News & Features

Didcot Phoenix rider Richard Gildea secured a weekend double in Wales as the build-up to the National Hill-Climb Championships continues to look wide open.

The 34-year-old was quickest against some tough opposition in both Saturday’s climb on the Bwlch and Sunday’s ride near Rhigos.

Saturday’s climb saw multiple national time trial champion Hayley Simmonds (AeroCoach) finish as fastest woman as well as sixth overall.

And on Sunday Gildea beat defending event champion Ed Laverack and reigning national champion Andrew Feather to victory.

Elsewhere, Calum Brown (B38-Cycles in Motion) won the Sheffrec CC classic climb of Monsal on Sunday, clocking 1-16.0 to go just two seconds short of Malcolm Elliott’s long-standing 1981 course record.

Behind Brown Adam Kenway and Andy Nichols tied for second, while Rebecca Richardson (Brother.UK-Fusion) was fastest female.

Nichols (B38-Cycles in motion) is hitting some good form, having broken the course record in Saturday’s Stocksbridge CC hill-climb on the Pea Royd Lane climb used for last season’s national championships.

Reigning women’s national champion Fiona Burnie (GS Metro) was fastest female at the Stockton Wheelers climb of Tan Hill in North Yorkshire. Her time of 39.46 was almost three minutes quicker than her nearest rival, while top male rider was Adam Pinder (Hambleton RC) with 33-34.

In Lincolnshire Ben Harmer (Wold Top The Edge) was victorious in the Sportslab climb near Leadenham, clocking 2-13.76 to win by around 12 seconds from Ben Mackinson (Apache Brace Racing). Sigma Sport rider Mathilde Pauls was quickest woman with 2-57.06.

Dan Evans (ASSOS Equipe UK) continued his preparation for the national championships with a victorious performance in the Fibrax Wrexham RC climb of the Horseshoe Pass on Sunday.

He clocked 9-14.7 to win by just over 15 seconds from Kirk Vickers (Holohan Coaching RT), while Congleton CC’s Hannah Rhodes-Patterson was quickest female in 11-30.

In Gloucestershire Severn Road Club held their Hinton Hill climb on Saturday which was won by BPM Coaching’s Josh Coyne in a time of 1-50.5. That was 3.1 seconds quicker than Cameron Biddle (Morvelo Basso), while quickest female was VC Melyd’s Lucy Lee in 2-30.2, 6.1 seconds better than second-placed Nicole Coates (Performance Cycles).

The Blaydon CC two-stage climb was shortened to just one stage because of flooding, and victory went to junior Archie Irving (Beacon Wheelers) in 1-59.3, while quickest female was Hannah Farran (Team Boompods).

Both stages of Otley CC’s hill climb survived the weather, and overall victory went to Joshua Aiken (Pedal Power Cycles Ipswich) on Saturday, while Adam Kenway (Vitus Pro Cycling) had to settle for second although did win one of the stages.

Liv AOL espoir Hannah Bayes won both stages and was overall fastest female by almost a minute from junior Eleanor Hunt (Otley CC).

* 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.