Whittonstall South Hill Climb

Hannah Farran and Colin Atkinson were fastest female and male riders at a very wet Vector Racing mid-season hill-climb in Northumberland on Friday evening.

Farran (Team Boompods) clocked 7-49.4 to finish as fastest female by 1-10 from junior Amelia Cleathero (Reifen Racing), while third quickest female was veteran Angela McGurk (Blaydon CC) who was another 14 seconds adrift.

Colin Atkinson (Muckle CC) covered the two-mile course in an impressive 6-49.6, winning by just short of ten seconds from team-mate Leon Potter, while John Bowman was third, completing a clean sweep of the men’s podium for Muckle CC with a time of 7-12.0.

Just outside the podium places was 15-year-old Mason Bullfin, the Manilla Cycling juvenile who clocked an impressive 7-19.4 in conditions more akin to canoeing.

The 1.9-mile course begins in Ebchester and heads up Chare Bank and Dere Street, finishing just before the hamlet of Whittonstall.

Atkinson tackled the event on a road bike, but there was also a prize for the first on a time trial bike which went to Potter. Farran was also on a road bike, as were all the women who rode.

All-rounder Colin Atkinson is perhaps more known for hill-climb exploits, having won one event last hill-climb season and been on the podium four times. This season he has tackled a range of distances from this short 1.9-mile hill-climb to the Tyneside Vagabonds 40-miler in May where he placed eighth.

This was Hannah Farran’s first appearance in a CTT event since the National Hill-Climb Championship last year, which was the culmination of a season in which she won the first six hill-climbs she entered on her way to placing 19th at the National Championships.

This season her form has seen her finish in the top ten of three road race events so far, including a win at the Mark Evans Memorial Trophy. She also competed at the National Road Race Championships last month.

* All reports are copyright of Cycling Time Trials/Snowdon Sports. Not to be used without permission.

 

Results:

Men:

1. Colin Atkinson (Muckle CC)         6-49.6

2. Leon Potter (Muckle CC)   6-59.5

3. John Bowman (Muckle CC)           7-12.0

4. Mason Bullfin (Manilla Cycling)   7-19.4

5. Noel Stoddart (Allen Valley Velo)  7-31.0

6. Joe Reed (Muckle CC)       7-33.8

Women:

1. Hannah Farran (Team Boompods)  7-49.4

2. Amelia Cleathero (Reifen Racing) 8-59.5

3. Angela McGurk (Blaydon CC)       9-13.2

4. Teri Bayliss (Reifen Racing)          9-33.0