David Fellows just missed out on equalling Kirk Vickers’ 2020 Course Record of 3:22 in Round 8 of the BBR Hill Climb Series as Hafren CC presented their climb of Pentre’r Beirdd. Based on the A490, the only main road used in the 2022 Series, an average gradient of 7.2% belies the sharper pull around the hairpin bend towards the top, which can catch out riders unfamiliar with the climb. Solihull CC’s Fellows set a great target of 3 minutes 24 seconds after signing on first, and his post-race comments show just how the climb can buckle the pedal power: “A very enjoyable event and a very enjoyable climb. It was one of those roads when you ride up in reconnoitre and it felt steep, but once you race on it the gradient feels completely different. The gear I planned to use was too small so I could feel myself going into the red too soon. I tried to do the whole climb out of the saddle but it wasn’t to be. A fantastic little event with a good little crowd, I came back down to cheer everyone on up the hill after Id finished – I was first off which was actually a first for me in a hill climb so that was a pleasant experience”!
Steven Prince took the maximum points on offer to County riders and moved up into the Overall Silver medal position, narrowing the gap to Series leader Tomos Hales to 28 points with a personal best 3:48. Not only that but Prince is homing in on the top of the Veteran’s standings thanks to five straight Veteran’s wins and now lays just two points behind Chris Riley, making his trip from the south of the County a worthwhile one – although it was a close call with Mule CC’s James Davies just a second off the pace. Prince was delighted with his efforts, commenting: “I was really pleased with how it went, it’s another tough climb and tricky to pace, and the drag to the finish can be a killer if you’ve gone to hard early on. I’m chuffed with another personal best, thanks to Hafren for hosting”.
This was Davies’ first entry into the Series and he was satisfied with nearly causing an upset at first attempt with his 3:49, which took third spot overall in a strong showing for the over-40 riders. Particularly as he took the honours for Mule by beating younger team mate Jed Friskney who finished in four minutes exactly. Davies had ridden over from Oswestry which provided a good warm up. He stated: “It’s a great climb and the volunteers made it a fantastic event”.
One of the riders on that run was another Mule member Liz Breeze, who took the Women’s win in 8:53. Breeze moves up to second in the Women’s standings on the strength of this climb, and clearly enjoyed her morning out: “It was great! I had a lovely ride over with some other competitors from Oswestry, and enjoyed the climb and support”.
Full result:
| Pos’n | Name | Club | Cat | Time | Points |
| 1 | David Fellows | Solihull CC | S | 3.24 | . |
| 2 | Steven Prince | SCCA Private Member | V | 3.48 | 20 |
| 3 | James Davies | Mule CC | V | 3.49 | 18 |
| 4 | Jed Friskney | Mule CC | S | 4.00 | 16 |
| 5 | Jack Young | Oswestry Paragon CC | S | 4.08 | 14 |
| 5 | Troy Rimell | Mule CC | S | 4.08 | 14 |
| 7 | Rob McGregor | Paramount CRT | S | 4.30 | 10 |
| 8 | Carl Evans | Hafren CC | V | 4.41 | 8 |
| 9 | Conrad Taylor | Hafren CC | S | 4.58 | 6 |
| 10 | Liz Breeze | Mule CC | WV | 8.53 | 4 |
Veterans on Actual:
| Vets Pos’n | Name | Club | Cat | Time | Vets Points |
| 1 | Steven Prince | SCCA Private Member | V | 3.48 | 20 |
| 2 | James Davies | Mule CC | V | 3.49 | 18 |
| 3 | Carl Evans | Hafren CC | V | 4.41 | 16 |
| 4 | Liz Breeze | Mule CC | WV | 8.53 | 14 |
Women:
| Women’s Pos’n | Name | Club | Cat | Time | Women’s Points |
| 1 | Liz Breeze | Mule CC | WV | 8.53 | 20 |
Cumulative standings after eight rounds
Overall Top 10:
| Position | Name | Club | Cat | Best 6 |
| 1 | Tomos Hales | Wrekinsport CC | S | 114 |
| 2 | Steven Prince | SCCA Private Member | V | 86 |
| 3 | Alex Hart | Mid Shropshire Wheelers | J | 84 |
| 4 | Jack Young | Oswestry Paragon CC | S | 74 |
| 5 | Scott Palmer | Bridgnorth CC | V | 68 |
| 6 | David Scott | Mule CC | S | 60 |
| 7 | Matthew Redworth | Mid Shropshire Wheelers | S | 52 |
| 8 | Phil Roberts | Wrekinsport CC | S | 50 |
| 9 | Chris Riley | Paramount CRT | V | 36 |
| 10 | Jed Friskney | Mule CC | S | 32 |
Veterans Top 10:
| Position | Name | Club | Cat | Best 6 |
| 1 | Chris Riley | Paramount CRT | V | 102 |
| 2 | Steven Prince | SCCA Private Member | V | 100 |
| 3 | Neil Coles | Oswestry Paragon CC | V | 96 |
| 4 | Scott Palmer | Bridgnorth CC | V | 94 |
| 5 | Andy Collins | Mid Shropshire Wheelers | V | 34 |
| 6 | Ben Thompson | Wrekinsport CC | V | 30 |
| 7 | Liz Breeze | Mule CC | WV | 22 |
| 8 | Neil Wilson | Paramount CRT | V | 20 |
| =9 | James Davies | Mule CC | V | 18 |
| =9 | Martin Waters | Mule CC | V | 18 |
Women’s standings:
| Position | Name | Club | Cat | Best 6 |
| 1 | Hayley Wells | Paramount CRT | W | 100 |
| 2 | Liz Breeze | Mule CC | WV | 40 |
| 3 | Robin Jones | Bridgnorth CC | W | 36 |
| 4 | Becky Griffiths | Paramount CRT | W | 20 |
| =5 | Daphne Jones | Mid Shropshire Wheelers | WJ | 18 |
| =5 | Gwyneth Bowyer | Ludlow CC | WV | 18 |
| =5 | Victoria Doran | Wrekinsport CC | WV | 18 |
Junior standings:
| Position | Name | Club | Cat | Best 6 |
| 1 | Alex Hart | Mid Shropshire Wheelers | J | 100 |
| 2 | Ben Southgate | Wrekinsport CC | J | 56 |
| 3 | Daphne Jones | Mid Shropshire Wheelers | WJ | 16 |