Shap Fell hill climb 2016

It is the first hill climb of the year, though the nine mile slog from Kendal to the top of Shap on the A6, never feels like your traditional hill climb. It was also my first race under 25 miles. I haven’t done any 10 mile TT’s yet to gauge efforts.

The important thing for Shap hill climb is the wind direction. The wind from the south makes it “fast”. The wind from the north makes it painfully slow.

Photo: Kenny Roberts (2015). I used same wheel and bike combination Zipp disc, and lightweight front wheel without deep section.

Driving over to Kendal, it was quite wet and blustery, but fortunately the weather cleared up for the race, just leaving a nice strong tailwind. Setting off from north of Kendal, I was soon nearly in my top gear of 56*11. That’s a proper hill climb when you can go at 30mph plus. However, even a strong tailwind doesn’t get you up a gradient of 3-10%. The speed still plummets when the road gets steep. Although the average gradient is 3%, there is a considerable bit of flat and also downhill sections, so it means there are some more testing gradients and a lot of variable power efforts. It also goes on for nine miles. With a tailwind, the climb is a rough approximation to a sporting 10 mile time trial. With the wind at your back, I’m always a little uncertain whether to get low or to sit up and benefit from the wind. But, I was on my tribars for most of the ride, apart from the last tricky descent where there was a strong sidewind before the last steepest section to the line.

Course record

I’ve had my eye on the Shap Fell course record for quite a few years. The first two years (2010 + 2011) I was defeated by a strong headwind. The last two years have had the wind in the right direction, but the course was shortened due to long-term traffic lights on the A6 embankment. Today the wind was right, and I knew it would be quick. But, James Gullen (Pedal Heaven) was also on the startsheet. Gullen has had a great year, setting 17 minute 10s, breaking course records by Bradley Wiggins and doing well in some Premier Calenders. It was a shame I was last man, because I felt I had more chance of holding course record for nine minutes if I went off before him.

In the end we both smashed the course record. I did 23.07 – nearly two minutes off the course record. James did 22.49 – two minutes 13 off the course record. No record is ever on the shelf forever, but it won’t be so easy to break again. It’s not often you take nearly two minutes off a course record, but settle for 2nd.

Kelly Murphy (Boot out Breast Cancer CC) also set a new women’s course record of 27.52.

Coming back down

Coming back down was interesting. The first steep bit the wind seemed to blow around all over the place. By the end of nine miles descent, it was quite cold and relieved to have made it. The huge tailwind was just a little reminiscent of 2013 on the Stang, where another very blustery tailwind made the ascent quick and descent tricky and cold.

Often after Shap I’ve cycled over to Great Dun Fell, but it was already getting on in the afternoon. It’s a shame because there was a good tailwind up the Great Dun Fell too.

Comparisons to previous years

When I first rode in 2010, I did a time of 29.56, with an average speed of 18.5mph. I didn’t have a power meter in those days, but I would hazard a guess, it was very similar to 333 watts. So the direction of wind can make a good six minutes different.

Previous results from Shap Fell

• 2016 – 23.07 – 2nd (tailwind) Av. power 333 watts. Max speed 41.8mph (cadence 90) Average speed 23.2 mph
• 2015 – 16.43 – 1st (short course) (tailwind) – Av. sp 25.0 mph. av. power 328 watts.
• 2014 – 17.45 – 1st (short course) (link) (tailwind)
• 2011 – 28.27  – 1st. (headwind)
• 2010 – 29.56 – 1st (headwind) Av. speed 18.5 mph

Results from 2016

Position	Name	Club	Cat	Event Time
1	James Gullen	Pedal Heaven	M	00:22:49
2	Tejvan Pettinger	Sri Chinmoy Cycling Team	M	00:23:07
3	Craig Steele	Lakes RC	M	00:25:19
4	Jake Cowen	The Nab Racing Team	M	00:25:48
5	Derek Parkinson	Springfield Financial Racing Team	M40	00:25:51
6	Martin Mikkelsen-Barron	Velo Club Cumbria	M	00:25:55
7	Richard Bickley	Border City Wheelers CC	M	00:26:07
8	Andy Ashurst	Manchester Wheelers	M50	00:26:55
9	Andrew Newby	Langsett Cycles RT	M	00:26:55
10	Tom Roper	Beacon Wheelers	MJun	00:26:56
11	David Allonby	Springfield Financial Racing Team	M	00:27:12
12	Ian Sibbert	Garstang Cycling Club	M40	00:27:24
13	Aaron Tonks	Ribble Valley CRC	M40	00:27:36
14	Peter Greenwood	Team Swift	M60	00:27:40
15	Paul Fleming	Preston Wheelers	M50	00:27:45
16	Sam Anderton	North Lancs RC	M	00:27:46
17	Kelly Murphy	Boot Out Breast Cancer CC	W	00:27:52
18	Sam Holden	Lancashire RC	M	00:28:08
19	William Sisson	Kendal Cycling Club	M	00:28:18
20	Keith Melvin	Rock to Roll Cycles	M	00:28:19
21	Paul Braithwaite	Pendle Forest	M40	00:28:20
22	Kieran Lacey	Lakes RC	M	00:28:28
23	Andrew Askwith	Bridlington CC	M50	00:28:37
24	Nathan Turnbull	Leigh Premier	M	00:28:45
25	Darren Brackwell	Lakes RC	M	00:29:05
26	Grant Ormerod	Team Wallis CHH	M	00:29:22
27	Phil Shaw	Kent Valley RC	M40	00:29:26
28	Duncan Orme	Kent Valley RC	M40	00:29:36
29	Claire Swoboda	Starley Racing	W	00:29:50
30	Benjamin Horrobin	Horwich Cycling Club	MJun	00:29:57
31	Gethin Butler	Preston Wheelers	M40	00:30:25
32	Stuart Timmins	North Lancs RC	M50	00:30:29
33	Derek Schofield	Rossendale Road Club	M60	00:30:32
34	David Wilkinson	Kent Valley RC	M50	00:30:35
35	Aaron Hemsley	PBK-Santini	M	00:30:52
36	Bethany Crumpton	Boot Out Breast Cancer CC	W	00:31:09
37	Dougi Hall	Border City Wheelers CC	M50	00:31:55
38	Nikola Matthews	Boot Out Breast Cancer CC	W	00:31:59
39	Dave Bateson	Horwich Cycling Club	M60	00:32:24
40	Mike Westmorland	Border City Wheelers CC	M70	00:32:36
41	Tim Bennett	Kent Valley RC	M50	00:32:39
42	Roy Flanagan	Rossendale Road Club	M50	00:33:06
43	Carol Westmorland	Border City Wheelers CC	W40	00:33:10
44	Martin Horrobin	Horwich Cycling Club	M40	00:33:18
45	Ruth Taylor	Boot Out Breast Cancer CC	W	00:34:18
46	Stephen Glenwright	VTTA (Merseyside)	M50	00:34:26
47	Caroline Leighton	Lancashire RC	W40	00:34:47
48	Bethany Taylor	Boot Out Breast Cancer CC	W	00:34:49
49	Amanda Howard	Kent Valley RC	W50	00:35:50
50	Paul Targett	Pendle Forest	M50	00:37:07
51	James Edge	Springfield Financial Racing Team	M70	00:38:11
52	Peter Knott	Kent Valley RC	M70	00:49:25

 

Results image