Thorpe 4, Viceroys Club Championships race was a challenge before competitors even hit the water: the event was a sell out, which meant many club members were still tucked up in bed as 14 eager Viceroys forced the 5.45am wake up to get to Thorpe.

Trevor, Alan Clarke, Alan Harris, Mark, Conor, Adel, Pete, James, Carl, Simon Colvan, Andy Tugwell, Jon all eyed each other up nervously in transition and race briefing, as Viceroy prepared to race against Viceroy for the trophies and prizes sponsored by Hartley’s Menswear. Viceroy ladies were a little more relaxed, Fab freely admitting to having had one too many Malibu and cokes the night before: only 2 Viceroy females had managed to secure a race place on time and Fab was a faster runner, swimmer and cyclist than Kate and there were 2 prizes up for grabs for the female category.

As the men began to race, there were no surprises as Mark ‘the shark’ Yeoman exited the water first, but hot on his heals were Alan Harris and James. Mark bemoaned that after a week away in France he had no bike training or swim speed and was concerned that Alan Harris (aka the racing snake) or Andy Tugwell would profit, but his solid swim set him up with a 90 second lead. Continue reading →