National Hill Climb Championships 2023

The Struggle” is the perfect name for the location of this year’s National Hill-Climb Championship. It’s where the best hill climbers from all corners of the country (and also Tom from myWindsock) will gather this Sunday for the final national title race of 2023 in any cycling discipline (we think).

This iconic event unfolds along a challenging 2.67-mile (just over 4km) route in Cumbria. This climb stands out as one of the longer courses for this championship, offering a real test of endurance. The average gradient of the climb is a demanding eight percent, with the steepest part reaching a punishing 24 percent.

The action kicks off just outside the charming town of Ambleside, and the event is masterminded by the Lakes Road Club and Barrow Central Wheelers. For this year’s edition, both the reigning women’s and men’s champions are returning to defend their titles (and Tom from myWindsock will also be trying not to walk up the steep bit).

The segment where the action will take place. For a detailed write up on the course this weekend, have a look here.

In the men’s competition, reigning champion Andrew Feather has made a remarkable recovery from an illness he battled in September and is feeling in top form as he approaches Sunday’s climb. He acknowledges that September was a tough month for him, but his power output is back where it should be.

As the event approaches, Feather is making some last-minute adjustments to his bike this week (every gram helps) and has headed up to Cumbria early to prepare. While he’s uncertain about how he will perform on the day, he recognizes that Ed Laverack is likely the favourite, especially given his specialisation in long climbs. Feather has conducted several course reconnaissance rides and feels well-prepared. He’s determined to give it his all and hopes for the best. The uneven gradient may also suit a rider like Feather who’s shown many times before that he has a rarely matched ability to accelerate on steeper gradients. We have showed that pacing steeper sections harder can save a lot of time and this is something Feather has proved excellent at.

Ed Laverack, who many (including us on balance) are tipping as the pre-race favourite, including the national rankings system on Spindata, is eagerly anticipating the challenge.

The Spindata rankings for hill climbers. I haven’t sifted through the start-list in too much depth but many of these riders will be competing for the top 5 slots.

On the women’s side, Illi Gardner, who rides for Wahoo-Le Col, is back to defend her title. However, she hasn’t had the chance to face her rivals this season, so there’s an air of uncertainty around how the title race will unfold. Gardner acknowledges that while The Struggle’s longer climb plays to her strengths, she’s been working on improving her “punch.” She points out that the National Championship is the first opportunity for competitors scattered across the country to go head to head, making it a bit of an unknown in terms of the competition. Despite the uncertainties, she’s looking forward to the challenge and has been focusing on handling adverse conditions while staying calm and composed. Illi also took the Sa Calobra QOM going under 30 minutes and plenty are saying it’s her race to lose.

myWindsock will be in attendance on Sunday, while I (Tom) won’t be challenging the scoreboard too much, we are looking forward to a great day and will be covering conditions and results on our Instagram story. If you want to plan your effort perfectly, there’s no better place than myWindsock – check it out here.