Three club members, Graham and son Sam Martin, plus Tobi Ng all went up to the Peak District for some serious hill climbing at the classic Monsal Head event.
First run in 1930, Monsal Head Hill Climb is one of the biggest hill climb events in the calendar with around 230 entrants. It’s a closed road, measuring 675 yards, with a gradient of 1 in 6. Added to this you have a commentary, lots of spectators and barriers for the final stretch to give a great atmosphere. The course record 1m:14s, is one of the most well-known of all hill climbs, being held for over 40 years by Malcolm Elliot. The winner on this occasion again did not threaten the record with a time of 1m:19s.
So, how did our boys do?
Tobi (Team PB Performance), although still a second claim club member, managed a great time of 1m: 29s. This gave him an impressive 16th place in the overall standings in his build up to the Nationals at the end of October.
Graham was 8th in the Vet40 category, with a time of 1m:41s, just 3 seconds off his course PB set 2 years ago.
Sam nearing the finish at the top of Monsal Head
Son Sam, who is just 12 years old, put in another impressive ride, recording a time of 2m:43s. This put him 16th in the School Boys’ U16 category out of 32 riders.
Meanwhile, two junior members, Jorgie Gillett and Caleb Smith are clearly loving their cyclocross racing, as they were both out again on Sunday.
This time it was Round 4 of the Central Cyclocross League series, this time hosted by Hemel Hempstead Cycle Club.
Caleb and Jorgie ready for some CX action
Held at Gadebridge Park, the juniors only use half ‘the hill’, but also a had long drag before the course turned back to the start on a downward slope with a sharp, speed grabbing, dip making even the downward part laborious to say the least. The grass course was very wet after the previous day’s rain, meaning many were getting off and walking up the hill.
Jorgie and Caleb both raced together in the under 10’s, both managing to climb the hill each time without getting off. Their race time was 10 minutes, which saw them both complete 5 laps of the course. Caleb came 6th, after he was plagued by a dropped chain. Jorgie put in a great effort on such a testing course to secure 2nd place All this amounted to another 110 points for Caleb, putting him 4th in the U10 male league, while Jorgie’s 140 points now sees her leading the U10 female league