Well what an evening for the first Energy Cycles Club hill climb of 2015!!
The warm weather finally arrived, not too dry, the air pressure was rising, light winds, and it was 21oC at Pen y Pass!! Surely there would be good turn out of riders and spectators. And there was for this classic climb up from Llyn Gwynant to the finish at Pen y Pass.
With no wind assistance for the riders as they left time keeper, and only a mile of tail wind from the Pen y Gwryd Hotel to the finish, it wasn’t going to be an evening of record breaking rides.
We were honoured by the presence of three current national hill climb champions. Jess Robert (2014 Welsh National Women’s Champion), Huw Parry (2014 British National Super Vets Champion), and Dan Evans (British, and Welsh National Champion) who in 2014 set the record for this climb, with a time of 13 minutes and 4 seconds. Would this impressive time be improved, or would it stand a little while longer?
The early times set by the likes of Mike Morris, Huw Owen and Jack Williams, suggested that Evans might just be able to set a new record. As more and more riders finished with “personal bests”, expectations rose as Evans arrival was eagerly awaited. However it wasn’t to be, and Evans passed the finishing flag in yet another incredible time of 13 minutes and 17 seconds, and over a minute faster than the second placed rider and the Clubs very own, Gerallt Roberts.
The Fastest Lady was Jess Roberts, Fastest Veteran was Gareth McGuinness, Fastest Super Veteren was John Williams, Fastest Junior was Jack Williams, Fastest Youth and finishing in 7th overall was that Young Man, Huw Owen.
Thank you once again to all the riders and supporters who turned up, full of their usual enthusiasm.
A huge personal thank you to the marshals. Alun Williams who jumped in to help Ruth at the start. To Mike Le Bon and Llion Williams for their help ensuring the riders had safe passage round the sharp curves on the route. To Mathew Nottingham (great to see you there Mathew!!) for directing the riders at the Gwryd junction. And to Will and Wendy Owen for their great company, and assistance in relieving the riders of their numbers at the finish.
A quick thank also to Mr Pullee of the Pen y Gwryd Hotel for kindly allowing us the use of his car park as the race HQ.
Thank you all once again, and hopefully I’ll see you all in a few weeks time for the ECC 30 mile mountain time trial on 7th July. More details closer to the date.
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