2015 Hill Climb Season Report
Our Hill Climbers were in action throughout 2015.
A total of 13 Swindon Road Club riders rode at least one event this season.
White Horse Challenge
Uffington Hill Climb, Oxfordshire, 0.6 mile
Sunday 26th April 2015
The Uffington White Horse Hill Climb is part of the White Horse Challenge, the
90 mile race, which the organisers, for the 5th year running put in a timed ride up
this infamous Hill. Cyclists young and old from around the region tackled the
Hill (83 miles into the ride). This is a gruelling 0.6 mile climb, which affords
amazing views across Wiltshire and Oxfordshire.
It was a chilly day (8 degrees) with a strong northerly headwind. It was a great
atmosphere, with the competitors being urged on by the spectators on the hill.
It was won by 24 year old Oscar McVeigh with a new course record time of
2mins 59.8secs. Beating the old course record of 3mins 15.0secs set by Matt
Steven in 2014.
There were 423 finishers.
Pos
Rider
Club
Cat
Time
1
Oscar McVeigh
-
18-39
2.59.8
New Record
2
Jeremy Redford
Defence Academy CC
V40-49
3.21.1
3
Ben Broughton
Zappis CC
18-39
3.44.0
11
Mervyn Neely
Swindon Road Club
V40-49
4.09.3
20
Jon Tresadern
Swindon Road Club
V40-49
4.27.0
33
Allan Loudon
Swindon Road Club
V40-49
4.37.1
43
Marc Allen
Swindon Road Club
V40-49
4.44.6
125
Liam Calloway
Swindon Road Club
18-39
5.27.9
215
Lee Rayfield
Swindon Road Club
V50-59
6.04.7
245
Deborah Pope
Swindon Road Club
V40-49
6.17.8
291
Robert Miller
Swindon Road Club
V50-59
6.43.9
295
Paul Cooper
Swindon Road Club
V50-59
6.45.2
Newbury Road Club Hill Climb
Walbury Hill, Berkshire, 4.4 miles
Friday 17th July 2015
The Newbury Road Club Summer Hill Climb started in the village of Kintbury
with 4.4miles of climbing with an average gradient of 3.9%, but at the half way
point, 1 mile was at 12.2%. It was a warm evening (18 degrees) with a blustery
headwind to the finish.
There were 13 riders on the startsheet.
Pos
Rider
Cat
Time
Club
1
Mark Shepherd
1st Vet
14min 55sec
Banjo Cycles.com
2
Tom Bolton
-
15min 1sec
Oxford University CC
3
Marc Allen
2nd Vet
15min 19sec
Swindon Road Club
Corinium CC, Club Hill Climb
Sapperton, Gloucestershire, 0.5mile
Thursday 27th August 2015
The Corinium Cycle Club's season ending hill climb was held in the small
Gloucestershire Village of Sapperton on the 0.5 mile 10% climb.
The event took place on a warm (17 degrees), still evening.
There were 20 riders on the startsheet.
Pos
1
Rider
Rory Gilling
Club
Performance Cycles
Cat
Time
2:04
2
Simon James
Corinium CC
V50+
2:08
3
Russ Thompson
Performance Cycles
V40+
2:09
7
Andy Claxton
Swindon Road Club
V40+
2:23
11
Les Liddiard
Swindon Road Club
V50+
2:34
12
David Smith
Swindon Road Club
13
Marc Allen
Swindon Road Club
V40+
2:40
16
Chris Broad-Drake
Swindon Road Club
V50+
3:12
2:38
Minehead CC, Open Hill Climb
Porlock Hill (4.2 miles), Porlock, Somerset
Sunday 20th September 2015
At 10am on a chilly sunny morning (14 degrees) with a light headwind up the climb
saw the biggest field of riders for this event (117 on the startsheet) take on Porlock Hill
in Porlock, Somerset on the rugged Exmoor coast. It is a tough climb with a height
gain of 370 metres over the 4.2mile ascent.
The event included National Hill Climb Champions Tevjan Pettinger (2013), Dan
Evans (2014) & Maryka Sennema (2014). And the eventual winner of the 2015
National Hill Climb, Richard Bussell.
There were 117 riders on the startsheet.
Pos Rider
Club
Cat
Time
1
Tejvan Pettinger
Sri Chinmoy Cycling Team
14.45.54
2
Dan Evans
Team Elite/P. Berthall Elec.
14.48.24
3
Richard Bussell
RST Sport/Aero-Coach
15.29.22
37 Marc Allen
Swindon Road Club
V40
19.27.28
Newbury Road Club, Open Hill Climb
Walbury Hill, Berkshire, 1.1 miles
Sunday 27th September 2015
At 10am on a chilly sunny morning (12 degrees) with a cross/headwind up the climb
saw the biggest field of riders for this event (79 on the startsheet) take on the Newbury
Road Club Open Annual Hill Climb starting just outside the village of Inkpen with
1.1miles of climbing with an average gradient of 7%, but at half way its 12.2%,
The event included National Hill Climb Champions Tevjan Pettinger (2013) & Maryka
Sennema (2014).
There were 79 riders on the startsheet.
Pos
Rider
Club
Cat
Time
1
Tejvan Pettinger
Sri Chinmoy Cycling Team
03:59.82
2
Joe Norledge
Procycling Magazine RT
04:15.00
3
Richard Gildea
Didcot Phoenix CC
04:25.40
27
Marc Allen
Swindon Road Club
V40
05:10.02
Chippenham Wheelers Open Hill Climb
Bowden Hill, Lacock, Wiltshire, 1.25 miles
Saturday 3rd October 2015
At 10am on Bowden Hill, just outside the beautiful National Trust Village of
Lacock, saw the biggest field of riders for this event (48 on the startsheet) take
on the hill. It’s a tough climb with a height gain of 103 metres and an average
gradient of 6%, with a maximum of 13%. It was a chilly, foggy morning with
temperature of 8 degrees with little to no wind. Joe Norledge won the event with
a time of 4min 36secs, only 5.8 secs shy of the course record set by Steven Allen
in 2010.
There were 48 riders on the startsheet.
Pos Rider
Club
Cat
Time
1
Joe Norledge
Procycling Magazine RT
4-36.81
2
Tony Kiss
Performance Cycles CC
4-40.62
3
Stefan Barnett
VC Walcot
J17
4-45.82
28
Marc Allen
Swindon Road Club
V40
5-48.45
33
David Smith
Swindon Road Club
6-12.00
Severn Road Club, Open Hill Climb
Hinton Hill (0.5 mile), South Gloucestershire
Saturday 3rd October 2015
It was a sunny afternoon of about 16 degrees with little to no wind.
The event started at 2pm, with saw the biggest field of riders for this event (47 on the
startsheet) taking to the hill. A great ride by 17 year old Matthew Fratesi, winning the
event for the second year in a row, came close to beating the course record of 1min
47.8 secs set by Robert Gough in 2011.
There were 47 riders on the startsheet.
Pos Rider
Club
Cat
J17
Time
1 Matthew Fratesi
Severn RC
2 Glyndwr Griffiths
Arctic Tacx RT
01:58.6
3 Joe Norledge
Procycling Magazine RT
01:58.7
26 Marc Allen
Swindon Road Club
V40
01:53.3
02:37.9
Bath CC Open Hill Climb
Bath, Somerset
Sunday 4th October 2015
There were 51 riders on the startsheet.
Pos
1
Rider
Joe Norledge
Club
Procycling Magazine RT
Cat
Time
2:23.9
2
Angus Fisk
Oxford University CC
2:24.8
3
Tony Kiss
Performance Cycles
2:27.0
34
David Smith
Swindon Road Club
3.31.5
Mid-Devon CC, Open Hill Climb,
Hay Tor, 3.1 miles, Bovey Tracey, Devon
Sunday 4th October 2015
The event was held at 10am on a cloudy day (12 deg), but foggy at the top of the
hill, but little to no wind. It’s a tough 3.1 mile climb, which rises up to a height
gain of 335metres with a maximum of 12%. A good field took to the climb, but
no one came close to beating the course record of 12min 44secs set by Jeff
Williams in 1979 at the National Hill climb. A great ride by 17 year old Jordan
Channon won the event with time of 14.29.5mins. The juniors had excellent
rides, filling 4 of the top 9 places.
There were 30 riders on the startsheet.
Pos
Rider
Club
Cat
Time
1
Jordan Channon
Tavistock Whs CC
J17
14.29.5
2
Ashley Towey
Mid Devon CC
J17
14.38.6
3
Sam Barker
University of Exeter C C
13
Marc Allen
Swindon Road Club
14.58.7
V49
16.47.5
University of Bristol CC Open Hill Climb
Belmont Hill, Bristol, Somerset, 0.9 mile
Saturday 10th October 2015
There were 80 riders on the startsheet.
Pos
1
Rider
Isaac Mundy
Club
Oxford University CC
Cat
Time
3:12.1
2
William Bourne
Clay Cross RT
3:12.8
3
Richard Spink
T1 Diabetes.info
3:12.9
49
David Smith
Swindon Road Club
4:09.7
Sid Valley CC Club Hill Climb,
Peak Hill (1 mile), Sidmouth, Devon
Sunday 11th October 2015
The event took place at 10am on a sunny (12 degrees) day, with a moderate tail wind
up Peak Hill on the Sidmouth course.
Riders of all abilities took part in this tough event up a 1 mile climb averaging 9.5%
with a maximum of 27% two thirds from the summit. Starting at 6m above sea level
and climbing to 163m, with a height gain of 157m.
A superb ride by 53 year old Rex Facey of 1st Chard Wheelers saw a great time of
6.06 to win the trophy, donated by the Bedford Hotel.
There were 29 riders on the startsheet.
Pos
Rider
Club
st
Cat
Time
V50+
6.06.29
1
Rex Facey
1 Chard Wheelers
2
Olivier Derbyshire
Mid Devon CC
3
G. Kimber
C.S.D.
Jun15
6.15.86
10
Marc Allen
Swindon Road Club
V40+
6.45.52
6.09.90
Bristol South CC Open Hill Climb
Burrington Combe, Somerset, 2 miles
Sunday 18th October 2015
At 9.30am on a cloudy and foggy (12 degrees) morning with little to no wind up
the climb, a tough 2 mile hill, with an average of 6% gradient, a maximum of
10% and a height gain of 183m.
It saw big field of riders take on the Hill at Burrington Combe in Somerset near
Weston-super-Mare, including the 2013 National Hill Climb Champion Tejvan
Pettinger.
There were 107 riders on the startsheet.
Pos Rider
Club
Cat
Time
1
Tejvan Pettinger
Sri Chinmoy Cycling Team
06:58.4
2
Tony Kiss
Performance Cycles CC
07:25.1
3
Liam Bromley
University of Bath CC
07:28.1
32 Marc Allen
Swindon Road Club
V40
08:58.0
Wellington Wheelers CC, Club Hill Climb
Buckland Hill (2.1 miles)
West Buckland, Somerset
Sunday 1st November 2015
At 10am on a warm foggy morning (14 degrees) with little to no wind saw the
biggest field of riders for this event, 50 riders, take on Buckland Hill in
West Buckland, Somerset on the Blackdown Hills. It is a tough climb with
maximum gradient of 12.5% and a height gain of 198 metres over the 2.1mile
ascent. A great New Course Record was also set by 28 year old Dean Robson,
beating Andy Bussell’s 2013 time of 9min 57secs.
There were 50 riders on the startsheet.
Pos Rider
Club
1
Dean Robson
Somerset RC
2
3
Marc Allen
Geoff Ware
Swindon Road Club
Minehead CC
Cat
Time
9.01.00
New record
V40
V40
10.26.0
10.28.0