This year, I led one of the two 'Tri-Vets Standard' groups, the plan being to set a steady pace that made sure we achieved 100 miles in twelve hours, but also to be sure that we would enjoy ourselves and not be slaves to the clock. The group was well balanced, in that we had three generations of Seabrooks, grandfather John being the most senior and, probably, the oldest rider in the event, and grand-daughter Emily, probably the youngest. Riders who were not members of the Seabrook family included Rob Seall, who is organising the West Kent Tri-Vets on 14th July, Gary Jacobs, whose mechanical cunning fixed Ken Day's gears at lunchtime and Julie Rand of Cycling UK, who was a rock-solid back marker all day. A strong team.
We got off on time, under the fatherly eye of Jeff Tollerman, and set a steady pace until about Ellen's Green, where Emily had a puncture. What's the point of cycling with your Dad if he can't fix your bike? The rest of us had a chat for a few minutes and then we all carried on to coffee.
We were the first group at the cafe, which was lucky, as the sheer number of riders overwhelmed them in the end, but they kept at it, and everyone was served. We rode on to lunch, were well fed and were able to meet riders from other groups before we set off again. Rob, who was riding his handsome Flying Gate, decided that he would ride solo for the afternoon, as he was suffering a bit from cramp.
At Outwood we stopped for a moment, for a briefing before Tilburstow Hill, the core of which being that none of us would be able to keep up with John, who had an e-bike. This turned out to be true, and we all re-gathered at the top. A brief stop in the car-park for views and photography, then on to Crowhurst to see the Yew, because we always do. Peter and Joanne Holden passed us here on their tandem, and we all met in Lingfield for tea. We had only been there for a few minutes when Rob turned up, so he obviously had the cramp under control.
On to Horley, much busier traffic now, but happily the flow was in the other direction, so it didn't bother us much. Summiting Norwood Hill it began to pick with rain, and by the time we got to Leigh it was raining fairly steadily. A quick check to see what people thought, and the view was 'b*gger it' and we pressed on to the Cricket Pavilion without bothering with rain jackets.
Certificates, congratulations, cake and a few more photographs before we made our farewells and set off home.
It was John's eleventh Tri-Vets, and, at 10 hours 05 minutes, his fastest, so we were all very satisfied with our ride.
My thanks to my fellow riders, and all of our thanks to those who fed, organised and administered us on a very enjoyable day.
Mark
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