Protech Velo - Paradise Bank

The race

Protech Velo promoted their Paradise Bank Hill Climb on course MH26 on Saturday 12 September, first rider away at 10:01. The course is published at one mile. It starts on the minor Paradise Bank road at Shadforth in County Durham and runs south, uphill, climbing for 0.4 miles past Ox Close Farm before a short dip and a second 0.4 mile rise to the finish, a marked drain cover about 100 yards short of the A181 junction. The event sits in the North East district.

From the organisers

Kieran Wynne-Cattanach powered to victory at the Protech Velo Paradise Bank Hill Climb, while Eleanor Dixon took the women's honours on the one-mile County Durham course. Wynne-Cattanach (Team Lifting Gear Products) completed the MH26 course in 3:14.3, taking the overall victory by 3.8 seconds from Hugo Storey (Muckle Cycle Club). Storey's Muckle team-mate Adrian Armstrong completed the podium in 3:29.3.

It had been a wet start to the day on Paradise Bank, although the rain relented before the first competitors rolled away. The wind remained, however, adding another challenge on the exposed course. The Paradise Bank climb near Shadforth gains 66.2 metres over its 0.96-mile distance. Riders initially climb for around 0.4 miles before the road dips and rises again towards the finish, making pacing an important part of the effort.

In the women's competition, Eleanor Dixon (NE1 Cycling Club) produced the fastest ride with a time of 4:27.3. Bronwen Jenkinson (Clwb Beicio Egni Eryri) was second, while Muckle Cycle Club's Vicki Spong completed the podium.

There was also plenty for the promoting club to celebrate, with Brian Ward (Protech Velo) finishing fifth overall in 3:34.0 and once again securing the Steve Goodings Memorial Trophy, awarded to the fastest Protech Velo rider. The trophy was first contested at Protech Velo's inaugural open hill climb on Paradise Bank in 2022 in memory of Steve Goodings, a much loved and respected member of the club. Ward was the first recipient of the trophy and has continued to set the benchmark for the host club on the climb. This year's contest was considerably closer, with 15-year-old youth rider Tom Sailes taking seventh overall in 3:40.7, just 6.7 seconds behind Ward. Sailes has made significant progress on Paradise Bank, improving from 4:29 as a 13-year-old in 2024, and also finishing ahead of the older Espoir riders competing on the day.

Muckle Cycle Club's strength across the field was rewarded with victory in the team competition, with Hugo Storey, Adrian Armstrong and Colin Atkinson combining to take the honours. Protech Velo's Ward, Sailes and Shaun Tyson finished second, with another Muckle trio completing the team podium.

The event once again brought together riders from the host club and clubs from across the region and beyond, with the short and undulating Paradise Bank course providing a demanding test against the clock.

Thanks

Cycling Time Trials thanks Colin Humphrey and Protech Velo. Photography by Paul Sailes.

Official results

Hill climbs in the North East district

Hill climbs across the country