Matlock Hillclimbs - by Nick Latimer (plus photos)

The Somerset Triple Hill Climb Challenge, Sunday 19th October 2008

Matlock CC, Riber Road and Bank Road
Chesterfield Coureurs Hillclimb, Beeley Moor

Photos at end

In 2008 Richard Somerset (the Badger) laid down the gauntlet to any budding young (or old) hill climbers in the club be completing an unprecedented three hill climbs in a day.  What’s more, they weren’t any old 2 minute job down in the South somewhere, they were three Derbyshire climbs and they meant serious business.  Seeing as though I now live very close to the climbs in question, I invited three friends – my Austrian-alps based brother James, his fast marathon-running friend Graham and my ex-British Universities Hill Climb 4th place finisher friend Simon – to join me in tackling the famous Somerset Triple Hill Climb Challenge.

First up was the Matlock CC Hill Climb up to the ruins of Riber Castle.  A good way of giving a reasonable idea of the dreadful nature of this climb is to point out that when driving up first gear is needed for all of the 4 hairpin corners.  And up the final drag to the finish after the final hairpin a shift up to second gear definitely isn’t possible.  The gradient must reach 25% at the very least on a number of occasions and there is no respite on the 0.7 mile course.  Things weren’t made easier by the overnight rain which left the road strewn with leaves and very greasy.  When it was my turn to ride I found that I could not possibly get around the hairpins without standing out of the saddle, but when I did that my back wheel was quite liable to slip uncontrollably – at one point I let out an involuntary yelp as I was sure I was about to come crashing down due to slippage!  Despite this I got to the finish in one piece, in a time of 4.29 which was good enough for 17th place out of 35 starters.  My goals had been to dip under 4.30, finish in the top half, and beat the Badger’s time (5.05), which I had managed to achieve.  Unfortunately this was not good enough to beat my brother, who sprinted up in 10th place in 4.06, although in our friendly competition I had beaten Simon (23rd, 4.42) and Graham (26th, 4.55).  The word is that Graham almost came a cropper on one of the steeper sections, and this reminded onlookers of the rider who toppled off into a bush in the previous year’s event!  The winner was Robert Gough in 3.48, beating national champion James Dobbin down into 3rd.

The second climb of the day was the Chesterfield Coureurs event up Beeley Moor.  This was a much longer and steadier climb of 2.3 miles, climbing at an average gradient of around 9%, and never getting particularly steep.  Unfortunately, due to a late start time in the first event I only had time to drive to the finish, pick up my number and descend the hill before it was time for me to start again.  I suffered from a lack of warming down and warming up after the first event and felt like I never really got into the race, finishing in 14th place our of 30 riders in a time of 11.10.  This climb would usually suit me better and I was hoping for a sub-11 minute time and a place in the top 10, but a finish in the top half was reasonable.  Graham and James were both looking forward to this climb as James (and until recently Graham) live in the alps and a steady gradient over a reasonable distance is just what they are used to.  James showed this to very good effect, finishing in 4th place in a time of 9.40, 40 seconds behind the winner, James Dobbin.  Graham finished in 17th place in 11.34.  Simon missed this event, preferring to save himself for the final climb of the day, but passing-by the opportunity to complete the fearsome Somerset Triple Challenge in doing so.

The final climb of the day was again promoted by Matlock CC, in what was a dry-run of the national championships which are to take place on the 26th October.  The climb is up Bank Road, straight out of the centre of the town.  It’s a very demoralising climb as the road is completely straight and looks to be neverending when you are at the start line.  The gradient is constant, averaging at about 15% and reaching a maximum of about 20%.  The course has been lengthened since last year in order to make it a bit harder, and now measures just over half a mile.  By this stage I was beginning to curse the Badger for bothering to do all three climbs.  I was also regretting suggesting that my friends and I should repeat the feat.  A final lung-bursting sprint up one more climb was not what I needed, whereas a beer and burger at the pub at the bottom of the hill definitely was.  As it happened, although the final climb did cause a fair amount of wheezing, it wasn’t really lung-busting as my legs didn’t allow it to be!  I rode significant sections of the course with my eyes shut as I tried to force myself on without looking at what lay in front of me.  I can’t recommend this as Simon reminded me that he once did this up a hill and rode straight into the back of a parked van, bending his steel forks so far backwards that his wheel overlapped the frame, and smashing his nose in the process.  However, the technique allowed me to reach the top in 3.14, good enough for joint 21st place out of 39 riders.  James managed an impressive 2.54 for 11th place, Graham 3.44 for 31st, and Simon 3.25 for 26th.  It was my worst result of the day, but I actually felt like I rode the course quite well – I guess the extra middle event cost around 10 seconds as that was the difference between me and those who finished around me in the Riber event.

The day ended with all of us pleased with our efforts (and a beer and a burger).  Graham and I thought all 3 events may have been a bit over the top whereas Simon was pleased that he had stuck to doing two.  James enjoyed it massively and looked like he wanted to do all three again, but then he is about 50kg and a bona-fide mountain goat.  He also profited from becoming a day-member of Matlock CC and being part of the winning team in both the Riber and Bank Road events!  I was left with a moderately small pea of hope remaining, with aspirations to improve my times on at least two of the events next year.  My time for the three events combined was 18.59, compared to the Badger’s time of 20.30 in 2007 (although Bank Road was around 30-40 seconds longer this year, but Badger can’t be held responsible for that).  I’m looking forward to seeing a bunch of North Road riders taking on that time in next year’s edition of the Somerset Triple Challenge!