The destination of the BBR Opticians Hill Climb Championship was decided on a brand new climb – and by a last minute decision to travel. Awful weather conditions during the day cleared up for the evening, but almost put off Dave Scott from riding out from Oswestry to the Ludlow CC climb of Bedlam Hill, Round 9 of the Series, but a solid win by 2.3 seconds from Kirk Vickers saw Scott seal Series Gold in 6 minutes 8 seconds exactly. The 1.26 mile climb saw riders unfamiliar with the hill which runs parallel to the fearsome Angel Bank have to cope with constant gradient changes and steep ramps near both the start and finish of the climb, making judging effort a tricky call and having to judge how much to save for the final push. Scott moved up to 118 points with two rounds remaining and can no longer be caught, and gave some insight about both his late call to race and the nature of the climb: “Bedlam was a very last minute decision to attend due to the rubbish weather, but I’m glad I went. Once you’re out it’s never as bad, and during your effort it’s the least of your worries. First time riding this climb and I saved a lot for the last ramp as I’d be warned about how steep it was. Very glad I did and I finished strong, just about nudging Kirk for the win and who I always have close battles with historically”!
The climb also surprised Vickers, making just his second appearance of the 2023 BBR Series and stopping the watch on 6:10.3. Like Scott he was acutely aware that the technical climb required far more than just pure power with tactics being a big part. He stated: “The climb was steeper than I thought and lots of gradient changes meant power distribution was very important; and I had to save a bit for the steep kick at the end. I paced it well and had a very close battle with Dave, well done to all the riders taking that on”!
Steven Prince had local knowledge to help on a climb he knows from training, winning the Veterans event in 6:31.3 and finishing third overall. Prince had already sealed the BBR Veterans Championship after Round 8 and showed he was a worthy Champion with another fine win ahead of Scott Palmer in 6:57.8. He commented: “This road has been crying out to be raced up, and credit Robbie Disney and Ludlow CC for putting it on. The climb is local for me, and I rode a bit cautiously as I know the last kick can bite! Happy enough, and congratulations Dave and Kirk – thanks as always to the marshals and timekeepers”.
In the BBR Women’s Series Becky Griffiths re-took the Series lead after a fine win in 8:12.8, pushing out previous leader Hayley Wells who stopped the clock in 8:22.1 in a ding-dong battle for the Championship. The Paramount pair are separated by just two points going into the final two rounds, with Griffiths planning out her strategy to tackle the climb which paid dividends: “Bedlam was a bit of a killer; a fairly long climb with a steep section at the start and end. I tried to take it steady on the first steep section knowing what was coming and it seemed to pay off – cheers to Ludlow CC for putting it on”. The second medal of the evening was sealed by Claire Blackwell-Smyth who can no longer be caught for Women’s Bronze – but thanks to not riding can no longer challenge for Gold or Silver. Blackwell-Smyth is a first-timer to the Series and clearly liked this season-closing Series, stating: “I have really enjoyed my first Hill Climb Series. Everyone has been very supportive and welcoming. It would be great to see more women get involved – thank you to all the clubs for organising the events“.
Ludlow Junior James Saunders put daylight between the chasers in the BBR Junior Series as he tightened his grip on the Silver medal position. 13 year-old Saunders is a recent convert to hill climbing and ended his evening on 7:45.4 for eighth spot overall, stating: “I wanted to try to practice my pacing over short distances, and I think I’m starting to get the hang of it. I really enjoy the challenging nature”.
Result:
| Pos’n | Name | Club | Cat | Time | Points |
| 1 | David Scott | Mule CC | S | 6.08.0 | 20 |
| 2 | Kirk Vickers | Holohan Coaching RT | S | 6.10.3 | 18 |
| 3 | Steven Prince | Ludlow Brewery RT | V | 6.31.3 | 16 |
| 4 | Scott Palmer | Aerologic RT | V | 6.57.8 | 14 |
| 5 | Robbie Disney | Aerologic RT | S | 7.01.2 | 12 |
| 6 | Edward Garbett | Ludlow Brewery RT | S | 7.03.2 | 10 |
| 7 | Mason Durant | Paramount CRT | S | 7.29.0 | 8 |
| 8 | James Saunders | Ludlow CC | J | 7.45.4 | 6 |
| 9 | Becky Griffiths | Paramount CRT | W | 8.12.8 | 4 |
| 10 | John Woodward | Mid Shropshire Wheelers | V | 8.21.8 | 2 |
| 11 | Hayley Wells | Paramount CRT | W | 8.22.1 | 2 |
| 12 | Rob McGregor | Paramount CRT | S | 8.25.8 | 2 |
| 13 | Mark Ayling | CC Abergavenny | V | 8.59.2 | . |
| 14 | Richard Burt | Dursley RT | V | 11.00.0 | . |
Veterans on Actual:
| Vets Pos’n | Name | Club | Cat | Time | Vets Points |
| 1 | Steven Prince | Ludlow Brewery RT | V | 6.31.3 | 20 |
| 2 | Scott Palmer | Aerologic RT | V | 6.57.8 | 18 |
| 3 | John Woodward | Mid Shropshire Wheelers | V | 8.21.8 | 16 |
| 4 | Mark Ayling | CC Abergavenny | V | 8.59.2 | . |
| 5 | Richard Burt | Dursley RT | V | 11.00.0 | . |
Women:
| Women’s Pos’n | Name | Club | Cat | Time | Women’s Points |
| 1 | Becky Griffiths | Paramount CRT | W | 8.12.8 | 20 |
| 2 | Hayley Wells | Paramount CRT | W | 8.22.1 | 18 |
Juniors:
| Junior Pos’n | Name | Club | Cat | Time | Junior Points |
| 1 | James Saunders | Ludlow CC | J | 7.45.4 | 20 |
Cumulative standings after nine rounds
Overall Top 10:
| Position | Name | Club | Cat | Best 6 |
| 1 | Dave Scott | Mule CC | S | 118 |
| 2 | Steven Prince | Ludlow Brewery RT | V | 108 |
| 3 | Tomos Hales | Wrekinsport CC | S | 104 |
| 4 | Scott Palmer | Aerologic RT | V | 86 |
| 5 | Ben Southgate | Wrekinsport CC | J | 54 |
| 6 | Chris Riley | Paramount CRT | V | 50 |
| =7 | John Woodward | Mid Shropshire Wheelers | V | 38 |
| =7 | Kirk Vickers | Holohan Coaching RT | S | 38 |
| =7 | Robbie Disney | Aerologic RT | S | 38 |
| 10 | Jack Young | Oswestry Paragon CC | S | 30 |
Veterans Top 10:
| Position | Name | Club | Cat | Best 6 |
| 1 | Steven Prince | Ludlow Brewery RT | V | 120 |
| 2 | Scott Palmer | Aerologic RT | V | 108 |
| 3 | Chris Riley | Paramount CRT | V | 100 |
| 4 | John Woodward | Mid Shropshire Wheelers | V | 70 |
| 5 | Neil Coles | Oswestry Paragon CC | V | 54 |
| 6 | Andy Collins | Mid Shropshire Wheelers | V | 42 |
| 7 | Claire Blackwell-Smyth | Paramount CRT | WV | 36 |
| 8 | Neil Wilson | Paramount CRT | V | 22 |
| 9 | Ian Townsend | Paramount CRT | V | 20 |
| =10 | Daniel Lipson | Mule CC | V | 18 |
| =10 | Simon Romei | Paramount CRT | V | 18 |
Women’s standings:
| Position | Name | Club | Cat | Best 6 |
| 1 | Becky Griffiths | Paramount CRT | W | 114 |
| 2 | Hayley Wells | Paramount CRT | W | 112 |
| 3 | Claire Blackwell-Smyth | Paramount CRT | WV | 82 |
| 4 | Sara Willhoit | Paramount CRT | W | 40 |
| 5 | Vikki Jones | Oswestry Paragon CC | WV | 18 |
| 6 | Victoria Doran | Wrekinsport CC | WV | 14 |
Junior standings:
| Position | Name | Club | Cat | Best 6 |
| 1 | Ben Southgate | Wrekinsport CC | J | 100 |
| 2 | James Saunders | Ludlow CC | J | 58 |
| 3 | Will Hyde | Newport Shropshire CC | J | 38 |
| =4 | Chester Romei | Paramount CRT | J | 18 |
| =4 | Noah White | Mid Shropshire Wheelers | J | 18 |
| 6 | Jude White | Mid Shropshire Wheelers | J | 16 |