SAVAGE YET SUSTAINABLE

Woah, stop!” The tractor with combine harvester shudders to a halt at a pinch in the road as it encounters another motorhome. Ten of us on triathlon bikes come to a screeching halt. A rider tries to squeeze past the tractor. “Don’t annoy the locals, be sensible” is shouted out. The rider slinks back into the growing group as we all stand, cleats clacking on the ground as the tractor inches forwards. “So much for social distancing…” someone says, which has become 2020’s alternative to, “So much for non-drafting…” Cheers erupt as the motorhome finally squeezes past.

This is the sixth instalment of the Croyde Ocean Triathlon in North Devon, a race billed by the organisers as ‘Stunning and Savage’ due to its mix of picturesque scenery and a consistently tough course. It is, however, another accolade that the event boasts that’s