2015 Hill Climb Season

Louis Szymanski reports: Having put in some decent miles over the spring/summer I decided to have a go at a full hill climb season, hopefully culminating with a ride at the nationals on the last weekend in October.

Snake Pass Hill climb: 1st
The first local open hill climb of the season was organised by Glossop kinder velo on the Snake pass. I had never ridden the climb previously but went up it as a warm up and felt it was a climb which I was fairly suited to: long and steady, averaging about 6 %. It was a lovely morning, mild and sunny, which made for good racing conditions. I went ok in the event and faded at bit at the top but just about managed the quickest time of the day, edging second place by less than a second!
Leigh Premier Hill Climb: 1st
It was almost a month until my next open event, this time organised by Leigh Premier on Sheephouse Lane in Rivington. This is a climb local to me and one I know well. The event was well organised and again held under perfect conditions; cold and with a fairly strong tailwind all the way up the climb. I set off strong but struggled on the steep part and subsequently for the rest of the climb, actually completing the second half of the climb in a slower time than I would in training! Despite this I finished with a 7.42, a good time which was enough to be the fastest on the day.

Rossendale Road Club Hill Climb : 3rd

The following weekend was RRC’s open hill climb held on Woodplumpton road, leading up to Crown Point. I competed in the same event last year and finished 1st so was hoping for a similar result this time round. Unlike the previous weekends this course was much more of a ‘classic’ British hill; short and steep, about 1000m long and averaging 11%. The conditions were again favourable with very little wind, although visibility was poor at the top of the hill from a foggy start to the day. Despite feeling fairly good on the ride out to the event I really struggled to get going on the climb and all together struggled, finishing with a 2.57, significantly slower than last year, even more significantly slower than 2 other riders and over 30 seconds off the course record (even though it is held by Malcolm Elliott)!
Huddersfield Star Wheelers Hill Climb: 14th
This event is a popular one on the local hill climb calendar and interest was increased even further this year as it was held on the 2015 nationals course; Tinkers Monument in Jackson Bridge. There was a full start sheet featuring all of the top 5 from the 2014 nationals amongst many other strong local riders. The course is hard, about a mile long and averaging 11% with several ramps of around 20%. I rode fairly well finishing in 14th with a time of 4.40. I had been up the climb earlier in the week but misjudged how hard the latter half of the course was and went off too hard meaning I was really laboured for the steep final sections, inevitably losing time. However, I held it together ok and crossed the line fully spent, always a good sign. Although the result doesn’t sound fantastic I was quite pleased with it and found it encouraging for the nationals.

Holme Moss Hill Climb: 7th
This event was held on the same day as the previous one, a couple of hours later and organised by Holme Valley Wheelers. Many of the riders for the morning event were racing again although some had left in favour of other climbs in the area. The conditions were good with a cross tailwind for the upper sections of the hill meaning many good times were posted. I finished in 6.52 which was good enough for 7th behind some very strong riders. I again set off a bit too hard and struggled at the top. I was happy to get under 7 minutes as tailwind opportunities come few and far between on this hill!

North Lancs Road Club Hill Climb: 4th

The weekend before the nationals was the annual Nick O’ Pendle hill climb, another ‘classic’ climb that has featured at the national hill climb championships a few times previously and has an impressive list of previous winners. I know the climb fairly well and had a good idea of how to pace it. Conditions for the event were poor; classic autumnal drizzle but also a moderate northerly easterly wind which meant times were significantly slower than usual. I rode well in a fairly strong field to finish a close 4th in 4.03. I was pleased with this result as it is a climb which quite closely resembles the nationals course and it seemed as though I was finding decent form on the shorter, steeper climbs in time for the big one.

Cragg Vale Hill Climb 2nd
On the same afternoon as the Nick O’ Pendle I made the trip over to Mytholmroyd for the cragg hill climb organised by the Yorkshire road club. It was nice to compete in this event as several other Centreville members were also racing. The North Easterly wind from the morning had strengthened further which produced some quick times on the course. I decided to race on the TT bike but due to tailwind I am unsure as to whether it made much difference. I rode fairly consistently and finished with a tailwind induced 15.20, a time good enough for second place.
National Hill Climb Championships: 17th
Following an easy week of training I was feeling pretty fresh on the morning of the nationals. The event was superb in terms of organisation and atmosphere and it was truly great to be part of. I had been seeded in the last hour of riders meaning by the time I had arrived the first 90 senior men had already completed the course. It seemed a good time on the day was sub 4.50 (the course had been extended by around 120 yards from the club hill climb two weeks previously). I decided to take the early part of the climb easy, learning from my mistakes two weeks previously. This paid dividends and I felt strong to the top, spurred on by the crowds. I crossed the line in 4.38, slightly quicker than I went on the shorter course, a pleasing result. The strong riders then followed one by one and I ended up in 17th overall. From a full field of 240 riders I was happy with the final placing in my first national championships. There is definitely room for improvement however and I intend to work hard over winter and have another crack at the end of next season to see if I can go better and possibly even edge towards the top ten…

Louis Szymanski