News

London’s first ever hill climb TT, held on Swain’s Lane, a 750m kicker on the fringes of Highgate, was a great success yesterday.

An early shower half an hour before the first competitor took to the slope, which starts gently next to Highgate Cemetery but then brutally ramps up to around 20%, left the conditions slippery, but the event passed smoothly and saw lung-busting efforts on featherlight road bikes, fixies and even Bromptons, as the city’s cycling population united in pain.

Winner was Chris Metcalfe of Matlock CC in 1:32.86, closely followed by Germain Burton of De Ver Cycles in 1:33:70 and Dave Clarke of British pro tour team Pendragon-Le Col-Colnago in 1:34:06. It’s a fantastic result by 15-year-old Burton, who beat scores of decent club riders to mark himself out as one to watch for the future.

In the women’s competition, meanwhile, Claire Beaumont of London’s Condor bike shop took top podium position in 2:08:35, ahead of Alexandra Marzec in 2:14:90 and Jo Perriam in 2:17:83.

... BikeRumour