For many, there’s a lure to racing up hills, and there’s no denying the tension between Daniel Lloyd and Jody Crawforth as each took a win apiece on last weekend’s two classic hill climbs in Kent and Surrey, run under perfect weather and with a huge turnout of supporters.
The Catford Cycling Club hosted the 113th running of its hill climb, run on the relentless Yorks Hill in Kent, and the two leading climbers of the day Jody Crawforth and Daniel Lloyd emerged, the former winning in 1min 54sec.
On the 12.5% average gradient and peaking to 25% in places, Crawforth rode the perfect ride to record 1min 47sec, though leaving intact Phil Mason’s record for another year. Can that record, set 25 years ago, be challenged next year?
With the scene moving several miles from Kent into Surrey, it took Daniel Lloyd just 1min 46secs to scale the length of Whites Lane, the short but challenging hill, with sections of 25%, popularised by the long running Bec Cycling Club’s annual hill climb competition.
On this hill, known as Titsey Lane, Dan Fleeman’s 1min 43sec record ride set in 2007 remains for another 12 months. Daniel Lloyd’s nearest challenger, Jody Crawforth, was unable to repeat his winning ride on the Catford and finished second.
