at the Health Board would like to wish them and all our athletes the best possible luck."