Friday, September 26, 2014

The 12 Hour TT - A helper's perspective



This year we had Simon Trehearn and Simon Waller riding the Kent CA 12 Hour, fighting it out for the 12 Hour Trophy and more importantly, the Club Championship.  Whoever cracked first could hand the Club Championship to the other.

Sunday starts with a 3am alarm and I pick up Simon Trehearn at 4am from Leatherhead and then drive 60 miles to Bethersden, south of Ashford in Kent.   The early morning was very misty, such that the organisers delayed the start by 30 mins to 6.01 first man.

Simon Waller’s girlfriend Jeni travels with me, with food and drink for all four of us, and both Simon’s spare wheels and early on we are confused by which Simon is where as they both wore black skin suits and the main difference was Simon T’s white overshoes.

Eventually the mist clears and we start to tell who’s who.   After some 60 miles both Simons are close on the road making handing food and drink quite interesting!  Is Simon Waller pushing too hard or is Simon Trehearn not going well?  By late morning the Sun is up, it’s getting quite warm and SW needs a clothing change.   A different crash hat also confuses us as we now can’t remember what colours to look out for.  Jeni found it very amusing when I tried handing up the wrong drink to the wrong Simon.

By lunchtime ST is feeling sick and having his 2nd stop, longer than the stops I used to have! and is complaining that he can’t drink enough and doesn’t think his food is going to stay down.  Then SW rolls in and lies out flat on the grass and complains that he has been sick and doesn’t think he can eat anything else.   Oh what joy!

Mum and Dad Powney arrive and our intrepid Simon’s are off for two more laps of the afternoon circuit and they both return for another break.  This time SW needs a full leg massage and the discussion starts about who is going on and where can they finish.   After a bit of cajoling from the “older Pownies” and a few long distance cycling stories, I’m thinking that’s long enough, Simon T decides it’s time to head for the finishing circuit, and catches Simon W out by promptly disappearing up the road.

Simon W decides to head off as well with the clear intention of calling it a day at Time Keeper no 3 on the finishing circuit, or did he say Timekeeper no4?   Once we’ve sorted ourselves out we head off in two cars with Ron and Doreen dispatched to collect Simon W when he stops and Jeni and I to Timekeeper 1, the start of the finishing circuit.

On route we pass Simon W looking “one shade of grey” clearly not enjoying the afternoon sunshine!  We make it to TK 1 and stop.  Simon T has already arrived and is on the circuit, Ron and Doreen go through and then Simon W joins the finishing circuit.  Great we’ve got both our riders to 160 miles!  Now the fun started.

After a while Simon T finished his first circuit and pulls up and gets in my car.  Not looking his best and certainly not keen!   “Am I ahead of Simon W?” he asks.  “Yes and he was talking about packing” is the reply.  After about 30 minutes Simon T has decided my car seat is one of the best and he’d like to stay.

Then Jeni spots Ron and Doreen pull up and Simon T is suddenly alert and the questions fly.  Simon W is not with them and they have waited for half an hour at TK4 and not seen Simon W.  Neither have we and if Simon W arrives at TK1 now he’ll be on the same distance as Simon T.

Simon T then says “Oh no, if Simon turns up I’m gonna have to get back on that bike and do another lap.”  “Well it’s all about where you two can pack and still remain a winner.”  This conversation was one of the strangest periods I have known in a 12 hour.  The past 3 hours was about who could get away with the shortest distance!

Having decided we have lost Simon W (we worked out later that he had packed at TK3 and then cycled to the HQ – off the course – and Ron and Doreen had been waiting at TK4), Ron and Doreen go round the finishing circuit to HQ and Jeni and I go the wrong way round, also to HQ.  This meant we talked Simon T back onto his bike to start another lap as technically he was still racing as he had not yet packed.

The two cars miss Simon W and arrive at the HQ only find him propped up against the wall inside the HQ, under some blankets looking worse than before.  After making sure Simon W is generally ok, I head back to the circuit to find Simon T.  Stopping at TK 3 to be told he’s 15 mins up the road I move on and same again at TK 5.  Surely he can’t be riding at the same speed I’m driving at!

Eventually after completing one full lap of the finishing circuit, I find Simon T at TK 4 having completed his 12 hours and amazingly he declares, “Sorry Brian I was feeling a bit better once I got going again so I kept going!”  Yeah yeah whatever.

Anyway they both recorded a distance, down on what they would have liked but they finished and we made it home for 9pm.   So if you think their 12 hour distance is beatable, get training for next year’s event.
 
By Brian Powney

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