How to Run a National Tour - By Joey Esterhuyzen

What is involved in running a National Road series Tour? It seems like a circus has come to town, when race day arrives. But behind the scenes, there’s so much more…  Madeleine Brialey from Caribou Publications knows more about this aspect than most! Having worked for the organiser of the Australian National Road series for 4 years, Brialey has seen her fair share of relative chaos.

JE: Madeleine, how long does it take to organise just one Tour of the National Series, from day one til race day?

MB: We start preparations for the National Series Scody Cup events in January, surveying courses and meeting with the various councils. The real logistics of bringing it all together starts about 4 months out and it is pretty much a full-time run in from there!

JE: And during this time, how many people are working behind the scenes to get things running?

MB: Race Director John Craven and I liaise in the early stages. There are 5 full-time staff at Caribou working on our events, there is also up to 150 part time staff who we call on for specific roles in the lead-up.

JE: What is the most time consuming part of organising such a big event, with so many factors to consider?

MB: Planning the course and getting the various permits to conduct a race take up lot of the work-load. But, as I am sure you can appreciate, procuring sponsors would have to be the most challenging aspect.

JE: Having worked for Caribou Publications for 6 years, does it get any easier as time goes by?!?

MB: Absolutely, you develop and strengthen relationships with the various organisations and people involved so it helps to have that familiarity and previous association.

JE: Sponsors are one of the crucial parts of such an event – is it becoming harder to secure sponsors for such events, due to financially tough times?

MB: Sponsorship is definitely one area that only gets tougher. The market gets increasingly competitive and you have to ensure you are offering the best possible outcome to any company you approach, still ensuring you are looking after your long-term partners.

JE: Lakes Oil has been a big name in event sponsorship throughout the NRS – how do you manage to maintain interest from such a sponsor, for future events?

MB: We are so lucky to have such a great sponsor in Lakes Oil. They take a hands-on approach and are always enthusiastic. Keeping a very close working relationship and a strong line of communication is the key.

JE: Overall, just how much does a single NRS event cost, to run and maintain in the space of a year?

MB: Our budgets are skin-tight. Several hundred thousand dollars are needed to deliver just one Scody Cup event in a year. We manage and finance a total of seven NRS events each year.

JE: We all appreciate you’re a busy woman! The Tour of Gippsland is next on your agenda. Hopefully things are coming together smoothly?

MB: We have had a terrific run this year with the Lakes Oil Tour of Gippsland. The event is fully sponsored and with the popularity of the NRS growing exponentially, we expect it will attract a strong field and plenty of attention from overseas recruiters.

JE: It sounds like you've got it all under control! Thanks for your time, and all the best for the months ahead - if the past is anything to go by, all the Caribou events will run flawlessly!

The 2011 Tour of Gippsland is only 4 weeks away, and in saying that, one can only imagine things are in full flight at Caribou Publications, who have run the event since 2005. After this event, the Tour of Geelong will follow, only a few weeks later! It’s dawning to think of the magnitude of such events, when you consider that each event has individually acquired sponsors, road regulations, event officials, staff and basic necessities such as police support, and even catering. Understanding the work behind such events might even make you want to get out there and support them. Never mind the riders taking part, who would have accumulated over 9 million pedal strokes in training, between all 150+ riders, since the start of the year…

The 2011 Lakes Oil Tour of Gippsland event information can be found here:

While you’re at it, take into account the input of each individual event sponsor – without them, events like this would be nonexistent! Maybe even Google them and find out exactly what they do!

Here’s a good start, the naming rights sponsor of the Tour of Gippsland, and the financial backbone of the event – Lakes Oil. Thanks to them, 2011 will once again play host to the Tour of Gippsland.

Finally, thanks go to  Madeleine Brialey from Caribou Publications, for her input into this article

Photos Courtesy of  Shane Goss - licorice gallery.