Usually, riders have up to 12 hours to complete a 100-mile route. Some groups might run a 100-km ride to encourage more diverse range of participants. Most rides take place in June, with some in July and August.

So far we have rides registered on our events guide in:

• Huddersfield & District Sunday 12 June
• Coventry Sunday 12 June
• SW London CTC Wednesday 15 June
• Edinburgh, Lothians and Borders Sunday 19 June
• Eden Valley, Cumbria Wednesday 22 June
• Teesside Saturday 2 July
• Chester & N. Wales Sunday 3 July
• Essex Sunday 14 August

Some riders have been taking part in Tri-Vets events for decades. John Seabrook from Kent has completed 11 rides, starting way back in 1992. In 2019, aged 86, he enjoyed completing the South West London CTC 100-mile ride alongside two of his sons and a granddaughter.

John Seabrook from Kent has completed 11 Tri-Vets rides since 1992

Fun, friendly and informal

The Tri-Vets rides are designed to be fun, informal events and nearly always include coffee, tea and lunch stops, along lovely routes that take place in pleasant countryside.

Group organisers are encouraged to plan routes that avoid main roads where they can and are not too hilly so the rides are accessible to as many people as possible.

Very often, the routes form a figure of eight so participants return to a central location for a relaxed lunch before venturing out again for an afternoon loop.

There may also be a leader for each group of riders riding at different paces and distances. This means that riders feel very supported and can also return to base more easily if they wish.

Save the date - June and July 2022

The Tri-Vets are a popular social event, with many friends completing the rides together year after year, taking pride in collecting another date bar to add to their collection. Many riders carry on taking part well into their eighties and beyond. Let us know if you think you or somebody you know has the most date bars currently!

Badges and date bars are available to order on completion of the ride and certificates may also be awarded by some groups. 

Cycling UK is very grateful to all the wonderful volunteers who put time and effort into the Tri-Vets rides, enabling thousands of people to take part in a great day out in like-minded company, completing a personal challenge and enjoying all the benefits of cycling in later life. 

Participants

As well as being a fun, non-competitive challenge, the rides are a great social occasion, with many groups choosing to include a sit-down lunch stop and refreshments along the way. It's a chance to catch up with old friends, make new ones and discover new routes to ride.  Some groups also choose to put on a 100-km ride the same day to encourage a more diverse range of participants and many will plan a figure-of-eight route with the start and finish points at the same location so riders are never too far from base.

Although the rides may not be fully-supported, entrants set off in small groups and benefit from the presence of voluntary ride leaders, back markers and marshals. Riding groups are normally 10-12 riders, and the leaders and back markers are preferably experienced veterans who will know the route and ensure that the group stays together, as in a traditional club ride. 

Lunches must be pre-booked and full route instructions should be available.

A certificate will be issued to all participants completing the event within the 12-hour time frame. They may also order a commemorative gilt brooch and a date bar to hang on it for each year they complete the event. 

Get involved

All the Tri-Vets rides for 2022 will be registered in our Events Guide. 

If you are an event organiser for a Cycling UK member or affiliated group, you can find all the guidelines plus details of how to register your Tri-Vets event in our event organiser's toolkit. 

Enquiries

All enquiries regarding specific events should be directed to the organisers of each ride, whose details can be found in our Events Guide.