If it was anything like the CTC standard 100 mile rides I experienced, it would be a bit of a ‘blind’ from the start !  The idea is to complete a set distance within an agreed time, but Charlie finishes with so much time to spare that he must have entered the slowest qualifying group.  However, he is at the front most of the time and finishes third out of 40 plus riders.  Creditable.  It serves to confirm his underlying fitness on a heavy bike.