Despite the fact that this year’s championship was more of a time trial than the usual relatively short leg breaking climb it was still the climbers who took the major honours.
The 4.4-mile climb of Long Hill, at Whaley Bridge, High Peak, near Buxton, provided a spectacular setting for the Buxton CC’s championship promotion on Sunday. The club even managed to organise a fair bit of weather for the 150 competitors who turned out for this the last of the year’s RTTC championships.
MEDAL WINNERS
The medal winners ran to form with Gunnar Gronlund (RST RT-Trigon), Richard Handley (Team Raleigh) and Matt Clinton (Mike Vaughan Cycle) coming out on top after having all figured in this season’s hill climbs.
Gronlund, 24, comes from Gothenburg, Sweden, but has spent the last three years racing over here. Originally a mountain biker he moved on to the road and has ridden Premier Calendar events when he was with the Twenty3C-Orbea squad.
This year he has won a couple of time trials and some half-dozen hill climbs before taking the championship with 12-49.0 with Handley at 7.1 seconds and former champion Clinton at 8.5 seconds.
The only other inside 13-minute performance was put up by 20 year-old George Atkins (Velo Ecosse), fourth with his 12-58.9 while Tejvan Pettinger (Sri Chinmoy RT) clocked 13-02.4, some 36 seconds slower than his 2010 course record, for fifth.
HUTCH DOES IT FOR THE TESTERS
It was left to Michael Hutchinson (In Gear-Quckvit-Trainsharp) to represent the true ‘testers’, the multi-champion finishing in sixth despite his pre-race claims not to have been riding much since he set the 30-mile competition record.
Outside the individual medals, Hutchinson, however, went home with a team medal ably supported by his In Gear-Quickvit-Trainsharp colleagues Peter Tadros, in ninth, and Conall Yates, 18th, with a combined time of 40-19.6.
Tadros was also the best of the veterans, earning an RTTC Medallion as fastest in the 40-44 age group.
HAMEL FROM SLACK
While it wasn’t until last man off Clinton had finished that the men’s championship was cut and dried the women’s result was decided when defending champion Lynn Hamel (Herbalife-Wheelbase) finished shortly before 1pm. At that point it was Rebecca Slack (The Altitude Centre) who led with 15-59.6. Hamel slashed 20 seconds off of that to claim her second successive championship with 15-38.6.
Of the 27 juniors who rode Josh Teasdale (Team Jewson-MI Racing) was the only one to get inside 14 minutes, a 13-58.1 worth 21st place overall and the Junior title. Ryan Mullen (Planet X) was his nearest junior rival at 18.4 seconds.
GOODBYE ROB
The event also marked the swan song of Rob Hayles (Endura Racing) after a pro career that spanned 11 years. During that time Hayles won three gold medals, seven silver medals and three bronze medals representing Britain at Olympic and Commonwealth Games and World Championships.
In 2008 he won the National road race championship. He was also pretty good when it came to time trialling winning the RTTC 10-mile championships in 1994, 1996 and 1998 and the `25` the same year. Hayles also shared in the National team time trial success of Team Brite in 1998 and Recycling.co.uk in 2005.
So it was fitting that Hayles should end his racing days in a `time trial`, finishing in 14th place on Long Hill with 13-48.3.
MEANWHILE BACK AT THE BOWLS CLUB
Back at the event headquarters in Whaley Bridge Bowls Club Eurosport’s David Harmon and Cycling Time Trials National Chairman Sheila Hardy were on hand to make the presentations.
Josh Teasdale was first of the champions to receive his awards, posing for the photographers. The 18 year-old is looking forward to “trying his luck on the road in Belgium next season.”
Champion for the second year running Lynn Hamel was pleased to have at last reached her potential this year. “I’m happy that I did what I’m capable off today, most of this season I’ve lacked something. I thought a `15` would win today. I practised riding the hill and paced myself splitting it into five-minute stretches and went really well keeping a steady cadence of `85`, Hamel said.
CHAMPION LOOKING FOR A TEAM
Champion Gronlund couldn’t have had a bigger smile as he balanced flowers, champagne and the RTTC Championship Trophy alongside silver medallist Richard Handley and bronze medal winner Matt Clinton.
“I haven’t had the season I would have liked, I rode a lot less than I wanted to, some Premier Calendar events. I’ve ended the season very well with the hill climb wins I’ve had and it all came together today, I have really enjoyed it,” Gronlund said.
He has lived over here for three years, thus being able to qualify for the RTTC National championship, in Chesterfield.
As good as he is Gronlund is still looking for a team for 2012. “I want to stay in England and get in a team, I don’t mind if I’m just a bottle carrier and develop from there,” he said.
CLINTON MISTAKE
Matt Clinton has a pretty good Championship record winning in 2008, second in 2009 and 2010 and third in 2007 and third again this time.
“I think it was a good result today despite it being more of a time trial than hill climb it was all the hill climbers on the podium. I think using a disc wheel did not help me today. It was very windy over the top of the climb and it could have lost me some time,” Clinton said.
Still, next year the Championship is on The Rake and that certainly is a hill!
A short video can be seen HERE