As a top amateur  triathlete it’s all about qualifying for the Worlds, the World Championships –  and this year we are proud to have 7 Viceroys all competing to challenge the best in the world at triathlon in Edmonton, Canada. Shropshire Olympic,  Nottingham sprint, Deva Olympic, Rother Valley Sprint, Dambuster Olympic and Milton Keynes Sprint are the races which we need to hold our breaths for as Mark Yeoman, Mike Armer, Mark Edmunds, Colette Kitterhing, Carla Gilbey, Colin Hinsley, Tim Ferguson take a step towards living the triathlon dream.

Mark Yeoman and Mike Armer headed to Ellesmere this weekend for the first round of qualifiers as the rain started to come down – it promised to be a wet and slightly windy day in Shropshire

Mike remembers: ‘As I racked up the bike, I spotted Yeoman pacing around transition, just as we heard a loud explosion….Poor number 267; his back tyre had popped on the rack! I was due off at 10:35am, with Yeoman 10 mins behind – I wondered when I would get the tap as he passed me… The swim was a frantic start with more stray arms than I had seen in a while. But, happily, calm waters and a 1 lap diamond shape meant the turns were not so congested. I kept trying to remember the drafting practise we had done at the lake, but then found myself fighting others to get on the toes of the guy in front. I exited the lake with a solid swim of 23:28.

I had been practising my bike mount with shoes clipped in at home. Unfortunately I had only been practising whilst the bike was on the turbo…..lesson learned…..be prepared, attend the Transition master class! I managed to get on the bike but when reaching down to guide my foot in to the shoe, I couldn’t reach… disaster! I gave a few spectators a laugh as I stumbled off my bike, and ripped my shoes off the pedals to get them on the old fashioned way! Regaining my composure, I set off on a relatively undulating, wet course. The first 20km felt good, but on the return to Ellesmere, the head wind took it’s toll – no wonder the first 20k had felt nice and fast! Hung on for a 1 hr 07 mins. Just the run to get through and it was tough – short ups and downs which sapped the legs. Mr Yeoman arrived on my shoulder at 5km, having made up the 10 mins, and then disappeared off into the distance on his way to a 3rd place.’

Mark had hit the swim hard and lead from the start and opened a nice lead. Each wave had gone off in 5min intervals, so he soon had to swim through the women’s water which at the turns buoys cost him, but he still exited in 19.50 – around a minute off what he needed.

Mark continues: ‘ The bike was bloody hard and not my preferred course – Welsh hills and nothing flat. So I pushed as hard as I could. I suffered over the last 8km into a strong head wind. Entering into T2 I was still first in AG but after 1km Martin Jessup eased by. The run was a killer, double out and back with two hills on the first out and then slow incline on the second. I eased up to Michael around 6km feel ropey, By 7km by legs where cooked and I knew I was slowing as the 18.30 first 5km soon caught up. Rule #5 Rule #5. I was slowing but by how much. with 1km to go I dropped a place but he told me that there was no one near so I shuffled home to secure 3rd AG and my automatic place for the Worlds (WOO HOO – GO YEO!). I’m over the moon as the race went well and with more run focus that final 4km will come.’

Mike secured a 42:35 10km to finish, and was delighted with an overall PB of 2hrs 15 mins, but in 17th place, it shows the utter commitment our 6 remaining Viceroys will need to get one of those GB spots….roll on Deva (for Mike) and Nottingham for other VTCs!

Welcome to Viceroys Phil Sumner, so what’s your story?

‘In 2008 I decided I wanted to get fitter so I could chase my little kids around the park and play with them, I was lazy overweight and couldn’t run a bath. I started at the gym on the treadmill. Got up to 5 k then started my running career in 10ks and was very proud of myself , thinking I was athlete of the year, I joined Elmbridge road runners in 2008, to my surprise I was the slowest member, what a shock that was lol. I persevered and became an active club member. I have now ran a few marathons and similar events, in 2012 I did the Ball Buster and had a go at an Olympic Triathlon.

After being injured in January 2013 I deferred my London Marathon place and entered the Ironman UK, which to my surprise and many other I scraped under 13 hours in, I promised my wife I would never do another one due to the time constraints and my young kids. I have only joined you guys as I love wearing pink, I have told my wife that I have no intentions of doing any other crazy events although I am booked on 70.3 Wimbleball, and 70.3 Weymouth this year, Bring it on NEVER SHOW WEAKNESS ! ps don’t let the wife see this !! Picture is of me posing on the marathon leg in Bolton , what a day that was… Fantastic. Looking forward to meeting you all!’

‘Hello everyone, I’m Kyle 39 year old aerospace inspector originally from Lincolnshire.
I’ve spent the last 15 years living and working around most airports in Western Europe but now settled with my partner in Wandsworth Town and working just outside of Heathrow.

I’ve always been quite sporty but this year I gave up the fags, cut out the junk food, knocked the beer on the head, joined a gym and a triathlon club! That was last January my training is going well, so far so good, just done my first Tough Mudder and I’ve  my first sprint at Dorney lake  – 6 more triathlons over the summer as well as a marathon in Bournemouth on 5th October! so plenty to be getting on with.

I look forward to meeting more of you over the next few months.’

Impressive schedule Kyle, we look forward to meeting you and hearing more!

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.