The 50th Coventry to Brighton Run 16th 17th April 2011
In perfect weather, the Lord Mayor of Coventry flagged off 82 riders from Coventry Transport Museum, having first presented a message of greetings to the Mayor of Brighton and Hove which by tradition is carried by the rider of the oldest machine, this year by Steve Marks on his 1920 Henderson Model K. As usual, a number of riders from Sussex and Surrey, including Steve, had ridden to Coventry to join us for their run home.
The 160 mile route took us down through Banbury, stopping at Sturdy’s Castle for coffee, then round to the west of Oxford and Henley on Thames to the lunch stop at the Waggon and Horses at Twyford.
Some riders followed a quieter and more picturesque route to the east of Oxford which Chairman Harry had found several years ago and which went through Islip and Christmas Common on the Ridgeway before joining the other route just before Henley.
From the lunch stop, the now busy route took us through Bracknell towards Guildford which we skirted to find our afternoon tea stop at Newlands Corner Cafe.
From there we followed some very bumpy minor roads to Horsham, smooth dual carriageways to Cowfold, then A roads down to the coast, with the approach to Hove taking us over the superb Devils Dyke road.
The Mayor of Brighton and Hove met us at the finish and was presented with the letter from the Lord Mayor of Coventry by Steve Marks. The Mayor reminisced about his early motorcycling days, and then presented Geoff Booth with the Rider’s Choice award for his beautiful ’36 Calthorpe Ivory Major ‘Percy’.
Checking in at the Princes Marine Hotel, we were able to relax our aching muscles in the bar and later on enjoyed dining together.
On Sunday morning, with the weather still good, we parked our trusty machines in the garden opposite the hotel for concours judging. Ian Alexander and the indomitable Mrs Rotherham then presented the awards with much humour, with everyone setting off for home in good spirits.
Let’s hope that Kathy and Ian can resolve the hotel booking problem so that we can really have a magnificent 50th Anniversary Coventry to Brighton run in 2012.
Our thanks go to Kathy and Ian Alexander for organizing the event, The Lord Mayor of Coventry, The Mayor of Brighton and Hove, The Coventry Transport Museum, Mrs Rotheram for presenting the prizes, the staff at the Princess Marine Hotel and Alan Bailey for the report and pictures.