THE Dartford Bridge Triathlon was selected as this year’s Club Championship for Tunbridge Wells Triathlon Club.
The Olympic distance race attracted a competitive field for the multi-lap format against a backdrop of the iconic Queen Elizabeth Bridge.
Tim Lucas excelled with a 22min 1500m lake swim and was second out of the water in the 7am wave. A solid bike ride in miserable conditions consolidated his position on the road.
The 42km route comprised of seven laps along a stretch of dual carriageway, offering frequent opportunity to watch the race unfold.
Lucas paced his effort well to finish with a blistering 37min 10km run split, crossing the line in 2hrs 12min to claim 10th place overall and fifth in his age group.
Kieran Fitzpatrick was second home for the club, finishing in a time of 2:16.
The flat bike course enabled four minutes to be clawed back in the chase for the club title.
But the gap was too great to narrow any further, with both athletes being evenly matched on the three-lap run.
The battle for third place was hotly contested. Simon Howden impressed with a 24min swim, opening up a five-minute gap over the pack.
Michael Thompson pushed hard out of the water, recording a 1:11 bike split.
There was little to separate the rivals as they jostled for position on the run.
Thompson prevailed with a strong final burst to finish in 2:24, just 30 seconds ahead.
Suzannah Kinsella claimed the female title for the club with consistency across all disciplines.
A strong swim provided an early advantage and then she held her own on the bike.
She executed evenly paced run splits to cross the line in 2:52 and was well placed in age group.
PICTURE: FINE FINISH: Tim Lucas ended with a strong 10k
