The Next, Next 28 Days.

I am counting down the days to my duties as a Tour de France Tour Maker on Stage 2 of the Grand Depart in Yorkshire. 28 Days to go.

It has been a long process to date but I have just been provided with the two essential details for the 6th July.

The first is what I will be doing on the day and the second relates to the logistics to be able to get into position to do it.

My role will certainly involve a flag and a whistle.

I am being trained up in this discipline in a couple of days time and although I feel that I am pretty proficient in the skill from front-line volunteering at other major cycling events I will, because of the sheer honour of working on the Tour de France pay particular attention and regard to everything with fresh eyes and perceptions.

My allocated job will range from flag marshall to course or crossing marshall.

Given that my physical location is in open countryside just beyond the York Ring Road with but a few satellite commuter villages I do not expect to be holding back hordes of spectators.

Being within the first 10 miles of the start in York and if the race pattern follows a typical Tour de France stage the field of riders will be tightly bunched, chilled and chatting and with time to attend to calls of nature, tactical talks with their team manager, final adjustments to their bikes from the mobile mechanics or consulting the official doctor.

There are bound to be a few punctures on the Yorkshire roads even if carefully swept and polished by the Council who will be on show to a world stage as much as the rouleurs. Crashes and tumbles inevitably occur from a split second of inattention.

Conversely, a lone rider or small group could take the opportunity of a slow roll-out to launch one of those courageous and yet ultimately futile breakaways that give the perpetrators and their sponsors a good bit of TV exposure and does nothing to harm their ratings for the re-shuffle of firing and hiring at the end of the long hard season.

My day will begin with leaving home at about 4.30am to cover the 40 miles to my designated hub at a secondary school from where I will be bussed out to my position. This is to evade the large scale road closures required to provide a fully protective and traffic free corridor for the race. It will be organised chaos for those determined to see the worlds greatest annual sporting event and much worse for those who just want to pop down to the shops, as usual, for fags and milk.

The City of York has been magnificent in promoting its prestigious position as the start of a stage, albeit involving paying the Tour Organisation for that honour, and its residents and those in the regional catchment have been kept up to date with what is to take place.

I expect to be over-awed by the actual scale, the sights and sounds and the razzamatazz surrounding the event. It will be an emotional time. I just hope that I hold my flag the right way up, wave it in the correct manner and blow on that whistle, when called upon,  as though my life depended on it.