Cambridge cyclists crowned champions in hill climb races

In 2013/2014 the cycling club was by far and away the most successful University sports club, responsible for 278 of the 653 individual BUCS points accumulated by the university.

This weekend marked the start of the new BUCS Cycling campaign with the BUCS Hill Climb.

This race, the largest hill climb race in the UK with over 360 entries, was held in the Peak District at Curbar Cap – a 1.65km long climb with an average gradient of 11% and ramps of over 20%.

Edmund Bradbury climbing to 6th place at the National Hill Climb Championships

Cambridge dominated with its 12 riders. The women’s event was won by Cambridge’s Hayley Simmonds (Current National 10 mile and 50 mile Time Trial Champion) in a new course record of 6.43.5 – the only lady to record a time under 7 minutes. Shortly afterwards, Edmund Bradbury – former CUCC President – posted a time of 5.20.3 which saw him set a new BUCS Record, winning the men’s event by over 12 seconds in the process. Both of these riders have been racing throughout the summer with an impressive set of results. The weekend before, the duo had been racing at the UCI 1.1 race Chrono Des Nations in France, where Hayley rode to an impressive 10th place in the women’s elite competition despite a crash, and Edmund got onto the podium in the Espoirs (Under 23s) event at his first UCI TT race.

To add to the two individual BUCS Golds – strong rides from Annarie Roosouw, Felix Barker, and Callum Haseler secured Cambridge both the Women’s and Men’s Team BUCS Golds. It is the first time the university has ever managed a full clean sweep of every available BUCS Gold at the Hill Climb event.

Hayley Simmonds at the National Hill Climb Championships, where she also came 6th

The club’s newly crowned BUCS Hill Climb Champions were in action again less than 24 hours later, this time competing at the National Championships Hill Climb event in Stocksbridge, Sheffield. Hayley and Edmund remarkably both claimed 6th overall at the National Championships in the women’s and men’s event respectively. CUCC’s Felix Barker who had finished 8th in the BUCS Championship also made the top 30.

These results bode well for the coming season, with the strength of the riders in the university, the club looks set to dominate student cycling for another year – and continue its claim as the University’s most successful club.