Did Ron Purdy take this?

Our little group rolling from Rich’s to the start.

We set a good pace and were at the start pretty early. Bit of a bugger since it was freezing we had to keep riding around until nearer the start time. Since I had no intention of taking this hill climb seriously I wasn’t going to bother with a practice ride up the hill. It wasn’t until Rich and Simon rolled down from a test run, and suggested I give it a go since “you have ages to wait, you may as well” that I bothered riding it. I was struggling on the practice climb! It was ok until it kicks at the half way (300m) mark. By the time I got to the top (and this time saw Ron, yes Ron not Jumbo!) I was struggling.. and this wasn’t even pushing it. I heard that the course record is 1:33 and I think last year’s best was 1:40ish.

I was 28th to start so dropped my bag at the bottom and had another roll around the green (getting my breath back – ha!).

Paul, the starter, joked about me being fast. Not because I looked fast, oh no, but because I had the same bike as him 🙂

And 3-2-1, we are go go go! Spinning away from the start I change up a few to reduce my silly cadence and over the bridge I’m telling myself to “calm down, it gets steeper”.

Around the left hander there’s a cameraman so I just drop my head or stare ahead, I can’t recall which, grip the hoods and grind on. I think I drop another gear or even two here. I’m really hating this stupid climb now, really hating it. I feel like I’m going embarrassingly slow (and probably was). It kicks up now and I’m out of the saddle, woah, jelly legs I’m back in the saddle, woah, not quite, my knicks have hooked the saddle and I’m back out of the saddle. I’m ~100m away from the finish line so I force myself to stay out of the saddle and really dig in.

Maybe for the first time I look like a real climber, albeit a chunky one. This is where it gets crazy. I was into new realms of horrible. It was like a sprint finish but all wrong.. there was no one else around so there was need to dig in to edge your wheel in front of theirs. There was no “winning”, it was all mental now, my brain willing my carcass towards the line.

The line, oh where’s that damned line?! Argh! Just one more pedal and DONE! Roll over and stop within three metres. I just manage to un-clip my left leg and put my foot down before I topple. I’m breathing like there’s not enough air in England. I try to move towards the grass verge but my leg just wobbles and I have to steady myself so I don’t collapse. I must be like this for a quite a while.. simon comes over and says I did good.. and to take it easy. Ha! I must’ve looked pretty bad. I finally manage to bend my legs enough to allow me to sit on top tube. Another minute or two and I can wheel myself over to the grass and sit down. I stay here until all the others finish. There’s some confusion about times. Rich and I have to ride down to get the stuff and back up again. At the top, I think Simon, confirms that I’ve got second place and that I might’ve won the club hill champs. I laugh out loud at the thought that I suddenly have climbing merits!

Still, pretty chuffed with 2nd. Thanks all.

Results: www.westdraytonmbc.co.uk – 2009 hill climb results

Course: HCC011 – Windsor Hill, Wooburn

Willesden Blog: Hill Climb

Willesden Blog: More Hill Climb

“Take that, sober, skinny people”

Distance: 670m

Time: 2:02

272W min

930W max

587W avg