CTC Tri-Vets 15 June - 100 miles, the long way round

[a bit of saga - sorry: but, well, it was a bit of a saga]

'A memorable day' doesn't really do it justice.   For Liz and I, the day dawned just before dawn (if that is possible), getting up at 4.45 to load lots of foody stuff, lists galore, (oh and a bike) into the car, leave time for traffic on the M25, and get the keys to Brockham Cricket Pavilion from the local butcher, open already at 6.30am.   Mark and Maggie Gladwyn turned up soon after in the heavily laden cake-mobile, and we set about turning the pavilion into a Tri-Vets base.   The sun was shining, and the forecasters last night had said 'In the south east, if you're lucky you might avoid the showers altogether'.

We had 70 people sign up for the event, including about ten who were not regular riders with the Sou'westers - and including Julie Rand from CTC HQ, who has been supporting the organisers of all the Tri-Vets rides nationally, and wanted to experience one for herself.    About eight people in total couldn't make it on the day, several due to injury or illness, and one or two due to watching the weather forecast.

Riders duly arrived and signed on, collecting the specially made brevet card with a CTC winged wheel time stamp (all part of Mark's impeccable preparation).   Bill and Margaret Squirrell were on duty at the desk to welcome riders and record their progress, and Jeff Tollerman marshalled the groups of riders to their allotted start times: five groups of 100 mile riders, two of 100km and one of 50km leaving between 0800 and 1100.

My group of Keith, John Austin, David and Jennie Jackson, John Bassett, Toni D'Italia and Peter Horsfield left at 08.30 and took a measured pace through lovely sunlit lanes to Betchworth, and then on and up towards Bletchingley.    Mark's group zoomed past and Keith decided to join them for a quicker ride.  Soon afterwards we realised we had lost John Bassett and I went back to find his chain was jammed between two chainrings.   Brian Greenwood had caught him up and was helping, with black hands, to free it.   After a pull up to Bletchingley, it's a surprisingly gentle climb to Tilburstow hill and we admired the view before zooming down and east.   Nearing Tandridge we encountered a 'Road Closed' sign - they were replacing a culvert across the road.  

Road Closed

Thanks to Ged's advance warning Mark had prepared an alternative route, but we didn't need it, squeezing round the digger to continue to Lingfield, where we stopped in a sunny courtyard for coffee, noting with guilty pleasure the big black cloud to our west, where the faster riders had gone.

From Lingfield the roads were wet but we were dry.  We were feeling pleased with ourselves.  Then John A. punctured and while fixing this it started to rain.   The rain developed into a torrent, and then a monsoon as we approached Smallfield.   Soon after there was a very short section of track, which had turned into a wide lake.   While pedalling very carefully across this I managed to lose Jennie, David and Toni at a T junction, and in the winding road (with many speed bumps but no turnings) I didn't realise for some time that they were missing, so we waited, and waited, and eventually regrouped with the help of John Austin as scout.   By this time we were very wet and cold and decided to shelter until the rain eased at Horley.  The rain did ease and as we set off Toni discovered a puncture.   Several of our group were worried about how cold they were getting so we had an unscheduled stop for cups of tea, very much needed.   The last ten miles back to Brockham were uneventful and we were just relieved to arrive and share stories with many other drowned rats who were lingering over lunch and hot drinks.   I understand that the pavilion was packed with people earlier, taking rather more time than necessary over their lunch in view of the weather, but most had left by the time we arrived.

I wasn't sure if we wanted to carry on, so we had tea, sandwiches, cake, more tea, and gradually got warm again.   For some reason all of my group wanted to continue, so we left lunch at 2.45 with 55 miles still to go.  Weare Street was wet but it wasn't raining (we weren't quite so gleeful this time round), and again we were enjoying Mark's lovely route around the Surrey Cycleway, through Alfold and Dunsfold, and then the rather more lumpy section as we cycled north towards Bramley, where the Bramley café had kindly agreed to stay open until 4pm to serve tea and cake to the Tri-Vets cyclists.   We didn't get there until 5.30 or thereabouts, but I'm told they were very welcoming to the two groups that stopped.

Bramley.  20 miles to go, 35 miles since lunch.  Café shut.  But we had needs: possibly even Needs at this stage in the ride.  After considering the time limit carefully (and the Needs) we decided to stop in a pub for a sit down.  I very generously treated everyone to a half of lime and soda, tap-water, whatever they wanted.  I'm just that sort of guy.  

More lovely lanes through Cranleigh and back to Walliswood where we ascended Weary Street again to Capel.   We were going to get back to Brockham just after 8pm when the base was due to close.   An anxious phone call confirmed that they would wait for us, and we arrived at 8.05 to find a sizeable welcome committee and an even more sizeable array of cake.  Congratulations and finishers' certificates were handed out all round.

Thanks, and congratulations, to all my group for sticking with it.  Three mechanicals, several near hypothermia cases, one monsoon, one losing half the group, four refreshment stops (not even counting the start and end).   An eventful day.  And that was just our group.  A day where memories were made (but not much photographic evidence, I suspect).

But wider thanks are due to the team of people who made it happen.  Especially to Mark's wife Maggie, and my wife Liz, who planned the catering, prepared much of it themselves, and kept us supplied with sandwiches, cake and hot drinks.  And to many others who brought cake on the day - thank you.  It was delicious and never so much appreciated as in our hour of need.  Thank you to Jeff Tollerman and Bill and Margaret Squirrell who oversaw the ride organisation at the base and made sure that everyone got out on time and that everyone returned safely.  We're grateful to the leaders who took on this challenge (and it turned out to be more of a challenge than we expected).   Most of us had never led a ride of this length before.  To all our riders who turned out and made it a success, in the riding department and the eating department.  The fact that there were no accidents is a testament to all your group riding experience.  As a club, the Sou'westers took on something pretty big and we made a success of it.   Finally, I'll say it once more, huge thanks to Mark Gladwyn for the idea, the routes, the certificates: lots of hard work to make it a very special event.