News & Features

Calum Brown and Emilie Verroken powered their way to victories at the Monsal hill-climb in Derbyshire, with Brown coming within just 0.3 seconds of the long-standing course record in the Sheffrec CC event.

Team B38-Underpin Racing rider Brown, 27 and from Sheffield, clocked 1-14.5 to beat former national champion Adam Kenway into second place and come agonisingly close to breaking the 37-year-old course record for the OHC/3 645-yard climb set in 1981 by Malcolm Elliott.

And Emilie Verroken (Maxx RT) was fastest female with an impressive time of 1-56.3, giving her the win by 3.2 seconds from Fusion CC’s Abbie Taylor.

Meanwhile, reigning national champion Dan Evans (ASSOS Equipe UK) bagged two victories last weekend, winning the Otley CC two-stage event as well as the Lancashire Road Club event on Sunday.

He was fastest on both stages of the Saturday events on Guise Cliff and Norwood Edge in West Yorkshire, with Andrew Feather (BCR Racing) 3.3 seconds back in second, while Jessica Evans (also ASSOS Equipe UK) was fastest female on Saturday.

And on Sunday Evans was in winning form again as he was fastest on the 947-yard climb of The Rake in Lancashire. He covered the climb in 2-23.5 to win by 4.8 seconds from David Huck (Barrow Central Wheelers) while the fastest female was Fiona Burnie (GS Metro) in 3-05.9.

Elsewhere, Ed Laverack (JLT Condor) won both hill climbs staged by Realteam.co.uk over the weekend. In Saturday’s climb of the Bwlch he clocked 6-50.9 to win by around50 seconds from Hefin Evans (Bynea CC), whilehe was 1-06 ahead of the same rider in Sunday’s climb at Rhigos.

In Berkshire, Richard Gildea (Didcot Phoenix) won the Newbury RC climb of Walbury Hill, covering the 1,883 metres in 3-53.9 to win by 15 seconds from Danny Axford (Arctic Tacx) while Anabell Orenz (North Cotswold CC) was quickest of the women in 5-10.5.

Gildea had also won the Chippenham and District Wheelers climb of Bowden Hill at Lacock on Saturday, covering the 1.27 miles in 4-26.2 to win by 6.2 seconds from Sam Lindsay (73 Degrees CC), while Joanne Jago (Performance Cycles) was fastest woman.

Jamie Johnson (Barnesbury CC) won the Blaydon CC two-stage hill climb in Northumberland, beating Colin Atkinson (Muckle CC) was 8.5 seconds, while Hannah Farran (Boompods EDCO) was quickest woman in 11-21.5.

Rowan Brackston (London Dynamo) clocked 1-57.6 to win the Catford CC climb of Yorks Hill by around three seconds from Ewan Tuohy (Dartford RC). Jacintha Hamilton-Love (Dulwich Paragon CC) was quickest of the women in 2-56.0.

Ribble Pro Cycling’s Joe Wilson was quickest in the Stockton Wheelers event from Reeth to Tan Hill, clocking 36-34 to win by 39 seconds from Richard Lilleker (Cleveland Wheelers, while Alana Prior (Liv CC Halo Cycles) was fastest female in an impressive 45-35.

Thomas Perren (Rapha CC) won both of the Brighton Mitre CC hill-climbs on Saturday, clocking 9-12.4 for the afternoon’s Mill Hill climb of 4,682 yards, which came after he had covered the 1,704-yard Bostal Road climb in the morning in a time of 4-02.0.

Similarly, Jennifer George (Torelli-Beastwear-Brother) was quickest woman in both stages too.

And in time trialling, Stephen Ayres (Bronte Wheelers) was quickest in the Yorkshire CF 25 near Boroughbridge, clocking 51-36 to win by 15 seconds from National 24-hour champion Andy Jackson (AeroCoach), while Fiona Sharp (Team Swift) was fastest female.

* 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.