Vanelli-Project Go’s Louis Moore, the newly crowned student champion, won the Scottish Hill Climb Championship on a long and difficult Glen Quaich course, the first 5k of the narrow strip of tarmac which connects Kenmore to Amulree in the Southern Highlands.
Sharon Bird (Peebles CC) was fastest of the women and Colin McGourty took top place in the Youth and Non-Championship section. Best junior was Finn Mason (The Cycling Academy).
Facing the riders was a mixture of steep 1-in-5 bends through the wooded section in the early part of the course, levelling out a little in the last couple of K’s but with a strong side/quarter wind to contend with over the exposed moorland.
Parked up at the top of the Glen Quaich road near the finish line and with half an hour to go before the first rider was due to start, I was sure the race was going to be a pretty miserable affair; the wind was moving the car, the near-horizontal rain was battering the windows and the temperature guage read ‘3°C’.
I’d positioned the car’s rear to face down the hill so that I could open the boot and photograph the riders as they approached over the exposed upland moor, without spending the morning soaking myself and my camera kit but twenty minutes before the first rider appeared the rain stopped and the sun came out, inviting me to spend an enjoyable morning roadside amongst the darting pheasants and wandering sheep.
Soon enough the first rider appeared in the sunshine. Off #4, Mhairi Rodger had a pretty lonely ride with no-one off three minutes before or after her either, but she looked like she was enjoying herself nevertheless.
Smooth pedalling #8, Suzanne Matonti (Deeside Thistle CC) made it look easy whilst heading for ninth place.
Youngest rider in the recent Tour de Trossachs, lucky-for-some #13 Joel Gillan hustled past with a nice fluid style own his way to ninth place in the Youth Boys category.
Eventual third place Youth Boy, #14 Sam Barbour (SteppingStanes Youth CC) followed soon after, looking determined but being chased down by his minute-man #15 Ruan Vorster (West Lothian Clarion CC) who ended up second in that category.
Fastest Youth Boy, Colin McGourty (#19 and East Kilbride Road Club) was making short work of the little rises with the finish banner in sight.
The two Peebles CC riders, Milo McIntosh (#22) and Ben Allan (#24) looked to be going well in the sunshine, and finished 6th and 7th in the Youth Boys category.
Another rider from Peebles, cyclo-cross and MTB rider Emily Carrick-Anderson (T-Mo Racing) gave hill climbing a good go but for reasons I don’t know her time didn’t count towards the official results.
Third-placed Senior Woman Grace Inglis (Muckle CC) looked determined and fast as she tackled the easier gradients.
Second in the Hill Climb three years ago, Sharon Bird (Peebles CC) looked to be moving well, eventually moving up a spot to take the top prize in the Women’s race.
We recognised #38, eventual 5th place finisher Amelia Tyler (Edinburgh University) from her winning the Best Irish Rider prize at the Rás na mBan a few weeks ago.
Also racing in Ireland, #41, Arianne Holland (Alba Development Road Team) helped team mate Kate Richardson take all four stages and the overall classification at the Rás na mBan and today she finished fourth, just over a minute behind the winner.
Soon after, previous Hill Climb Championship winner Natalie Stevenson (Ivy CC) shot past and would end up with the silver medal today, but it wasn’t for want of trying.
Spokes Racing Team junior rider Alasdair Baillie (#48) would end up in 4th place.
Another rider who featured only in the Non-Championship section was #51, Gary Carnegie, his lovely bright orange Dundee Thistle jersey glowing in the sunshine.
Off #60, old pal Adam Syme (Musselburgh RCC) who I haven’t seen since Covid put an end to our bump-into-while-commuting-traffic-light-chats looked to be enjoying the slightly shallower grade before tackling the final kicker to the finish, 538 meters above sea level.
Also going well on the three percent section 600m before the finish line was #62 Thomas Jacquemet (Kinross CC).
It was easy to be a bit confused when identifying riders; many seemed to have a different club listed on the start sheet to the jersey they wore on their back. Two examples were #71, Steven Riley (Ronde CC) and #73 Edward Riley.
#74 Jack Moore (Gala CC) looked very strong as he stormed over the blind crest and ended up just off the podium in 4th spot, 41 seconds from the winner.
Joseph Agnew, #77 helped the Gala CC win the team prize with his 12th place.
Fastest Junior Finn Mason (The Cycling Academy) finished in a time which would have placed him 8th in the Senior Men’s category.
Eight of the final top ten men were in the last dozen riders working their way up the climb, and they popped into view thick and fast.
A rider in black looked to be putting in a lot of effort, disappearing in the dips and bounding up the rises exhibiting high energy.
It turned out to be #88, Rory McGuire (Wheelbase CabTech Castelli), heading for a finish placing of eighth.
Edinburgh University CC was well represented today, and #89 Angus Toms was getting it all out, to finish 6th.
It was nice to see some of the riders who had finished stay neat the top of the climb to cheer on their pals, and #93 Gregor McArthur (The Cycling Academy) enjoyed the encouragement on his way to fifth place.
#94 Ewan McMillan (Deeside Thistle CC) focussed on the finish banners, just around the corner.
#95 Matiss Robertson (RT23) from Barcaldine in Argyll, already a winner of hill climbs this season, ended up in third spot just 27 seconds from the win.
The familiar blue and red shoulders of a Vanelli-Project Go rider came past the gallery of already-finished riders, #96 and eventual winner Louise Moore was visibly moving faster than the rest on the final 200m to the line.
Next to hove into view was #98, Commonwealth Games mountain biker Charlie Aldridge (Scott Racing) from Crieff, who was 17 seconds short of the win in second place.
Another rider to confuse me (easily done!) was RAF junior doctor Megan Walker, wearing #87 but on the start sheet as #40 and riding for Royal Air Force CA but wearing her new-for-2023 team strip, Pro-Noctus.
Last man on my start sheet, #99 Ryan Bunyan (Torvelo Racing) looked good as he swept past but this previous winner of the championship dropped to 7th in this edition.
A three mile course with the winning time over a quarter of an hour, this championship climb was certainly a test of climbing ability but also of endurance.
Congratulations to the medallists and to all who took part – it must have seemed a pretty bleak prospect when warming up in the torrential rain but they’ll be glad how it turned out.
With thanks to race organiser Aaron Johnson for his support.
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Results
Senior Men's National Hill Climb Championship
Senior Women's National Hill Climb Championship
Youth & Non-Championship
