News & Features

Reigning National hill-climb champion Adam Kenway (Raleigh GAC) and Velo Schils-Interbike rider Rebecca Goodson were victorious at Sheffrec CC’s popular Monsal Head hill-climb in Derbyshire on Sunday, boosting their preparations for this year’s title race in four weeks.

Kenway, 30 and from nearby Belper, clocked 1:1.94 to take the win on a wet day by 2.7 seconds from Team Wiggins’ Joey Walker, while Andy Nichols (B38-Underpin Racing) was third.

And Goodson was fastest female with a time of 1:47.8, good enough to beat Emilie Verroken (Maxx RT) by more than six seconds, while Lizzy Banks (Storey Racing) was third.

The 87th edition of the event, it has always proved popular, and Kenway said afterwards: “It’s fantastic to win it again as it’s probably the biggest event of the year for me.”

Elsewhere, Dan and Jessica Evans (both ASSOS Equipe UK) won the Fibrax Wrexham RC hill-climb of Horseshoe Pass near Llangollen.

Course record holder and Welsh champion Dan Evans was 2.9 seconds shy of the record on the day, but his time of 8:54.9 gave him the win by 1.8 seconds from Ed Laverack (JLT Condor).

Meanwhile, Jessica Evans was fastest female, her time of 12:07.7 being 22 seconds quicker than her nearest rival Helen Aldred (Liverpool Phoenix CC).

In Kent, James Hayward and Jacintha Hamilton-Love both put in excellent performances as both the men’s and women’s course records were broken when Wigmore CC staged their 42nd annual hill-climb event on Sunday.

Hayward, 37, clocked 2:56.5 to win by 13 seconds from Ewan Tuohy (Dartford RC), while Hamilton-Love’s time of 3:58.0 gave her the win by 36 seconds from Debbie Percival (34 Nomads).

National 12-hour champion and competition record holder Alice Lethbridge (Drag2Zero) was fastest woman in the Kingston Wheelers hill-climb at Leith Hill near Forest Green, while David Ross (LFGSS CC) was quickest man.

And another top time triallist not seen often in hill-climbs is Hayley Simmonds (WNT Pro Cycling) who rode both stages of the Mid-Devon CC hill climbs at Haytor and Widdecombe on Saturday.

She broke the 29-year-old women’s course record for the Haytor climb, clocking 15:02.4 to take a massive 2.15 off the old mark and place fifth overall.

Then she rode the Widdecombe climb, and claimed another women’s course record, this time clocking 6:09.2 for the 0.93-mile course to beat Wiebke Rietz’s two-year-old record.

Fastest male rider up the Widdecombe climb was Andrew Feather (Bike Chain Ricci), with Joe Norledge (Bristol South CC) second.

In Worcestershire Jonathan Morris (Derby Mercury RC) clinched the Sunnycam Cup with a comfortable victory in the Worcester St Johns CC & Wyre Forest CC HC up Shelsey Walsh.

In Sussex Richard Cartland (Trainsharp) and Jennifer Andrews (CC Ashwell) powered to victory in the Blazing Saddles hill-climb on Knights Hill at Goodwood on Sunday.

And Chris Newberry (Redhill CC) and Gemma Hobson (Sussex Nomads CC) were fastest male and female riders respectively as Sussex CA staged a hill-climb on Steyning Bostal on Saturday.

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

* See the individual event listings for more detailed reports on these and other time trials.