Ludlow CC Wigmore Road Hill Climb
Is anyone likely to stop Kirk Vickers in his defence of The Coaching Revolutions Hill Climb Series as the Rhino Velo rider made it another win at Ludlow. Vickers made it the maximum 80 points on offer so far and was in no mood to release his stranglehold on the competition at Ludlow CC’s Wigmore Road climb in Round 4. The longest event on the calendar, the 1.95 mile climb saw him throw himself across the finish line in 7 minutes 32 seconds for a seven second advantage over Dan Watts.
Vickers however revealed that he suffered for his efforts, with a headwind ensuring he didn’t get close to his own course record of 7:15 set the previous year. That headwind made things difficult to judge effort, with Vickers revealing: “I went out a little hard and struggled in the middle, but held on for a fast finish. A tough headwind, but a great turnout and a great climb“! Despite conditions which had seen heavy rain blighting the day things cleared up just in time to see the best turnout of the Series so far with 36 riders taking the line, many travelling a good distance to participate in the competition.
Taking his third runner-up spot in a row Dan Watts hadn’t the advantage of prior knowledge of the climb, stopping the watch on 7:39. Watts was already looking forward to seeking revenge in the following evening’s Hafren CC event at Guilsfield in the second double-header of the Series. He was complimentary about Vickers’ ride, stating: “Another good ride by Kirk. A new climb for me, and with the added length a bit harder to judge, but I’m pleased to still be pushing Kirk. Onwards to the Hafren event, which is the opposite of this climb“! Watts was commenting about the variety of hills used in this Series, going from a long, steady climb to a shorter, more brutal one which ramps up to test riders’ mettle.
Devon Round re-took the lead in the Junior Series thanks to a strong performance that saw him not only win amongst the under-18 riders who made up a quarter of the field, he also took third spot overall. Round crossed the finish line in 7:52, four seconds ahead of another Junior William Truelove of Abergavenny RC, showing the distance riders are willing to travel to compete in this short season-end competition. Another Rhino Velo rider, Round enjoyed his evening out, commenting: “This is my favourite course of the Series, I felt strong. I’m happy to take the win and 3rd overall“.
It was another young rider making an impression in the Women’s Series with 16 year-old Ludlow CC rider Hannah Lancaster taking a 53 second win over 14 year-old Lucy Hart with a fine effort of 9:32 – in her first hill climb. Lancaster enjoyed her first experience of the format and was already looking forward to more having developed an instant taste. She said: “It was my first hill climb and I am pleased with how it went. I will definitely being doing more hill climbs in the future“! Meanwhile Jenny York took over at the top of the Women’s standings thanks to an 11:!4 climb, which also elevated her to 5th place in the Veterans Series.
Lancaster wasn’t the only first-timer making an instant impression with Stourbridge CC rider Steven Prince winning the Veterans competition at his first attempt. He posted a great time of 8:39 good enough for equal 7th spot overall, and pushing out Ludlow Brewery rider Steve Minton, who ended the evening on nine minutes exactly to seal the County win. Prince commented: “It was my first ever hill climb, so I was very pleased with how it went. I did really enjoy it and can’t wait for next year“! Minton meanwhile wasn’t quite as keen, adding: “I’ve been off colour lately so I was surprised to take the County Veterans win in what will certainly be my only hill climb of the season! Thanks to Ludlow CC for putting it on“.
Result:
| Pos’n | Name | Club | Cat | Time | Points |
| 1 | Kirk Vickers | Rhino Velo RT | S | 7:32 | 20 |
| 2 | Dan Watts | SCCA Private Member | S | 7:39 | 18 |
| 3 | Devon Round | Rhino Velo RT | J | 7:52 | 16 |
| 4 | William Truelove | Abergavenny RC | J | 7:56 | |
| 5 | Matty Redworth | Mid Shropshire Wheelers | J | 8:17 | 14 |
| 6 | Sam Morris | Revolutions Racing | J | 8:28 | 12 |
| =7 | Steven Prince | Stourbridge CC | V | 8:39 | |
| =7 | Sam Holwill | Hafren CC | J | 8:39 | 10 |
| 9 | Milan Sulek | Ludlow CC | S | 8:46 | 8 |
| 10 | Ash Edwards | Army Cycling Union | S | 8:47 | |
| 11 | Gareth Leek | Ludlow Brewery RT | S | 8:59 | 6 |
| 12 | Steve Minton | Ludlow Brewery RT | V | 9:00 | 4 |
| =13 | Lee Monks | Pearce Cycles | S | 9:02 | |
| =13 | William Hints | Ludlow CC | J | 9:02 | 2 |
| 15 | Dan Cutting | Epic Cycles | V | 9:05 | |
| 16 | Emyr Truelove | Abergavenny RC | J | 9:10 | |
| 17 | Hannah Lancaster | Ludlow CC | LJ | 9:32 | 2 |
| 18 | Mike Holwill | Hafren CC | V | 9:34 | 2 |
| =19 | Andy Collins | Mid Shropshire Wheelers | V | 9:40 | 2 |
| =19 | Ian Pollard | SCCA Private Member | V | 9:40 | 2 |
| 21 | Rhys Jones | Ludlow Brewery RT | S | 9:42 | 2 |
| 22 | Mark Warren | Ludlow CC | V | 9:57 | 2 |
| 23 | Paul Lancaster | Ludlow CC | V | 10:01 | 2 |
| 24 | Grant Womack | Ludlow CC | S | 10:18 | 2 |
| 25 | Lucy Hart | Mid Shropshire Wheelers | LJ | 10:25 | 2 |
| 26 | Rich Dyke | Ludlow CC | V | 10:32 | 2 |
| 27 | Emily Hinton | Ludlow CC | L | 10:41 | 2 |
| 28 | Clancy Wilson | Ludlow CC | V | 10:50 | 2 |
| 29 | Steve Bent | Ludlow CC | V | 10:57 | 2 |
| 30 | Gino Trasatti | North Shropshire Wheelers | V | 11:04 | 2 |
| 31 | Jenny York | Mid Shropshire Wheelers | LV | 11:14 | 2 |
| 32 | Richard Corbett | Ludlow CC | V | 11:17 | 2 |
| 33 | Mike Powell | Ludlow CC | V | 11:45 | 2 |
| 34 | Dave York | Mid Shropshire Wheelers | V | 12:29 | 2 |
| 35 | Chris Bean | Ludlow CC | V | 12:58 | 2 |
| 36 | Ron Perks | Wrekinsport CC | V | 16:15 | 2 |
Veterans Result:
| Vets Pos’n | Name | Club | Cat | Time | Vets Points |
| 1 | Steven Prince | Stourbridge CC | V | 8:39 | |
| 2 | Steve Minton | Ludlow Brewery RT | V | 9:00 | 20 |
| 3 | Dan Cutting | Epic Cycles | V | 9:05 | |
| 4 | Mike Holwill | Hafren CC | V | 9:34 | 18 |
| =5 | Andy Collins | Mid Shropshire Wheelers | V | 9:40 | 16 |
| =5 | Ian Pollard | SCCA Private Member | V | 9:40 | 16 |
| 7 | Mark Warren | Ludlow CC | V | 9:57 | 12 |
| 8 | Paul Lancaster | Ludlow CC | V | 10:01 | 10 |
| 9 | Rich Dyke | Ludlow CC | V | 10:32 | 8 |
| 10 | Clancy Wilson | Ludlow CC | V | 10:50 | 6 |
| 11 | Steve Bent | Ludlow CC | V | 10:57 | 4 |
| 12 | Gino Trasatti | North Shropshire Wheelers | V | 11:04 | 2 |
| 13 | Jenny York | Mid Shropshire Wheelers | LV | 11:14 | 2 |
| 14 | Richard Corbett | Ludlow CC | V | 11:17 | 2 |
| 15 | Mike Powell | Ludlow CC | V | 11:45 | 2 |
| 16 | Dave York | Mid Shropshire Wheelers | V | 12:29 | 2 |
| 17 | Chris Bean | Ludlow CC | V | 12:58 | 2 |
| 18 | Ron Perks | Wrekinsport CC | V | 16:15 | 2 |
Juniors Result:
| Junior Pos’n | Name | Club | Cat | Time | Junior Points |
| 1 | Devon Round | Rhino Velo RT | J | 7:52 | 20 |
| 2 | William Truelove | Abergavenny RC | J | 7:56 | |
| 3 | Matty Redworth | Mid Shropshire Wheelers | J | 8:17 | 18 |
| 4 | Sam Morris | Revolutions Racing | J | 8:28 | 16 |
| 5 | Sam Holwill | Hafren CC | J | 8:39 | 14 |
| 6 | William Hints | Ludlow CC | J | 9:02 | 12 |
| 7 | Emyr Truelove | Abergavenny RC | J | 9:10 | |
| 8 | Hannah Lancaster | Ludlow CC | LJ | 9:32 | 10 |
| 9 | Lucy Hart | Mid Shropshire Wheelers | LJ | 10:25 | 8 |
Women’s Result:
| Women’s Pos’n | Name | Club | Cat | Time | Women’s Points |
| 1 | Hannah Lancaster | Ludlow CC | LJ | 9:32 | 20 |
| 2 | Lucy Hart | Mid Shropshire Wheelers | LJ | 10:25 | 18 |
| 3 | Emily Hinton | Ludlow CC | L | 10:41 | 16 |
| 4 | Jenny York | Mid Shropshire Wheelers | LV | 11:14 | 14 |
Cumulative standings after four rounds
Overall Top 10:
| Position | Name | Club | Cat | Best 5 |
| 1 | Kirk Vickers | Rhino Velo RT | S | 80 |
| 2 | Dan Watts | SCCA Private Member | S | 54 |
| 3 | David Scott | Rhino Velo RT | S | 48 |
| 4 | Devon Round | Rhino Velo RT | J | 40 |
| 5 | Ian Coupland | Mid Shropshire Wheelers | V | 34 |
| 6 | Tyler Brennan | Hafren CC | J | 32 |
| 7 | Matty Redworth | Mid Shropshire Wheelers | J | 30 |
| 8 | Sam Holwill | Hafren CC | J | 22 |
| 9 | Sam Morris | Revolutions Racing | J | 20 |
| 10 | Mark Hammond | Paramount CRT | S | 14 |
Veterans Top 10:
| Position | Name | Club | Cat | Best 5 |
| 1 | Ian Coupland | Mid Shropshire Wheelers | V | 60 |
| 2 | Neil Coles | Oswestry Paragon CC | V | 54 |
| 3 | Mike Holwill | Hafren CC | V | 46 |
| 4 | Andy Collins | Mid Shropshire Wheelers | V | 32 |
| 5 | Jenny York | Mid Shropshire Wheelers | LV | 28 |
| 6 | John Robertson | Mid Shropshire Wheelers | V | 24 |
| 7 | Steve Minton | Ludlow Brewery RT | V | 20 |
| =8 | Ian Pollard | SCCA Private Member | V | 16 |
| =8 | Paul Williams | Oswestry Paragon CC | V | 16 |
| 10 | Dave York | Mid Shropshire Wheelers | V | 14 |
Juniors Top 10:
| Position | Name | Club | Cat | Best 5 |
| 1 | Devon Round | Rhino Velo RT | J | 58 |
| 2 | Matty Redworth | Mid Shropshire Wheelers | J | 52 |
| 3 | Sam Holwill | Hafren CC | J | 44 |
| 4 | Tyler Brennan | Hafren CC | J | 40 |
| 5 | Sam Morris | Revolutions Racing | J | 32 |
| =6 | Ben Pierce | Mid Shropshire Wheelers | J | 16 |
| =6 | Lucy Hart | Mid Shropshire Wheelers | LJ | 16 |
| =8 | Alfie Mortimer | Mid Shropshire Wheelers | J | 14 |
| =8 | Jack Young | Oswestry Paragon CC | J | 14 |
| =8 | Kieran Cooksey | Wrekinsport CC | J | 14 |
Women’s standings:
| Position | Name | Club | Cat | Best 5 |
| 1 | Jenny York | Mid Shropshire Wheelers | LV | 50 |
| =2 | Emma Serjeant | Hafren CC | L | 38 |
| =2 | Lucy Hart | Mid Shropshire Wheelers | LJ | 38 |
| 4 | Hannah Lancaster | Ludlow CC | LJ | 20 |
| 5 | Emily Hinton | Ludlow CC | L | 16 |
| 6 | Pauline Hughes | Revolutions Racing | LV | 14 |
| 7 | Louise Downward | Hafren CC | L | 12 |