On the morning, no fewer than 47 Redhill riders gathered at Reigate College and when the call for a photo went up, an eerie silence fell and you could hear a faint mumble from the other entrants that paraprhased would be saying 'now THAT'S impressive'. And of course, that was before the RCC train departed.
Huge thanks to Southern Sportive for allowing us to make a bunch start and head off as one group up Croydon Road. It was clear from the off that some people were targeting great things... and so it turned out.
To skip to the final page of the story, many of the heroics are only clear when you see the times posted and use the wizardry of a spreadsheet to make sense of them. On the mid-route, which the majority of RCC riders took on, 11 of the quickest 21 riders were from Redhill CC with Sean McAuliffee heading the pack with a 3'11'. And as your eye scans down, the results fall in 'bunches' that say nothing on a PC screen but hide three and a half hours of taking turns on the front, mutual encouragement, mini-goals and shared experiences. The names of Dave Roscorla, Stuart Greig, Matt Knowles, Chris Hall and 2010 Sportive Specialist, Barry Gerhold all jump out of the top dozen with times easily under 3'30".
Another bunch with big hearts, strong legs and true grit puts in an appearance at the three and a half mark mark comprising Brian Costello, Lisa Deefholts, Andy Gardner and Pete 'Marmite' Mortimer. They were closely followed by Martin McInroy, Stephen King, Stuart Bunt, Simon Deefholts and Andre Didon.
Now a Sportive is NOT a race but for each rider - and each baby peloton - it is a personal challenge on a marked course and it rewards those riders who work together.
So when MGM make 'Reigate Sportive - the Movie', a lot of time will be spent discussing how to do justice to the challenges faced by the Long Route Redhill Riders. It is an extraordinary indictment of some people's approach to cyclists that a key section of signage on the route was the subject of sabotage and vandalism. The section at Bough Beech near the Wheatsheaf Pub was so badly messed up that scores of riders ended up doing either many more or somewhat less miles than they intended.
Scanning down the list, despite route-gate, most RCC riders still ended up with the Golds that their efforts deserved - Geoff Clifton, Dan Bartley, Maurice Brennan, Graham Tucker, Gigi, Russell Hicks, Eric Thomas, Chaarl Jordan (despite the early puncture), Dave Willsher... however, special mentions have to go to:
1) Jonny Bradbourne and Leigh Smithers whose extraordinary fitness resulted in an average speed so high that they get dubious red question marks (yep, disbelief at the power of those RCC legs).
2) Phil Jemmison who ended up with 89 miles on the clock but STILL managed to get home in a gold time.
3) Nick Brookes whose battles with the signage led him to ascend Ide Hill from multiple different angles on separate occasions. A letter will be going from the Chairman's office to Southern Sportive because he missed a certain Gold by two minutes.
4) Kev Greene. I saw him at the end long after I'd got home, showered and changed and he uttered the redoltent words 'I'm never cycling another Sportive'. We know he will... but sympathy is due in spades. A finishing time of 6'08" from a strong rider tells tales of mis-routing of a magnitude that would usually involve the discovery of a new contintent.
As far as we know, the only DNF of the day was Lewis Burgess who came a cropper on that horrible combination of water, stones and potholes near Chiddingstone. A disappointing end to the day for a rider who - according to those around him - was 'on fire' before the accident.
Now, there are probably many other stories of the day, so please add them into the comments below once you're logged in but a few final mentions are needed to tie up the loose ends.
Kim, Maria and Kaaren all set out to enjoy the beautiful scenery that this sportive served up without pushing themselves as we know they're able if they wished. Again, this is another beauty of the Sportive - you can ride how you wish... fast, leisurely, relaxed or on the rivet!
Richard Bacon, put in a solid ride on the short course as we would expect from Mr Consistent.
Nick 'Solid Silver' Curran who reminded all around him that pace is the key and managed to pace himself perfectly while enjoying every mile. And finally to my own companion for much of the day, Des Stout, who (against all the protocols of Sportive law) stuck with me during various mechanicals and sacrificed a certain personal gold in the process. Thanks Des! Folks, his secret is that he's a qualified bike mechanic so a top man to ride with for his brain as well as his legs.
Well done, Redhill. Whatever your story, this was a day that did the club and everyone who took part proud!
Adrian