The Final Countup/down

The contents of the collection tin for the 2012 races have been added up by St Mary's Hospice and the total raised this year is £261.31
Thank you very much for all the contributions, both financially and in assistance in running the races.

If you are interested in helping the Hospice then please take 2 minutes to have a look at the website (http://www.stmaryshospice.org.uk). Whether you're thinking of riding the C2C, having a car boot sale or can give a couple of hours a week to assist in the Cafe, it all helps.
I am in the process of arranging next years races so keep your eyes peeled for details.

Looking at our total it is an increase an on 2011, but not as much as I hoped. Although we ran more races this year its obvious that the £2 levy per race to the CTT (instead of the £1 in 2011) brought down the amount people can afford to contribute on the line.
If you have any comments or questions please get in touch.

Thanks again, Howie.

Round 7- Kirkby Slate Road (23^rd August 2012)

Shake Rattle & Roll

Blessed with another fine night, and this time no ice for the second race up the rough track Kirkby slate road. Since February the surface has deteriorated further with some whopping potholes making the short climb a test of handling as much as power.

Again all the top places were taken by drop-bar machines and it was interesting to see the difference in speeds between the different set ups (more of that later).

Congratulations to Connor Furness for taking a few PSI out of the tyres & getting a return to the top of the list with a very quick time. Phil Craker was looking strong and had his race face on as he crossed the line. Tommy Moore was just back after an epic European touring holiday, and the Belgian roads had obviously prepared him well. I chose a lower gearing for the single-speed this time and it made a difference. I didnt feel like having a heart attack after 50 meters. Steve Brennan showed real class to be the first on a flat barred machine closely followed by the fastest junior, holidaying Tom Clarke from Red Rose Olympic. Roger Lyndsay was not quite as hairy this time but still going strong and he was chased by another young man with Belgian training in the legs, Lil' Jamie. Mike Jewell took the Vets and kindly handed back his winnings from last time (after I ballsed up the prizes!). James Stott was the first senior with a full MTB set up (knobblies on) chased by Graham Huddleston. Eammon was just back from a touring break & just pipped team mate Graham Carrick, both on MTBs. Glenn decided to resurrect the old 1980s cartoon character Banana Man dressing in all yellow, gorgeous! Belgian Bryson Snr was next up followed by Red Rose Olympic's Clarke Snr. Both were happy to see their sons tonking them on the climb, but allegedly will be returning next year after a Lance Armstrong training camp to show ‘Whos the Daddy’!  Hazel Sankey was the first female, and considering the noises she was making at the halfway mark she deserved a medal for getting to the substation (yes you did go too fast at the start!)

Brian Furness kindly threw us all up the course, Wils was our counter-downer ‘3,2,1,GO’, with Timelord Jenkins clocking everyone at the top. He was helped/hindered by my crew and the race was sponsored by Dave and Charis from DC Cycles. Dc are now in their new, much larger premises in the old Pepperpot Interiors/Kellys shop in the Brewery St car park in Ulverston, so go in and check it out.

Martin Uttley took some great photo's of the event. Check them out here.

All the money is now in the collection tin, and I will be handing it over to the hospice to count up as soon as I get chance.

From myself I must say big Thank you to everyone who in someway contributed to this years hillclimb series.

I am formulating the races/categories/interclub etc for next year and will be mixing it up a bit. So if you have any ideas/advice/criticism/requests etc please let me know.

Thanks again and keep climbing, I will put out the Hospice total as soon as I have it.

Cheers... Howie

Now Bike placings (apologies to the bikes I have got wrong, get your owner to email me).

1. Carbon roadbike
2. Cxer
3. Bloody heavy Cxer (with fantastic furry dice)
4. Single-Speed Cxer
5. MTB with slicks
6. MTB
7. Winterhack (inc rear mudguard! Nice)
8. Winterhack
9. MTB
10. MTB
11. MTB
12. MTB
13. MTB
14. Bananabike
15. MTB
16. MTB
17. MTB

Round 6 - Knottallow (12^th July 2012)

A Lakes RC 1-2-3 clinches the 2012 Inter-Club Hill Climb Trophy

The grimpeurs were blessed with great weather for this Ulverston Brewing Company sponsored event on a new course from Stone Briggs Alpaca farm, past Knottallow tarn to the junction at the top. The course set a different kind of challenge with a seriously steep short section that was potholed and gravelly, followed by a true roller coaster to the finish.

Lakes RC sealed the 2012 interclub with a stunning 6m30 ride from Dave Ralph and 6m38 from new signing Phill Craker. This meant that Dave left the race with a course record & a seriously tasty looking pack of beer to wash away the taste of blood.
I was next up and glad I was riding a compact with 13-27 on the back. Christ knows how bad my cough would have been if I’d stuck with proper gearing!
BCW's pair Sean Casson & James Stott were next up and showing that they're as good going uphill as they are blasting the TT's.
The McKenna cycling gene is obviously strong with a 7min dead ride from Col's lad Oliver, and looking at the state of him at the top ‘Dead’ seems appropriate.
Showing that weighing less than a KitKat and riding a beautiful Cervelo is definitely an advantage, Jamie Bryson cemented his position as this years top sprog with a wonderful 7:02. Unfortunately (due to a little thing called The Law) for Jamie there was only a voucher and no beer available for him.
Graham Huddleston had a strong show proving he was top of the 45+, with 7:05. Unfortunately there was a c**k up on the prizes, so if you are reading this Mike Jewel, you had a good ride but owe Graham a drink!
Roger Lindsay was looking dapper and after his ride bagged a spot prize for ‘Best moustache’. Max Dobie was a close second in the fuzzy face competition.
Glenn ‘H.A.S.S’ Rhodes kept it respectable and earns my award for keeping riding all season when its all going completely wrong.
Stu Walker & Chris Burrow were nip and tuck followed by Flatlands Fastman Paul Boardman.
Anne Plant bagged the Ladies prize and endorsed the course as the best we have raced. Beacon Wheelers pocket rocket Tyla Loftus was first MTB to the top and as he borrowed Grandad's bike to race I reckon the beer vouchers might be heading to Foxfield!
South Ulverstons new starter Jack Pearce showed true grit to get in just outside the 10m. At a first attempt at 14 yrs, riding flat pedals with trainers, I put this down as ride of the night. Great to see you out racing Jack, hope to see you out again.
Paul Swann was last up, but considering he was on a heavy hardtail MTB with a soft rear knobbly he did pretty well.

We all admired the stunning views out to the Lakes and over Ulverston whilst trying to stop the coughing and nausea, then back down for the presentation.

Anita was the nights podium girl from the Ulverston brewing company, and graciously listened to my drivel whilst handing out the beer.

Marshalling and Timekeeping was fettled by Steve Jenkins, Andy Woods, Wils Jenkinson, Young Miss Jenkinson and the Lindow pyjama mafia.

Most importantly the Hospice tin gained weight and is hopefully adding up to a good total for the end of the season.

Then it was time to finish, we “alpaca’d” up and blasted home to shout at Wiggo & Froome messing about on some tiddly hill in France called Col de Marmalade or something. C’MON SKY!

With the ‘serious’ road climbs out of the way there is only the remaining rough track DC cycles sponsored Kirkby Slate road race left. So it's Thursday 23^rd August with a 18:30 sign on to race. Please do not turn up on your top end £*K carbon monocoque with beautiful wheels & Di2. If you're lucky enough to have a 2^nd carbon bike you don't mind chipping then crack on, otherwise MTBs, winter hacks, Cxers are recommended.

I am currently in the early stages of planning next years races so if you have any questions/suggestions etc please shout up.

Thanks to everyone who has been turning up and making these races a good event, without the support and help, the races would not be running.

Cheers... Howie

Round 5 - Woodland (7^th June 2012)

Wheelbase win a wet and wild Woodland - a.k.a Hypothermia in June!

Well the good weather had to come to an end, & it certainly did with the WHEELBASE sponsored Woodland HC on Thursday 7^th June.

15 riders braved the elements to race the 1 mile course from the cattle grid to the brow of the common. No ‘starter’ was required as the racers propped their back wheel against the concrete post and pushed off the wooden fence, making an interesting get away. The undulating course made sure that everyone was up, down and riving at the bars to try and get some sort of rhythm.

It was Liam Glenn riding for the Wheelbase team, that mullered everyone with a stunning 5-17 ride. Chapeau!

It was close racing with the next 13 riders all within 60 seconds of each other. I (Howard Lindow) was next up in 5:54 then a good show with Mike Turnough & Phil Craker just outside the 6 minutes (6:08 & 6:15 respectively).
The other Wheelbase lads decided to keep it tight & it was James Dalton who took the bragging rights at work with 6-16.  Toby Dalton & Joe Warsop were neck and neck at 6-27 and Matt Woods only seconds behind at 6:35.
In between the green & black was the red & yellow of Eammon Quinn, taking the vets race at 6-26. John Boyle who was on holiday from the Peak district, and happened to be passing managed 6-37 & 1 second behind was 1^st junior Jamie Bryson.  Scott Young pipped his mate Graham Carrick by 2 seconds to add a bit of spice, then young Tyla Loftus dragged himself up well under 8 minutes. Considering the weather conditions and the fact Tyla has less body fat than a twiglet, he did rather well! Anne Plant took a double whammy of first MTB & first Lady and bookended the Wheelbase team effort nicely.

The Jenkins(on) stopwatches were out with Steve and Wils at the top and bottom of the climb and Adam was handing out cake. A big thank you chaps for your sterling efforts.

The boss (AKA Roz) helped by setting out the signage, and Flumps and spectators all got soaked.

The presentation was a hasty affair to avoid pneumonia, as £50 worth of Wheelbase vouchers were kindly handed out to the winners.

The Hospice tin gained weight again, so keep that charity wonga rolling in. http://www.stmaryshospice.org.uk/

Photographs were taken by Max Dobie, so feel free to laugh at the soaking wet ashen faced stick insects on wheels.

Due to a clash of other commitments (and probably the fact that monsoon season had started) there were no BCW members racing.
In the spirit of the charity HC races, in order to keep things tight for the final interclub round, they receive a 15 second penalty only. That means its a 1min 46second gap for the Ulverston Brewing Company sponsored race at Knotallow on 12^th July.
The top of the course is marked and I will get the start done this week. If you want a practice its level with Stonebriggs farm (the Alpaca farm) on Old hall Road on the outskirts of Ulverston. Beware, its a bloody killer!

See you all on Thursday 12^th July for a 7pm start to racing!

Round 4 - Gamswell (24^th May 2012)

VIRGINS, VETERANS & VICTORS.
The IZZIVELO sponsored Gamswell hill climb on Thursday 24th May was blessed/cursed with a really calm hot night.
19 riders were all red faced and sweating buckets by the finish line in the closest contested race yet.   The first 11 riders were all within a minute of each other and the first 5 places were only separated by 10 seconds.

It was a good turn out by first time guest riders on a wide variety of bikes with Paul Craker pick of the bunch just outside the win at 6:13. The veterans category was topped by mountain goat Graham Huddleston at 6:12 & first Junior was taken by an outstanding ride from Jamie Bryson at 6:06. Anne Plant topped the female category on her MTB at 8:54, and the MTB class was taken at 7:44 by Tommy Moore. Tommy must get a special mention as ride of the night for getting up on a ‘moonlander’ bike with 4.7” knobbly tyres. Ridiculous, but perfect for a charity HC.  Not far behind him in the ‘bonkers’ category was Dave Drysdale on his Single Speed MTB at 9:44.

Despite Lakes Road Club taking the top 4 spots, the inter-club was still closely contested with Roger Lindsay & Glenn Rhodes (BCW) at 12:42 & Jamie Bryson & Howard Lindow (LRC) at 12:09. That means its 2-1 to Lakes Road Club so far this year, and a time difference of just 1min 31sec. It's still anyone's trophy with Woodland (7th June) and Knottallow (12th July) still to come.

Time keeping was sorted by Wils Jenkinson and Steve Jenkin, and Andy Woods threw everyone off the start line. The Lindow clan helped/hindered at the finish line and there were a few spectators topping up their tans.
Prizes were handed out by Charis Drysdale from IZZIVELO. This is a local new internet based women's specific bike store. Check out the website for a wide variety in stylish cycling shopping.

The charity tin for St Mary's Hospice is getting a ton weight which bodes well, so feel free to throw any spare cash in at the next race.
Speaking of which, the next race is the Wheelbase sponsored Woodland HC, 1900hrs (18:30 sign on) on Thursday 7th June.
I've had a few people ask how to get to the start line.  In a nutshell, it is very close to the Grizebeck climb. If you head up from the start of the Grizebeck course, take the first left and keep going until you eventually come to a cattle grid and a very steep hill heading off to the right. Alternatively if you go to the top of the Grizebeck course and turn left just before the finish, keep going and eventually you will get to the top of the climb. The course is marked so go and practice. The start will be with rear wheel against the cattle grids concrete post.
Keep up to date with your local clubs and races and see you soon.
Cheers, Howie
http://www.barrowcentralwhs.org.uk
http://www.lakesroadclub.org.uk/
http://groupspaces.com/furnessfutureflyers

Round 3 - Bigland (16^th April 2012)

It was another good turn out for round 3 of the St Mary's Hospice Hillclimb Series. There was a lot of coughing after a cold blast from the Clocktower to the main gates of Bigland Hall in this Gill Cycles sponsored hillclimb.
19 riders caned it one mile up the varying gradients with the fastest rider being a show of quality from Haverthwaite based adventure racer Tom Gibb at six and a half minutes.  Right on his heels was the fastest junior, Biketreks Connor Furness, spinning out and saving the knees for Salt Ayre & I was next up the hill. Smiling wonder-woman Lynn Hamel in her Herballife kit was recovering from a hard weekend of racing but managed a good time to top the ladies category.

Next in with a combined time of 13:47 to take the interclub points was the BCW duo of Sean Casson and James Stott. Showing that Grizebeck was no fluke, Graham Huddleston put in a fantastic time getting under seven minutes and winning the veterans prize. Next in to round up the LRC team time was Eammon Quinn, hitting the line with exactly the same time as BCW Lakeland Loopy rider Glenn Rhodes. LRCs Jamie Bryson & Stu Walker were next in, then good mates Scott Young & Graham Carrick. Phil Danson was the same time as Graham then dancing up the hill & proving that knobbly tyres and a heavy bike can still be quick was Anne Plant taking the mountain bike class. Bret Wren had a good first effort and next up was 'Furness Future Flyers’ Parris Huitson. Finally a family effort from the days sponsors Dave and Claire Watson giving the Gill demo bikes a good outing.

The helpers on the night were Andy Woods, Dad, Roz & Flumps and Timelords Wils Jenkinson & Steve Jenkins. Several spectators shouted and took pictures of the riders in distressed states, & all in all it was a good do.

Dave & Claire Watson raced on mountainbikes then handed out the prizes to the winners. In a show of charity there were Gill Cycles goodies for everyone who turned up and extra cash went in the Hospice tin, speaking of which the tin is now feeling good and heavy, so keep the donations coming and hopefully at the end of the season we will have a good lump for St Marys Hospice to count.

Thank you to everyone who turned out and we hope to see you out again 18:30 (race starts 19:00) on Thursday 24^th May for the double b*stard that is Gamswell. The current record is held by Connor Furness at 5:27 - So as a great man once said "Come and ‘ave a go if you think you're hard enough!"

In a health news update, Mike Speight is waiting for surgery and resting at home. Dave Black (& Blue) has hit the deck on foreign shores and bust several ribs. Everyone connected to the local cycling scene wishes them both a speedy recovery.

Photos will be on the websites soon and check for full details of the up coming races here. Just a quick note for non club members - If you are thinking of competing in more than one race, do join a CTT registered club. They're cheap & easy to join, with Lakes Road Club & Barrow Central Wheelers being the local two, but there are others in the area. There are several reasons for this which are fully explained in the rules here - any questions just let me know.
Cheers... Howie.

Round 2 - Grizebeck (17^th March 2012)

The first road hillclimb of the season was blessed with good weather on Saturday morning as 19 riders battled it out in the Biketreks sponsored Grizebeck hillclimb. There was no magical tailwind like last year but the rain held off and the sun was shining on a fresh 10am start.

Quality shone through as Biketreks John Dodgin again stamped his authority all over the race with the only sub 8 minute ride of the day.  Next in was LRC rising star Adam Pickthall, putting in a great time and showing that all the training is paying off. The first lady saw a strong display from returning national champion Lynn Hamel in the new Herbalife kit.

Howard Lindow was second LRC, closely followed by the days first veteran Graham Huddleston which wasn't bad considering he wasn't even going to race. Next in, and seperated by only 10 seconds (& 34 years), was a family effort by Patrick & Edward Elliott of Penny Bridge. Glenn Rhodes was coming back from illness & was first BCW, followed closely by LRCs Sam Greenall.

First junior was LRCs Jamie Bryson going well on his new wheels and gaining another prize voucher towards his bike fund . LRCs Tom Holland was next in and first in his own catagory of 'mudguards fitted class'. Ian Smith-Ward rode in at 9.33 with BCWs Roger Lindsay and LRCs Stu Walker close behind. Wheelbase class act Anne Plant was next in followed by LRCs 'Statler and Waldorf' Carl Ballantyne and Rob Spencer. Keir McKenna put in a good effort to be last rider to cross the line.
Biketreks 'Mr Smash-It' Gaz Spencely managed the impossible, with a DNF in a hillclimb after destroying a pedal. It's a bloody good job he's sponsored!

Sign on and time keeping duties were sorted out by Brenda & George Jackson, with marshalling assistance from Andy Woods, Wils 'watch that picnic table' Jenkinson, Graham & Mary Lindow. The race was kindly sponsored by Biketreks and team rider Connor Furness was on hand to dole out the five £10 vouchers.   John Dodgin was a true Gent and allowed his to be handed on, so a spot prize for being the oldest bugger there went to Rob 'suffering like a dog' Spencer.

The inter-club competition got off to a one sided start with BCWs giving the LRC a head start after last years performance.  LRC top two managed 17-25 with BCWs at 18-58. Howard managed to win back his hillclimb cough, then everyone blasted it home to catch Milan-San Remo.

NEXT RACE- Gill Cycles sponsored, Bigland Hall, Monday 16th April, 1800hrs sign on.

Thanks to everyone who participated in some way and good luck to all the riders in their other races.

On a serious note local stalwart Mike Speight was not able to attend due to a recently discovered heart problem. He's due to go under the knife soon to have have a new turbocharger fitted, so everyone connected to the hillclimbs & local clubs wants to pass on their good wishes and hope to see him back out soon.

Round 1 - Kirkby Slate Road (19^th February 2012)

It resembled Wacky races as the pre-season 'friendly' hill climb turned out to be a Motley crew mad dash up the Kirkby Slate Road. With a gorgeous winter sun beaming down, it still failed to entirely defrost the course in time for the early start. This meant the finish was brought back about 20m to avoid 'dancing on ice' at the finish line. The rugged course ensured a wide range of bikes, with a spread of MTBs, CXers, single speed and Road bikes (one with with pannier rack on display - no panniers though).

The fastest lung-bursting time was set by BCW's Sean Casson on a road bike, with LRC's Howard Lindow coming a close second on his knee-popping 42/18 single speed! First Veteran (45+) was LRC's Eammon Quinn on a MTB. Fastest Junior was Tommy Moore on a CXer with fastest lady Anne Plant on a MTB. BCW's Glenn Rhodes took the MTB prize.

The race was very kindly sponsored by TOPMARK who provided 5x £10 vouchers for the winner of the categories. The prizes were handed out by Paul Nickson who was racing on a beautiful WHYTE full suspension carbon MTB, so if rough stuff is your thing go and check it out.