White Lane is a short 700 yards climb. Mostly 1 in 6, it has an average gradient of 13%.
At the start it isn’t so steep, but gets steeper the further up the climb you go. Perhaps just over 20% at it’s steepest before a slight decrease in gradient before the top.
It is in 100 climbs #16. The climb is situated just to the north of the southern section of the M25 by the village of Titsey.
White Lane has a height gain of just over 79 metres in 0.4 miles.
Perhaps not the most remarkable climb in the country, but it has become well known due to featuring in the annual Bec CC hill Climb. 2014 will be the 59th annual running of the event, which started in 1955. It is usually run on the same day as the Catford CC hill climb – The Catford CC can make a claim to be the oldest race in the world. The Catford CC event first started on Westerham Hill on August 20th 1887. It now takes place on York Lane. If makes a good double hill climb header. Though some of the top riders decide to ride one or the other.
Bec CC Hill Climb
– Pete Tadros riding fixed up White Lane in the wet. Photo Dave Hayward Flickr
The mighty Bristol South. Photo Dave Hayward.Course record breaker – Jack Pullar photo dave-hayward
David Millar to ride Bec CC hill climb in 2014
After 18 years as a professional cyclist, David Millar will be riding his last event in the Bec CC hill climb. Millar has chosen a domestic hill climb as a way to mark the end of a long professional career – a career which has seen both highs and lows, has included four individual stages of the Tour de France and five stages in the Vuelta a Espagne.
David Millar explains his choice of his final race.
“I’m not just going to ride uphill & wave goodbye. I’m going to have a crack at setting a new ‘White Lane’ record in what will be my first ever Hill Climb TT, as well as my last race.. “It’ll be like going full circle on my cycling career”.
Most Brits start in a Cycling Club as I did, so its fitting to end my career at a British Clubs event. I’m really looking forward to it, although ‘Gazza’ my friend, Soigneur & organiser of the event, tells me Hill Climbs are not always that easy & it takes a certain knack to hit the Hill just right! He also tells me they bloody hurt, even though its only a sub 2 minute ride.. Maybe I’ll enjoy it & not retire after all & just ride Hill Climbs!” (Velo UK)
That’s the short answer, but if you ever need justification for buying a new bike – these are some reasons to help you dip in the wallet and buy the new bike you deserve!
Of course, no real cyclist ever needs justification to buy a new bike, but this might be helpful for dealing with those family members who may not share the same understanding of the scientific and emotional benefits of the new 2015 Shimano Dura Ace di2 groupset.
Good reasons to get a new bike
Because manufacturers inform you this years model is 20% more rigid, 12% lighter, 7 % more aerodynamic and only 33% more expensive. If you buy, everyone’s a winner!
If you don’t buy a new bike, it means you will be riding a bike that is potentially slower than you could be riding. How painful is that thought?
Why spend all those hours training in the wet and cold when you could be getting the same marginal gains whilst sitting in the office doing overtime to pay for your new bike?!
Because there will definitely be someone on the start line of your race / cyclosportive / Strava leaderboard – who will have that new bike. You wouldn’t expect Lewis Hamilton to turn up to a Formula One race, in a 1920s Ford Model T. You need the best to have a fair competition.
You need a cheap commuting bike to reduce the scare of getting your 33% more expensive new bike stolen. This is brilliant, You get a new bike that is so expensive, you have to get a cheaper bike to complement it. Two reasons for the price of one.
Cheaper than upgrades. If you took a bike apart and tried to buy the components separately, it would be twice as expensive. If you find yourself buying a new component like a new stem or new pair of wheels, you might as well just go the whole hog and buy a new bike!
The last bike you will ever need. The next bike you buy is so good, it will be the last bike you ever need. Manufacturers have been making bikes stiffer, lighter and more aero for years. But, this technological progress has to stop sometime. If you buy a bike, bike manufacturers are likely to say ‘that’s it, bikes can’t get better than this. (P.S. I have bought seven ‘last ever bike I will need’)
New bike gives new inspiration. There is a great feeling in riding a new immaculate bike. If you’re struggling with inspiration to train, buy a new bike and the next week of training will be really high quality because you are so happy to be riding a new bike. Admittedly, a weekly new bike could be stretching even the most enthusiastic resources of the most ardent ‘buy a new bike’ type person. You should save this for desperate times like the middle of winter.
Because it looks good. Who said a new bike needs to be faster? It’s not as if you’re going to win an important race anyway. Bikes are all about looks. That 1980s Colnago C50 will have plenty heads turning on the club run, and if that’s not worth taking out a £5,000 loan – what is?
Poor excuses not to get a new bike
Bike in house. A kind of modern art.
There isn’t room in the shed. This is a very poor excuse. There is always room to accommodate a new bike. Who said bicycles have to be stored in the garage? Take down your David Hockney from your living room, and in its place put your new living modern art (aka – your new Colnago) on the wall. In this way you’ve killed three birds with one stone:
You have a motivation to clean the bike after every ride
You have joined the modern art movement of spending a lot of money on the unexpected!
You have your new bike! If all else fails, you could always consider selling an old bike. But, this is really a last resort, because it’s much better to accumulate an ever increasing number of bikes.
You haven’t got the money In the days of Wonga, credit cards and quantitative easing, there’s always money somewhere. Your granny may have told you money doesn’t grow on trees, but if the UK can have a national debt of £1,432.3 billion and Q.E. of £350bn money creation, do you not think you deserve a very small extension of credit for helping the economic recovery? Think of it as expansionary fiscal policy – any good Keynesian economist will tell you that your consumer spending is a selfless act for the greater good.
Family unconvinced. This is slightly tricky – your partner is not convinced that you need a 12th bike when the last family holiday was a budget hotel in Skegness in 2009. But, still with a new bike – every day is a holiday. All we need is that 12th bike and we will become a beacon of happiness and cheerfulness (until the next seasons models come out) – so everyone is a winner really. Note the emphasis on shared ownership. You may ride the bike, but really it belongs to everyone.
It was another great day of weather at the top of Horseshoe Pass. It’s the second consecutive year, I’ve experienced a dry, still day at the top of Bwlch yr Oernant – I’m sure it’s not always like this on the top of the Welsh hill side.
There was barely a drop of wind in the air, and if there was any, it was a tailwind; a local rider said he’d been riding Horseshoe Pass for 30 years and has never experienced such a still day.
With my national jersey still in the wash from yesterday’s Otley 2 stage, it was just the usual skin suit. I had about 4 pairs of odd gloves, and no matching pairs, but fortunately, it warmed up just enough by 11.00am to ride without gloves. I was glad for later start; at 9.00am it was pretty chilly, by 11.00am it must have been 10 degrees warmer (also glad for extra time in bed…).
With good weather, I thought of James Dobbin’s course record of 9.03; it’s an impressive course record because so many top hill climbers like Chris Boardman and Stuart Dangerfield have ridden the event over the years. Horseshoe pass has also been the venue of the National Hill climb championship in previous years (1971, 1976)
I rode a fairly steady tempo all the way up; the last 500m was the fastest as the gradient eases and you picked up a mild tailwind. I stopped the clock in 9.02. 1 second under and job done. Except, not quite – the only thing was that Dan Evans went even quicker with a superb ride of 8.52, so I had to settle for second place. Dan said he’s lost 4kg compared to last year – which kind of puts shaving 40 grams off your bike into perspective. But, a great course record for the flying Welshman.
3rd place was Liam Holohan, Madison Genesis (9.32), who must be very close to his off-season after a great ride in this year’s very tough Tour of Britain.
After awards ceremony, I went back down the hill and went up Horseshoe pass again, but at a fairly steady pace.
Next week, it will be back to 10%+ gradients with Jackson Bridge and Mow Cop on the menu. A different climb to Horseshoe pass and more similar to Pea Royd Lane. The hill climb season is hotting up as the temperature gets colder.
I took a photo of results board and will upload soon. Thanks to Fibrax Wrexham R.C
Saturday was the Otley CC double hill climb on Naught Bank Road (Guise Edge) and Norwood Edge.
For the first time in the hill climb season, the morning was wet and windy. Though the threatened downpour didn’t materialise, it was still damp on the steep gradient of Naught Bank Road.
Naught Bank Road
Naught Bank road is a tough climb from Pateley Bridge towards the top of Greenhow Moor. It is an alternative way up the moor to the B road up Greenhow Hill, but is just as taxing, with 200+ metres of climbing. The hill climb course, misses out a bit of the early part (the road is a bit narrow for racing), and starts half way up the climb.
Right from the start it is quite steep around 15-16% and it is fairly unrelenting until you come to the first hairpin where you turn right. Once over this steep hairpin turn, it levels off a little, before another left turn taking you up to the exposed moors above.
photo by Claire Jessop on Guise Hill (2010)
Naught Bank Road / Guise Edge – hill climb course V8910
I didn’t do much of a warmup. I spent quite a bit of time getting sorted out. By the time I got on the rollers there wasn’t much time until the start. Also, it’s pretty useless warming up on rollers when you’ve taken off your outer chainring. With just a 39 chainring, I could barely get over 130 watts, so much for getting up to race pace.
Nevertheless, I felt pretty good. After feeling a little tired towards the end of last week, the Yorkshire hill scenery seemed to be lifting up spirits.
With a steep first gradient, it requires a fine balance between not going off too hard, but gaining a good momentum up the hardest part of the course. On the middle section, there was a bit of a headwind so I stayed low and got on the drops. Going around the last left hand was good, I still had a bit spare in the tank and was helped up the last steep bit with a bit of a tailwind. It made a fairly fast finish and I was able to go through the finish line in a time of 3.22. I had broken my course record by another 1 second. Amazingly, it’s the fourth consecutive year I’ve broken the course record on Guise Edge – though only 2 seconds quicker than 2011.
Previous times up Guise Edge
2009 – 2.47 – shortened course due to gales (7th) –
2010 – 4.02 (2nd) – windy
2011 – 3.24.8 (1st) CR
2012 – 3.24.5 (1st) CR
2013 – 3.23.1 (1st) CR
2014 – 3.22.2 (1st) CR
Norwood Edge
After a nice three hour break, it was time for the second hill climb of the day. I’ve raced up Norwood edge several times. One thing that has always been prominent about Norwood Edge is the amazing course record of Jeff Wright set in 1992 in a time of 4.42. I got close in 2011, with a 4.46. I tell myself if Norwood Edge had been the 1st climb of the day rather than 2nd, I might have got even clsoer. But, since then, it seems to get harder and harder. Both Jim Henderson and Matt Clinton (former national hill climb champions) have ridden Norwood Edge, but we haven’t got too close to J.Wright’s amazing record from the days of steel frame bikes and fixed gears. C.Boardman also rode this hill in the past.
If anything, I’d gone up Naught Bank road at 99.5% effort – aware there was still another hill climb to come. I gave it a good effort up Norwood Edge, but there wasn’t quite as much power on the last half as I would have liked – just goes to show whether you’re a hill climb newbie or national champion – you would always like a bit more power.
Still, I crept under 5.00 minutes with a 4.57.9. Overall time for two stages 8.20.1
Overall, it gave me 1st place, ahead of Henry King (Ilkley CC) and 3rd Julian Varley (PH MAS cycling) – Julian was also first junior so it was a very good ride.
4th was Ben Jacobs of Albarosa CC – who led Albarosa to the team prize.
5th place was fellow southerner Ben Nichols from Amersham CC. Ben is riding Bath CC hill climb tomorrow – great dedication to the hill climb cause.
1st Lady was Leanne Farrow of Ilkley CC, 2nd lady Mason Hollyman (Kirklees CA). 1st Vet was Andrew Pearson of Huddersfield Star Wheelers, and 1st under 15 Nathan Allatt of Holmfirth CC
As usual a great promotion by the Otley CC, particularly good to see lots of youngsters getting involved in hill climbs. Otley CC seem to have a very good junior section these days. When I was in Otley CC many years ago, I always seemed to ride with 50 year old gentleman! – though that was partly because I never joined the fast section, but choose the more ‘sedate’ club runs, predominately 50+, these days they would be called MAMILs, in those days they were just dedicated club members.
Different attempts to save weight on the hill climb bike – with varying degrees of success and cost.
Originally posted in 2014, updated for 2015 season.
How much difference does weight make?
Firstly, how much difference does reducing weight make? As a rough rule of thumb, for a hill with 100m height gain, losing 1 kg, will save you 2 seconds. Jackson Bridge is 150m height gain over 0.9 miles. If you lost 2 kg, you could save 6 seconds. 6 seconds could be the difference of several places in a National hill climb championship.
Take off bottle cage / water bottle, bell, saddle pack. (I have done 2 hill climbs with water bottle still on bike)
Buy lightweight carbon stem / saddle. Often give biggest weight saving for the money.
Lightweight wheels. Often the easiest way to significantly reduce weight on an ordinary road bike
Remove garmin.
Remove any surplus clothes. choose lightweight clothes.
Make sure your bowels are empty before the race. I find bottle of San Pellegrino mineral water the night before helps to keep you ‘regular’ so to speak.
These are some other ‘marginal gains’ I’ve tried over the years.
1. Cutting off fabric from saddle
This was motivated mainly because my Tune saddle looked a bit frayed. An expensive saddle – but the fabric was coming away. Rather than glue it back down, I thought the excess fabric needed cutting off. The hope was it would look neater and save weight into the bargain.
I was a bit disappointed with the result – Total weight saved – 0 grams. But, psychological advantage – incalculable.
2. Cutting the end off cables
My local bike maintenance shop Reg Taylor are very good, but they aren’t used to catering for the weight weenie hill climbers. The cables always come back with nice long bits of spare cable and neat cable tidies at the end. I kept looking at these for a couple of weeks, but I knew they were doomed – it’s just something asking to be cut. I got great joy getting out the cable cutters and snipping off free weight. Zero cost, no power lost, possibly even a fractional aero gain.
Weight saving 1 gram – Just 1g down, 5,999 grams to go. All that metal for a measly 1 gram! It’s harder than you think.
Cutting skinsuit
In 2014 I got a National Champions skinsuit by Impsport. I made the mistake of getting the cheaper version. When I put it on, it was less skinsuit more inflatable parachute. I had it sent to a tailor (Alex Laycock) to make it more suited to a stick thin hill climber, rather than your average cyclist. But, even then the arms were too long and these end cuffs – although they look quite good – stuck out in the wind quite a bit. It didn’t look very aero or very smart. Eventually I got out the scissors and cut these offending bits off – a shame really. The motivation was to make it look better, but as an added bonus the operation saved a whole 11 grams.
The weight of clothes can easily add up. When I rode 2013 national champs, I just wore two pair of thermal socks, (pic) which I later weighed at over 100grams. I think some kind soul took pity and next year sent me a pair of socks weighing just 20 grams.
Saddle – Tune saddle
The Tune saddle at 83 grams is definitely less than your average saddle. But, perhaps not the best. It has quite a bit of flex (which makes it comfortable, but I’m worried about power loss from a flexy saddle.
AX lightness saddle
Despite having an 83 gram saddle with fabric cut off. I still couldn’t resist an even lighter saddle. This AX Lightness Sprint saddle is a mere 69 grams. On the positive side, I do find it very comfortable for a thin sliver of carbon fibre, and have ridden on it all year, including 5 hour + rides.
Single chainring
Single chain ring. This was 2012 hill climb bike and weighed 5.7 kg
For most hill climbs, you don’t need an outer 53 ring. If I do need a 53 ring for climbs like Long Hill, I’m probably on TT bike anyway.
My Dura Ace 53 tooth weighed more at 135g rams
The big temptation is take take off the front dérailleur too – it doesn’t do anything with only one chainring. But – and this is a big but – Do you want to take the 5-10 % risk of your chain falling off for the sake of another 100 grams? Even the keenest weight weenie knows that saving 100 grams isn’t much use, if you don’t have a chain to pedal. It can happen, and usually when you least want it to.
They do make Narrow / wide single chainring – with deeper teeth to prevent chain jumping off. This is often geared at the Cyclo Cross market. Unfortunately, I couldn’t find any ‘narrow/wide’ chanrings compatible with four bolt Shimano Dura Ace 9000. I’ve got a chain catcher, but it’s not very good.
Chopping off the end of handlebars
I took a long time to work up the courage to buy an expensive set of handlebars just to be able to cut off the drops. But, this year, I’ve taken the plunge and bought some Zipp Sl handlebars. Straight away I got out the hacksaw and cut them off. The problem with buying such a lightweight handlebar is that when you cut off the drops, you only save a measly 50 grams. Still it’s 50 grams of weight saving, and perhaps it will be a better position for pulling on the handlebars.
A hard way to save 50 grams
Within two days after doing cutting this (in Oct 2014) my coach Gordon Wright said I looked good climbing on my drops and I should try to do the whole climb on drops. I’ve never used them in a race yet. So it has to go down as the worst marginal gain I’ve tried.
Shortening the chain
12 grams from an Ultegra chain
With taking off the outer chain ring, I realised I could shorten the chain – saving weight and improving chain tension. Unfortunately, in my zeal to save weight, I took out five links and it became too short. I couldn’t use it because the rear dérailleur would have groaned in the biggest sprocket. I had to put some links back in. But, using a multi-tool chain splitter I managed to damage the chain. After using once up Leith Hill, I had to throw away and start again with a new chain. I think it has about 2 links less than usual, weight saving 12 grams.
My knowledge of physics is limited to the fact an apple on a tree will tend to fall downwards because of gravity. For Bec HC, I heard a top rider saved weight by not fully charging his Di2. Is this the ultimate marginal gain? Does electricity have weight?
I had to admit I searched ‘Does electricity have weight?‘
Google.com answered mysteriously:
Yes and no, but mostly no.
So there you go, a marginal gain, even if only theoretically possible.
Removing bar tape
another 39 grams bites the dust
Brake pads cut in half
Hill climbs are run under CTT rules. You do need two working brakes. For 2005, I found some worn down brakes and cut them in half. I don’t bother with this any-more. I just use normal brake blocks.
Vittoria Crono Time Trialtubular
Vittoria Crono – 700*22 – has a claimed weight – 165 gram. I use both on front and rear.
Until 2012, I used Continental Competition in hill climbs, just because they were what I used for time trials. Continental Competition at 240 grams are a good workhorse, but not designed for hill climbs. I was throwing away 180 grams of rotational weight because I was riding nice thick puncture proof tubulars. On the positive side, I never punctured in a race or warming up.
I also bought a Vittoria Pista EV (track tub) which I only dared to use once (in 2014 national HC) It is 140 grams. It was an expensive 3 minutes.
Wheels
Zipp 202 Rear – 604 grams total: (rear Zipp – I got for £750). Expensive, but a good solid wheel, lightweight and strong.
Lightweight front
Lightweight wheel with Tune hub and AX lightness wheels – weight of wheel 345 grams (without tub). This wheel is really light, you can pick up with your little finger. Sometimes you test equipment and you can’t tell the difference, but replace a training wheel with a light wheel and you do notice the difference
Skewers Tune DC14
I bought a pair of lightweight skewers when I started hill climbing back in 2004. 11 years on, and technology has improved. My old pair were 55grams, so I looked around for some others. I nearly bought some U20 skewers for £163 at 21grams. But, right at the last minute – I thought I’m not spending £163 on a pair of wheel skewers – that’s obscene. Instead I bought some Tune DC14 for £93 – 35 grams. This was a rare failure of the marginal gain / spend money world. Buying the second best is always dangerous, because it gnaws away at you that you could have bought something better. Then one day, you may end up buying the most expensive after all – and having the second most expensive as well!
My tested weight was 35 grams
Smaller shoe size – Bont Zero
That flap is pretty tempting to cut off!
This is the ultimate marginal gain, which proves you are utterly bonkers. Buy a pair of shoes which is slightly too small, so you spend the whole season with squashed feet. But, on the positive side, you have saved the extra weight of a shoe which is o.5 sizes smaller than a good fitting size.
It wasn’t entirely intentional. See: review: Bont zero
Things you can pull off bike
I was cleaning bike the other day, and I realised this power tap plastic thing was unnecessary and could be pulled off bike. 4 grams in the bag. I will have to put some sellotape on hole in frame – so water doesn’t get in and negate the weight loss!
Removing stem cap
integrated-stem on 2014 Emonda without stem cap. I’m told you don’t need it – though it does look a bit weird.
Remove power meter
One advantage of a broken power meter is that you might as well get rid of it, and also ride without a garmin. That will save perhaps 200 grams.
The bike
Trek Emonda on Trooper Lane
Amidst all these marginal gains. I suppose the most important is the bike and frame you start off with. The Emonda is a good start
Why Do People Say Weight off Your Wheels Counts Double?
I think the reason is to do with acceleration and the fact the top of your wheel travels twice as fast as your bicycle (Don’t quite understand this, obviously I didn’t pay any attention in GCSE Physics and had to google whether electricity has weight). To accelerate, the energy taken to push the wheel is greater than for the bike. Once you have maintained a constant speed, then the weight of your bike and wheels count for the same. But, if you slow down and then accelerate, the energy to move the mass of your wheels is greater than for the bike.
Failed weight saving
Jim Henderson told me he spent one hill climb season weighing up whether he should risk riding with 4 chainring bolts rather than the more traditional five. He knew he could probably get away with 4, but in the end – he played it safe. I know a top rider who did 2006 Nat HC, and his chain come off mid race.
I once bought an AX lightness stem (26.9) because it was super light weight. But, didn’t realise it was the old size (which is quite rare these days. This meant to use it, I had to get a standard handlebar, but I’d run out of money for AX lightness handlebar, so I got some other model which was 27.0 – the resulting combination tended to slip because of that 0.1mm difference – losing power. I ended up selling both on ebay for a loss.
Drillium – drilling holes
You can’t mention marginal gains on a hill climb bike, without a nod to the art of drillium. Carbon fibre has diminished this avenue of weight saving. But, in the 60s and 70s, everyone was drilling holes in bits of equipment to save weight. The holes probably made you slower in time trials, but helped very marginally in hill climbs.
Weight and speed
A lighter bike is not necessarily faster. Rigidity and power can make more difference. As can aerodynamics. For example, I wish I’d ridden a heavier TT bike in 2011.
Fortunately or unfortunately, there is more to hill climbing that getting a lighter bike. When I won the national championship in 2013 – it was the only year in my whole career where I spent nothing on making a lighter bike. (in fact it was heavier (6.0kg) than the one I rode on Rake in 2012 and that year, I even made a profit from selling an AX lightness stem!)
I’ve been looking into handlebars for the hill climb bike. I need to buy another pair because I want to chop the ends off (I won’t be using drops in upcoming hill climbs). It’s not the most efficient way to save 50 grams, but it might be easier to pull on the hoods as well.
I looked at the Zipp handlebars, as usual there is a confusing array of names Zipp SL, Zipp Contour SL, and Zipp SLC. There’s not a huge variation in each. Zipp SL the lightest. Zipp SLC the most rigid. Also, be careful – Zipp sizes are centre to centre. A 42cm ZIpp (Centre to centre) is a 44cm in most other brands.
Zipp SL
Zipp SL is the lighest handlebar it is 31.8 only in the middle of the bars allowing a more aerodynamic profile away from the centre.It means that you can put clip on aerobars on them. Zipp specificially say you can’t – it isn’t built with suitable clamping point. This is more of a climbers bar, with focus on lightweight, but they are still reasonably stiff. Features: • Weight (SS 42 cm): 170g • Clamp Diameter: 31.8 • Clamp Width: 48mm • Short-Shallow Bend: Yes • Clip Compatible: No • Max Brake Lever Torque: 8NM • Max Torque Clamping to Bar: 8NM • Drop style: SS
Combe Gibbet is number 25 in 100 greatest hills. It is a fairly short climb, averaging just under 10% to take you to the top of Combe Gibbet / Walbury hill.
I rode up Combe Gibbet on Sunday purely by accident. I was racing up Walbury hill which is an alternative ascent to the top of that hill. The weather was too hot to warm up on rollers so I preferred to warm up on roads instead. I took the road from Inkpen and went in any direction that was uphill and not on the race course. From Inkpen there is a gradual ascent, and then a bit of downhill before the short, sharp shock of Combe Gibbet. It averages 9% for 0.5 miles. But, towards the end of the climb, there is a good section of 16%. Pre race I was trying to ride up the climb, without going over 300 watts- which is a bit difficult to do without going at low cadence. I don’t like warming up too hard, I prefer to keep it fairly steady.
The weather was perfect so I enjoyed the climb and view from the top. The climb was quite quiet, very few cars, and the odd horserider. If I’d known I was riding Combe Gibbet I may have taken some photos. But, I also had a race to concentrate on.
After the race I went back up Combe Gibbet to do a bit more training. From the top of the hill, I headed south in the general direction of Andover. It was a strange descent, you kept thinking you would come to the bottom of the descent, but it kept on going down. One thing about hills in this part of the country is your never sure where the starting point is. It’s a great part of the country to cycle around. Quiet lanes, interesting roads, decent climbs, but nothing too taxing.
Combe Gibbet points of interest
Combe Gibbet is a popular tourist attraction. Wikipedia tells us a gibbet was erected in 1676 for the purpose of gibbeting the bodies of murderers – George Broomham and Dorothy Newman. The gibbet was placed in such a prominent location as a warning, to deter others from committing similar crimes. So if you want to see a replica of a Seventeenth Century Gibbet, there’s an added motivation to climb the hill.
Walbury hill is the highest point in Hampshire.
Combe Gibbet from the south
Combe Gibbet from the south is a good climb. If you want there is a several mile incline averaging about 1%. But, the climb proper only lasts for the last 1km.
The last 0.7 miles averages 7% and it gets steeper towards the top. The last half a mile averaging 10%
Veloflex Record and Veloflex Sprinters are a top of the range tubular good for track, time trials and hill climbs.
The Veloflex Record is made with a high TPI (350) which is one factor giving a potential high quality fast supple tyre . The Veloflex Record is perhaps best known tub, but the Veloflex Sprinter is also a good choice for a fast tub with an extra layer of puncture protection.
The Veloflex Record weighs 190 grams, the Veloflex Sprinter 225 grams. The Sprinter is the better all rounder choice, the Record is more of a specialist front wheel tyre.
In rolling resistance tests, I’ve heard the Veloflex Record gives good results, though I couldn’t find any studies.
The Veloflex Sprinter is a development from an older version called the servizio corse.
It is 22″ width, which would be close to my preferred choice – perhaps would prefer a 23″ or even 24″ – given trend towards wider tyres. For hill climbs 22″ is a pretty good width.
The Record seemed a good choice for a rear wheel in time trials. Rear wheels tend to wear more quickly (due to more weight on rear of bike) and also seem more prone to puncture. If you want to go all out for speed, you could put Veloflex Record on both wheels, but I tend to be more risk averse – you can’t win if you have to walk home with a puncture. I put the Veloflex Record on my disc wheel for a few time trials in the summer, and have now moved it to my Zipp 202 rear wheel that I use for hill climbs.
It feels faster than a Continental Competition (which is the tub I’ve used most frequently in TTs). It is also lighter. After doing several races over gravelly roads, the tyre still looks in good shape, without any scratches.
I’ve chosen this tyre for hill climb season, though a couple of weeks before national, I may switch to a lighter rear tyre like the Vittoria Chrono. At this stage in the season, I’d rather have the puncture protection than 25 grams of weight – even if it is rotational.
Like many high quality, low weight tubulars, it seems to lose air pressure pretty quickly. In a four hour race, this could be a bit of a problem. In four hours it can easily lose 10 PSI. It means I tend to blew it up slightly more than my targeted PSI before a race. But, since it’s a guess what tyre pressure to use anyway, it’s not such a big deal.
Tread. smooth running tubular.
It looks good – black and gum coloured. Simple design like a tyre should be. I believe there is a Veloflex Extreme which is same tyre but black sidewall rather than gum coloured – don’t know why you need a separate model for different coloured sidewall.
It’s actually slightly muddy after yesterdays race. Despite driest September on record I still managed to find a muddy puddle at the top of Walbury hill.
Conclusion
I bought the Veloflex Record on the recommendation of a fellow tester, and so far I would be happy to recommend too. No punctures and good performance in time trials and hill climbs.
The big drawback to the Veloflex Record is the cost at a RRP of £90, it’s a case of hoping that the price justifies it’s value. The old law of cycle racing is never skimp on a good tyre / tubular. But this still stretches the wallet a little more than I would like. Still if does offer good combination of rolling resistance, weight and puncture resistance it will be money well spent. The Veloflex Record costs £97.00 and seems to be interesting in getting record for most expensive tubular. I may try it on front wheel next year though.
The Newbury R.C. hill climb on Walbury hill was the first time the club had made the climb an ‘open’ event. But, it still felt like the atmosphere of a local club event. Newbury CC were out in force with 30+ entries from the promoting club. It meant another good start sheet with 70 riders, including quite a few juniors and juveniles. When I got into hill climbing a few years ago, it was quite common to have entries of 10-20 people – entries were so low, you kind of thought hill climbs were a real ‘specialist’ / ‘nutcase’ type of cycling. But, in the past couple of years, entries have really been on the up. Perhaps it’s a combination of British cycling success, and the popularity of GPS tools like strava segments. These days, courtesy of Strava – everyone’s become hill climber; so I guess it’s only natural to make the next step from virtual competition to real competition.
It was a good friendly event, with enthusiastic support. If you like chasing Strava records on your own, you will be surprised at how much more fun it is doing it with other people.
After just one short – but intense – effort yesterday at Leith Hill, I was relatively fresh, and I had the luxury of a short 45 minutes drive. It is one of the closest hill climbs to Oxford, and saves a drive up the M6. Although it’s fairly close, I haven’t been on these roads before, so I took an opportunity to ride Walbury hill, just before the race got underway. I did take some tribars after looking at the profile of climb. But, after a warm up on the climb I thought there was no point in using them.
Walbury hill
There is a 7% gradient to start off with, then a very shallow gradient of just a couple of percent. As you turn left near the top, it starts to get properly steep, giving a hard test for the last minute or so to the top of the hill. The average gradient for the hill is 5.5%
Perhaps because of the shallow gradient, I again didn’t go too hard in the middle section, but as the hill became steeper I tried to give it everything. Unfortunately, my gears have been playing up. I had to put on a new chain last night, but it still gave a horrible change at the start of the steep bit – a bit of a knock to the momentum, but fortunately it stayed in place for the remainder. Just when you crested the hill – there was still a short flat bit before the line. I stopped the clock in 3.55 – beating the course record set by James Wilson VC St Raphael CC (4.09) just a few minutes before.
It was another great day for a hill climb. The weather was perfect and the view from the top of Walbury hill excellent. There was a good crowd of spectators at the top. I even got interviewed by a local radio station – I hope I was able to say something useful.
There was an excellent prize list with sponsorship from a variety of sources, including Newbury News, which gave a good first prize. I also won a copy of Mountain High for breaking the course record. I must admit to being doubly relieved not to end up with the Lantern Rouge prize. As a strict vegetarian I think I would have struggled to spend a £20 voucher for a local butchers.But, I don’t think I was ever favourite for Lantern Rouge. Maryka Sennemya (Kingston Wheelers) was first lady so it was the same result as yesterday.
It was good to chat to the Newbury locals, and great to see so much enthusiasm for a hill climb.
After the race I put on training wheels and went up Walbury hill a steeper way and over the top down into Hampshire. There was the longest gradual descent of 1% I’ve ever come across.
Combe Gibbet #25
A bit of an unexpected bonus was riding Combe Gibbet. I rode it before the race warming up and after the race. I didn’t realise it was one of the 100 climbs, until I got home. 100 Climbs
Photos, results, and possibly even videos to come soon after I’ve watched Men’s world road race
It was another balmy September day. 22+ degrees as I was warming up on the turbo. It was almost too hot and sweaty for the turbo – not usually a major problem of the hill climb season. As I was driving to Forest Green, I saw lots of cyclo sportive riders having a good time cycling up the Surrey hills. There was part of me slightly jealous of the sportive riders – it was definitely a good day for a five hour steady ride, instead I was facing the timekeeper and three and half minutes of hill climb hell.
The day before, I put on a new chain, I tried to take off outer chain ring, but you seem to need two of those hexaganol wrench things so I was unable to do it. The new chain wasn’t so good job either. Firstly, I made it too short, then I had to put some links back on. It was working well on training wheel, but when I put Zipp 202 racing wheel on, shortly before the start, it started to jump a little. I don’t know why because it has a fairly new cassette. Still the bike was quite stripped down and light for the time keeper. I saw my minute man go off with great gusto. He probably set off faster than I planned to start.
This is the third time I’ve done Leith hill climb. Previous times were 2012 (3.33), 2013 (3.33.1)
Distance 0.9mi
Avg Grade 8.0%
Max Gradient – 18%
Height gain 115m
I took the race quite seriously – because it’s a similar distance to the national on Pea Royd Lane, if not quite as steep.
I set off fairly steady, and seemed to hold back for quite a while. Then as you turn left the gradient increases a little and it was time to increase the effort. Round the corner there was a great crowd of people cheering you on. I just saw a sea of white and blue Kingston Wheelers jerseys.
By this point it was getting a bit of a blur, I was able to hold quite a good pace and speed all the way to the line. As I crossed the line I had quite a bit of momentum – it was here after the finish line, I caught my minute and two minute men who were rolling slowly over the line. I thought I hadn’t paced it so well, I wasn’t as dead as last year. I felt I should have tried to go faster earlier. I also thought the course record was 3.23 for some reason.
Anyway back at the HQ I found I had taken six seconds off course record with a 3.27. From being slightly miffed at not getting the pacing right, I was quite pleased. It was definitely a quick day – no tailwind, just warm and muggy which seemed to make it fast. It would have been really interesting to have power meter from last year. I paced it a bit differently, but perhaps this year was better strategy, I don’t know. Still the finish seemed to come along a bit quicker than expected.
Compared to last year, at half way point I was 8 seconds slower. In the last half I must have been 14 seconds quicker. Quite a different race.
Anyway it was a great event, and good to see a strong club like Kingston Wheelers encouraging so many to take part in a relatively minority cycling discipline. Markya Semenya (Kingston Wheelers) was first lady, so there were two national hill climb champions winning in the same race – not so common, I imagine – we both had a national jersey, which was good.
There were some good times from quite a few people, and quite a few novices to hill climbs having a go for first time.
