Serge from GM, my guide for the day.
Yes people that’s right. Your eyes are not deceiving you. You are not getting old. You are not imagining things. You are reading correctly. I, Miss Christina Wallaert, Toronto resident, most ordinary person in the world, was extended an invitation to do a ride along with the Olympic Torch Relay convoy with Serge from GM, one half of the Twitter combo @GM_ArtAndSerge.
On the morning of December 27th, I met Serge for the beginning of my ride along. We left from London, ON, located 2 hours west of Toronto, and made our way to Stratford, ON. Along the way I got to ride in the GM Silverado and be a part of the Olympic Torch Relay convoy. I also got to hear some inside information about how the convoy works and how Art and Serge, both employees of GM, keep all the vehicles in the convoy running.
In the few short hours I was with Serge, he had to deal with flat tires, broken radios, and generators not working. Some problems he is able to take care of on the road with the help of a few crew members. Other problems are dealt with at the designated evening GM dealership, such as the generator issue. Serge was lining up someone to meet them that evening to take a look at the generator that had been giving them problems.
I didn't get to drive the GM Silverado. I was happy just to be a passenger.
The GM Silverado looked like a command centre. Serge was managing with 2 cell phones, a Blackberry and a GPS. Every day Serge or Art receives a detailed account of the Torch Relay route. Every detail is planned out by the minute and it was amazing to see how on track they are with the schedule. At any given time they were only a few minutes ahead or behind the schedule. When you are moving 240 people and 100 vehicles every day a distance of 200 km or more, it seems hard to believe you can keep the convoy running on time.
Heading out of London, ON.
Serge also talked about some of the things they have seen while travelling with the convoy. He said he has not yet gotten bored of doing this every day. One of his favourite things to see are children lining the Torch Relay route waving their signs and Canadian flags. He also said he is making notes on places he wants to go back to. With their long hours and being in several different cities every day, there isn’t a lot of time, if any, to go exploring if they see something that looks interesting. Serge also told me their turnaround time to get a vehicle repaired is 5 hours. I was amazed at that. If there is a serious problem, that doesn’t seem possible. Whatever the problem is, Serge and Art manage to get it fixed, sometimes very creatively.
Along with their vehicle duties, Art and Serge are keeping the public informed of the Torch Relay route progress through their blog and Twitter account. I had to ask Serge if this was something they knew how to do beforehand or if they had to have blogging and Twitter tutorials. Serge actually laughed at that question and good-naturedly admitted to needing lessons on the finer points of Twitter and blogging. He was pretty on the ball with it when I was with him, taking photos with the Blackberry and uploading to Twitter right away. I love their blog, not because they have mentioned me by name twice, but because it is an insider’s look into what is going on. I’m pretty sure when the crowds are watching the convoy go by; they are not giving a second thought as to how the vehicles are performing. That is for Art, Serge and GM to worry about. They are there for a job, but it’s great to see them enjoying it and having fun along the way. After all, when will another Olympic Torch Relay be passing through Canada? Probably not for a while!
Entering Thamesford, ON just outside of London.
Proof Serge belonged with the Torch Relay convoy
A very special thank you to all the people who made this happen, especially Serge, and my Mom and younger brother for following along to pick me up on the route. For a much more detailed account of my adventures with the Torch Relay ride along, please visit my blog to read Part 1 and Part 2. I am so lucky and grateful to have had this experience.
See you soon Vancouver, very soon!
