This last weekend saw 4 Viceroys head off bright eyed and bushy tailed to race in the Charlotteville CC 50 mile TT. For Kim Bainbridge and myself this was our first TT race, Clarkie and Charlotte Saunders were thus comparative veterans.

It’s apparently said that a 50 mile TT is the sort of thing that many cyclists build up to over a few years of TT racing. Why nobody mentioned this until after we’d all finished remains a mystery.

The event was based in the pretty Hampshire village of Bentley with race HQ in the picturesque and somewhat traditional local village hall. The village can be found just off the A31 about 5 miles Southwest of Farnham and nestles in a small shallow valley through which flows the River Wey. A handy hint at this point : the lights in the gents loo are motion controlled but the controller can’t see you when you’re “seated” (if you get my drift). Take a torch would be my advice (and bitter experience). But enough of the tourist information already.

The advance party (me, Kim and Charlotte) rocked up nice and early – we all hate last minute faff much more than we hate getting up at stupid-o-clock. Mr Alan Clark, well known of these parts, took an alternative approach and was seen heading to the start with almost minutes to spare…

The race (now we’re talking) took part on the not-so-pretty A31 dual carriageway starting heading South from a layby.

If anyone didn’t notice : IT WAS MONSTROUSLY WINDY ON SUNDAY. I think the organisers have since described it as “a full headwind going South with a sheltered tailwind going North”. In my language this equates to “Hard South, not as easy as it should have been North”. Typical.

It was also bloomin cold resulting in less than “slippery” clothing for many competitors. Being from Yorkshire I was particularly offended at having to put on an extra shirt.

For Kim and me the start was a new experience – trusting a stranger who has his hand somewhere round your backside to hold you upright was certainly new. In the end it was all good and incident free.

“3-2-1-Go” and powering away from the start line. Yep, it’s certainly windy. I wonder if it’ll be a problem?

The laps can be pretty much summarised as:

1  – Only 16 mph? Really?? Yay I passed someone, possibly my grandfather.
– 30mph+!!, growing realisation that we’re heading south again though.
2  – OMG : Erm this is really really hard. And it’s starting to hurt in the places that provide drive and that I sit on. How the heck is he going past me like that?
– Agony and speed followed by despair at the thought of heading south again.
3  – Pain beyond anything I can ever recollect in return for blowing away snails travelling in the relative shade of the kerb.
– Make it stop. Please. Possibly even some tears.

The finish line was merely the physical point at which I slowed down. The pain managed to continue to grow and to add insult to injury race HQ was back South into the headwind and up what felt like Staple Lane but was in reality just the slip road off the A31 into Bentley.

Arriving back at race HQ I was reassured to see that John Wayne impersonators were everywhere so I fitted right in. Tea was provided and cakes were available and my slice of sponge was delicious.

The results were:

Clarkie de Viceroy – 2:03:12 (Ooosh)
John de Viceroy – 2:22:10 (Big girl’s blouse)
Charlotte de Viceroy – 2:29:ish (And most certainly NOT a DNF as claimed on the results sheet)
Kimberley de Viceroy – 2:45:56 (There may have been a navigation error here. Again. Possibly. But don’t mention it.)

In summary – I reckon this could be a really fun event and for the entry fee (£7.50 I think) you can’t really go wrong. And it can’t be that windy every year. Can it? As a first TT – perhaps not the best idea ever 🙂

As raced and reported by John Kellett

With everyone else racing, Chairman Yeo decided it was about time that he too should start competing in his bid for AG domination… and show all those Super Fit new Viceroys what our leader is made of . Grendon is a tough race, seen as a test by many – the rolling bike course and off road style road takes no prisoners. Throw into this that it is also the Varsity Oxford vs Cambridge triathlon and race pressure is on!

‘The weather was bonkers. My land rover was rocking in the wind, the lake looked like a choppy coast line. So rule #5 mantra was repeated: three waves at five minute intervals. O vs C, then 45s+ then the rest – meaning me. The water was a fresh 12 degrees and I wasn’t happy, so I was less aggressive than normal and battling through the second wave was like dodging mad swans, with arms and legs everywhere.

There’s a 200m run into T1 and as I entered I hear that my 750m & 200m run time was 9.50 so not too bad 7/10 for effort. The bike was the scariest I’ve ever ridden. Deep section wheel front and back meant I was on the side bars more than I was on the tri bars. A brutal wind and I rode like Miss Daisy! I picked up a couple more slots, 6/10 but on the run, there where toffs everywhere. “Good running Rodderick, thanks Charlie” – you get the idea. I felt okay and went into 10km default mode in preparation for the first Worlds qualifier in two weeks. 7/10. 19mins was comfortable.
AG winner by 3mins, 6th overall but throw in the Oxford vs Cambridge result I was 16th overall. The main thing was that the top three where all 15-19. Elite junior duathlon world champ, Elite junior to boot. 4mins off the top but a solid effort to open.’

Great work boss – don’t be so critical though!!

Matt Storr’s first race of the season was the May day triathlon in Winchester:

‘After booking this race a while back it was a slight shock to find out that it would mean having to be up around 5am to get there on time! Although the plus side of no traffic helped.

On arrival I found my way round the maze of building to make my way to register and get set up. Before I knew it I was suited up in pink and ready to start the swim in the fastest wave. After getting in the lead for the first half of the race I picked up the pace for the final 200m and pulled a fair distance out of the rest- only to miss count and do an extra 50M- oops. After losing this lead I sprinted to the transition trying to pick up some lost time. Following the swim the undulating bike course that followed was very interesting with some very potholed/gravelled corners and marshals walking out in front of me! Following another run through the long transition zone it was time for the run – another hilly route consisting of 2 laps.

Finished- relatively happy with my effort came 1^st in age group and 25^th overall with plenty of room to improve throughout the season :-)’

Plenty of room to improve? Mmm, sounds like a perfectionist talking, I’d take results like that Matt!

Viceroys has a ‘Teacher Tim’ and now he is joined by ‘Teacher Tony’… so what is Tony’s story?
‘Having played rugby until I was too old to take the knocks, I have been doing endurance sports for longer than I care to remember.

In 2012 I did the Outlaw – it was going to be my first and last Ironman – and finished in just under 14 hours. However, somehow I seem to be entered for Ironman UK in July – some ridiculous idea about being able to go quicker than last time, when common sense says that at my age the only things going quicker are the passing years!

I spend my days teaching English in Bracknell, but from September I will be teaching at Sunbury Manor. I only moved to Walton with my gorgeous girlfriend, Rachael, in March, and joined Viceroys in the hope of finding people to train with and meeting some new friends..

Welcome to Viceroys Tony.

Viceroys Ian Talbot and Debbie Stewart tackled the challenging 104k route of the Financial Times Cycling Sportive on Sunday, Debbie tells us her story: 

‘Having decided to enter the Financial Times Cycling Sportive on Sun 11th May I asked any fellow Viceroys if they fancied joining me…..only one person took me up and that was my partner in crime for the day  – Ian Talbot. The event had 3 distances to choose from and keen to get some miles under my belt i opted for the medium route of 104k. 

On Sunday morning I boarded the 0650 train from Walton-on-Thames ( Ian was already on it !) and after a couple of changes we arrived at Tulse Hill. The race started at Dulwich Park. I told Ian that I didn’t want to hold him back and that he wasn’t obliged to stay with me…..he was a true gent and in Viceroy style said, “We will start together and finish together. ” 

The roads were open and therefore we had to negotiate motor cars and traffic lights. I for some strange reason had not looked at the course in any great detail prior to the event which in hindsight it was probably just as well !! To say it was hilly was an understatement….the first 30 miles were never ending – it then sort of flattened out for about 10 miles and then we hit Box Hill. I never thought I would see the day that I thought Box Hill was relatively easy, compared to some of the previous hills tackled it paled into significance !! Ian was waiting at the top where he was doing a repair job as one of his cleats had fallen off his shoe. After a much needed bathroom stop –  a major feat in itself when wearing bibbed bottoms  (well for a woman anyway), we then decided ….wait for it….to have a coffee….Okay so perhaps we weren’t in the correct racing mode type of thought !! Anyway onwards and upwards…fortunately mainly downwards from this point we set off and didn’t stop again until we finished (well obviously for traffic lights /junctions etc ). The final part of the course was a lap of Herne Hill Velodrome. This was a great way to finish and a fabulous experience. 

The weather could have been worse. We got rained on twice and the wind at time was terrifying but all in all it was a great day….no records broken but a commendable distance achieved on a course not to be sniffed at.’

Great riding Debbie and Ian!

In welcoming Bijan Tahan to the club, we welcome another true multi sporter who has a great story to tell:

‘I played rugby for some top London clubs until my early 30s, then did nothing for 10 years and became a 23 stone fatty and the doctors said you’re gonna drop dead any day! So,  I joined DL gym and started swimming and spinning and did my first London Marathon in 2005 weighing  18 stone.  I carried on running regularly and joined DL swim club and later  attended tri brick classes and ran a few half marathons followed by 2010 London marathon @ 16 Stone. 

Since then I’ve participated in 2 half ironman and 3 full iron mans in Canada , Switzerland and Barcelona in 2011/12/13 reaching my goal of 14 stone when I unexpectedly got a massive 18 inch DVT in my leg . Since then I’ve been maintenance training and after a couple of operations on my leg managed to complete a Tough Mudder with Lilly Mazzoni who together with Omar trained me to the limit to achieve my goal for this challenge. 

I’m hoping to get back to original fitness and my new challenge is to attend as many Viceroy events and a Half Ironman in Lanzarote in October 2014 and full one in Brazil in May 2015 and the London Marathon at the same !time of trying to reach my dream weight of 13 stone.’

Wow, impressive targets and awe inspiring progress Bijan.

Bijan also owns Pure Motion Cycles in West Byfleet called and will offer any Viceroy member discounts on servicing bike fitting parts and labour and spares.

The 1st of the Thorpe Sprint Series was not on Colette Kitterhing’s schedule until Saturday afternoon, but knowing how hard she trains (Evem in her debut at a Christmas Panto, ‘In it to win it’ introduced her on the programme) a last minute tri should have presented little worries for her:

‘When the kids got invited to a sleep over I thought I would make the most of a free morning. So needs less to say race prep was patchy (not sure we really believe you Colette!). The swim was good, coming out the water 4th in my wave, 1st lady. Chairman Yeo would have been disappointed with the 1:13 T1, all fingers and thumbs!

Knowing the course was a great bonus and I was feeling good on the bike. It was coming back up Longcross that I spotted the RGA lady (I later found out she was called Vicky). She looked strong and was gaining on me. Spurred on I got my head down but she caught me at about the 15km mark. But she did not managed to get too much of a lead as I left T2 just in front. Numb feet and dead legs, the run was hurting! For 3k I would hear her breathing right behind me but as much as I tried I could not get my legs going faster. Then at about 4km two other ladies came past us taking 1st and 2nd. And then in the last 500m I lost grip of 3rd when the lady in green found some reserves that I could not find.

I had a great morning, loved the race and brilliant to see so many other Viceroys there.

4th female
3rd in category
29th overall

Now I need to get working on that run! ‘

Great racing Colette and good luck in The Mini Marshman next weekend.

As the rest of us were having a Bank Holiday lie in, Mick Tumilty, Carl Fisher, Lance Keeson and Rachel Hall were heading to Hampton for Thames Turbo 2. For those of you still in bed, the weather could not have been better.

After a winter of training hard, this was Carl’s first triathlon of the season and with a banner of ‘Clarkie’s Curse’ on his post race commentary, one cannot but wonder how this much awaited race panned out: ‘I got held up by the four guys who started in front of me on the swim, threw my toys out the pram but that’s Thames Turbo for you and I should have taken it in my stride! Cocked up T1 ran 10m past my bike still fuming about being held up in the swim.’

The much calmer Mick, although beginning with an equally unspectacular swim, was blazing by T1: ‘a very quick T1 (credit to Mr Yeoman) and a flying start that drew gasps of “slow down” and “oh my God” from the marshals on the road. Don’t they know it’s a race???’ But Mick, you can’t get stats like these without a bit of drama: 9.06 / (46.0) / 37.50 / (5.25/48.0)/22.09 !!

Carl was having an equally dramatic time on his bike: ‘Smashed the bike until it literally rattled itself to pieces on the roads of Sunbury.  I was about to quit and head back, when my good mate George showed up with his tool kit and got me back on my way after a 5 minute delay. Determined not to last one on the road and in an attempt to outrun ‘Clarkie’s Curse’, I turned myself inside out to catch a few guys up the road in front of me.

T2 was better than T1 and finally out for the run; I a new 5km PB (by 5 seconds) so all in all, I am please with my effort and despite being riddled by mistakes, school boy errors and equipment failures, It’s great to be back out there racing again.  Next up London Hyde Park.’

Statistics:Swim 7:01; T1 – 1:11; Bike-43:59; T2-0:59; Run-21:43; Total -1:14:52

37 mins later cycling later (with no mishaps) and Mick was back into T2 for another flyer before heading out for a steady 22min 5k and a well earned cup of water, meeting up with Lance and cheering Rachel over the line. 1.10.38 finish time and a 10th in age group.

We welcome to Viceroys another active local who enjoys both running and team sports – Charlotte Saunders: ‘My love of multisport began in 2001 during my final years of University. Two of my housemates were keen runners and triathletes and decided that I should be too! I started running again and quickly found that I was really enjoying it and began to run on a more regular basis competing in races from 5km to half marathons. The timely loan of a (rather large) bike saw my first triathlon in 2002 and I was hooked!

I found that although I was placing in both the bike and the run sections, the swim was letting me down and rather than focus on that I swapped from triathlon to duathlon! (obviously the only sensible option!). I loved duathlon and in 2002 I qualified for my first World and European Age Group Championships which was one of the most amazing experiences. I was fortunate to qualify again on a few occasions and managed to secure a Silver medal at the European Championships in 2004.

Following this I had a few years of struggling with running injuries which meant that I turned my attention to cycling and time trials. I really enjoyed these races and competed in local 10’s and also the Duo Normand 2-up time trial which is a brilliant race (and also a target for 2014 with fellow Viceroy Alan Clark where we will be against Kim Bainbridge and Nick Harmon, also new Viceroys!)

Having vowed that I would never compete in triathlons again I was convinced that I should give it one more go so I dusted off my bike and completed a sprint triathlon. Instantly I was hooked again and have been racing in sprints and Olympic distance races ever since. 2013 saw my first ironman distance race in Barcelona with ‘The C Team’ and I loved it. I would definitely like to do another.

I am looking forward to the season ahead and am pleased to be a part of the Viceroys team.’

Welcome to Viceroys Charlotte.