R2 BBR Opticians Hill Climb Series: Nova Raiders Station Road climb

A second win in 24 hours saw Tomos Hales open up his lead at the top of the BBR Opticians Hill Climb Series as retiring Nova raiders Race Secretary Fliss Connor promoted her final event. Held on a lovely evening at Station Road, Ironbridge, the three-quarter mile course is deceptive with speed having to be scrubbed right off just as the steepest section near the bottom commences. Hales stopped the watch on 3 minutes 24 seconds, beating Mid Shropshire Wheelers’ Junior Alex Hart by two seconds to open up a six point lead at the head of the standings. The Wrekinsport CC rider was delighted with his second win on the trot, stating: “Happy to take the win for the Nova hill climb, I had a good start and went very hard on the steep section. I managed to hold on up the tight sections of the course towards the top. Thanks for Nova for hosting their last race in a while – a shame to loose such a good climb for the BBR Hill Climb Series next year”.

Hart took the maximum 20 points on offer in the BBR Junior Series and elevated himself into the Overall runner-up spot with a fine 3:26 effort, made all the better by remembering to pack the race shoes he had forgotten just 24 hours earlier. The nature of the climb was to his liking, although he wished for more competition in a discipline particularly suited to lightweight youngsters: “Round two went smoothly and the steep climb suited me well. I’m looking forward to the next one, but a shame more people aren’t giving them a go”.

The best placed Veteran also took the final podium place as Steven Prince crossed the line in 3:30, a great effort. The nature of the course can be deceptive however, with the finish seeming to take forever to appear, not helped by a gentle curve which disguises it. This was borne out in Prince’s comments: “I really enjoy the Nova Raiders course; it’s very tricky and drags on a lot longer than it looks. A great time again by Tomos, I got a bit closer this time but not close enough – thanks to the club and marshals”.

Taking maximum Veterans points for affiliated riders was Scott Palmer, who stretched his lead over Paramount’s Chris Riley to four points after Riley finished in 4:04. This was a new experience for the Bridgnorth CC rider, but he liked the nature of the challenge: “I felt a lot more suited to this climb as it was straight into a steep section. This was another new climb to me and pacing is always the key in these events, but still way behind some cracking times by Steve Prince and Tomos Hales”.

In the BBR Women’s Series Hayley Wells doubled her points tally after crossing the line in 4:38, seeing off a challenged from Bridgnorth CC’s Robin Jones by 50 seconds. Wells is having a first look at the climbs on offer in this popular Series, all of which offer up very different characteristics, with planning strategy as big a part of the game as the racing. She stated: “A slightly different strategy needed compared to the Wrekin climb the night before. The plan was to not go out too hard within the first few metres and risk blowing up on the steepest part of the course – the first turn! I just about managed to hang on until the end, but more practice needed! Some fantastic times being set out there, and thanks to Nova for hosting”.

Full result:

Veterans:

Women:

Juniors:

Cumulative standings after two rounds

Overall Top 10:

Veterans Top 10:

Women’s standings:

Junior standings: