Propel CC Swayney Cliff Hill Climb
Propel CC’s first ever promotion saw a new climb brought into use, a stunning inaugural course record being set and a new leader in The Coaching Revolutions Hill Climb Series as Round 8 proved memorable. Held on Coalport Road, Coalport and starting just above The Woodbridge Inn, the 0.52 mile climb of Swayney Cliff gave a new dimension to the Series as riders had little choice but to put the hammer down from the off and attack due to the shortness of the climb. That put some into immediate difficulty with several ramps to negotiate as well as a hairpin bend where the road rears up to a 20% incline.
Setting that benchmark course record David Scott took his fourth straight win in a superb time of 2 minutes 7 seconds, 17 seconds ahead of the nearest competition. This moved the Mule CC rider into the Series lead with one event to go as previous leader Kirk Vickers was tied up through work – though by just two points with it all to play for in the final round. Incredibly no medals were settled on the day and that means 11 of the 12 available in this Series go down to the wire. Scott enjoyed his afternoon out and was full of praise for the new climb, stating: “I loved the new course and looking forward to going quicker next year now I know it“!
A gloriously sunny day was tempered by dappled sunlight breaking through the tree cover in patches giving competitors some relief from the unusually warm September heat. Taking the runner-up spot was a rider new to the area but enjoying his first taste of the Series and the wide range of challenges on offer, James Hards. Hards stopped the watch on 2:24 and has eased himself into the challenge presented by this style of event, revealing: “I’ve been feeling more comfortable with these climbs the more I do so I was happy with a second place at Coalport. Short and sharp seems to suit me and I really like the variety of hills this Series has offered so far! Onwards and upwards“.
Meanwhile the only rider to so far win a medal in this Series took third spot overall by a single second as Veteran’s Gold medallist Richard Kay just saw off a stiff challenge from Chris Riley who is vying for Veteran’s Silver with Neil Coles. With Kay’s usual carbon fibre bike out of action he was forced to fall back on his trusty steel framed equivalent, crossing the line in 2:34. This elevated the North Shropshire Wheeler into 4th spot in the Overall standings as Kay looks to take Overall Bronze at the death. Kay was one of the riders who misjudged the course on first sight and was left rueing his chosen tactics whilst having lots of praise for the new event: “Why on earth I would choose to pace a two minute hill climb instead of chucking the kitchen sink at it is beyond me. However the course and event were great, and what a nice bunch the Propel CC are“.
With Riley finishing in 2:35 he doubled his advantage over Coles to four points after the Oswestry Paragon rider finished in 2:55. This pair have gone head-to-head in seven rounds with Riley holding a 4-3 advantage, showing the terrific tussle for Silver in progress as the characteristics of each climb come into play.
In the Junior Series Mid Shropshire Wheeler Charlie Price advanced into the Silver medal position thanks to his 3:51 effort. The 13 year-old put his light weight to good advantage to haul himself up the tough gradients and had particular praise for the organisation which left no doubt over where headquarters and the way to the new climb were: “I thought the hill climb was very well organised, the signs very helpful and the climb very challenging, but looking forward to next year“.
Result:
| Pos’n | Name | Club | Cat | Time | Points |
| 1 | David Scott | Mule CC | S | 02:07 | 20 |
| 2 | James Hards | Unattached | S | 02:24 | |
| 3 | Richard Kay | North Shropshire Wheelers | V | 02:34 | 18 |
| 4 | Chris Riley | Paramount CRT | V | 02:35 | 16 |
| 5 | Neil Coles | Oswestry Paragon CC | V | 02:55 | 14 |
| 6 | Charlie Price | Mid Shropshire Wheelers | J | 03:51 | 12 |
Veterans Result:
| Vets Pos’n | Name | Club | Cat | Time | Vets Points |
| 1 | Richard Kay | North Shropshire Wheelers | V | 02:34 | 20 |
| 2 | Chris Riley | Paramount CRT | V | 02:35 | 18 |
| 3 | Neil Coles | Oswestry Paragon CC | V | 02:55 | 16 |
Juniors Result:
| Junior Pos’n | Name | Club | Cat | Time | Junior Points |
| 1 | Charlie Price | Mid Shropshire Wheelers | J | 03:51 | 20 |
Cumulative standings after eight rounds
Overall Top 10:
| Position | Name | Club | Cat | Best 5 |
| 1 | David Scott | Mule CC | S | 98 |
| 2 | Kirk Vickers | Holohan Coaching RT | S | 96 |
| 3 | Sam Holwill | Hafren CC | J | 66 |
| 4 | Richard Kay | North Shropshire Wheelers | V | 58 |
| 5 | Henri Bedford | Revolutions Racing | J | 50 |
| 6 | Jack Morris | Mid Shropshire Wheelers | S | 48 |
| =7 | Chris Riley | Paramount CRT | V | 36 |
| =7 | Neil Coles | Oswestry Paragon CC | V | 36 |
| 9 | Robbie Disney | Ludlow CC | S | 32 |
| 10 | David Hiatt | Mid Shropshire Wheelers | S | 26 |
Veterans Top 10:
| Position | Name | Club | Cat | Best 5 |
| 1 | Richard Kay | North Shropshire Wheelers | V | 100 |
| 2 | Chris Riley | Paramount CRT | V | 92 |
| 3 | Neil Coles | Oswestry Paragon CC | V | 88 |
| 4 | Neil Wilson | Paramount CRT | V | 50 |
| 5 | James Griffiths | Clee Cycles | V | 20 |
| 6 | Darrell Walsh | Oswestry Paragon CC | V | 16 |
| =7 | Mark Manson | Mule CC | V | 14 |
| =7 | Rich Smith | Wrekinsport CC | V | 14 |
| =7 | Simon Jones | Hafren CC | V | 14 |
| =10 | Andy Collins | Mid Shropshire Wheelers | V | 12 |
| =10 | Andy Perry | Mule CC | V | 12 |
| =10 | Fraser MacKinnon | SCCA Private Member | V | 12 |
Junior Top 10:
| Position | Name | Club | Cat | Best 5 |
| 1 | Henri Bedford | Revolutions Racing | J | 96 |
| 2 | Charlie Price | Mid Shropshire Wheelers | J | 82 |
| 3 | Sam Holwill | Hafren CC | J | 80 |
| =4 | Alex Hart | Mid Shropshire Wheelers | J | 18 |
| =4 | Fred Meredith | Hafren CC | J | 18 |
| =4 | James Satoor | Mid Shropshire Wheelers | J | 18 |
| =7 | Henry Fleming | Wrekinsport CC | J | 16 |
| =7 | Jack Young | Mid Shropshire Wheelers | J | 16 |
| =7 | Lewis Page | Mid Shropshire Wheelers | J | 16 |
| =7 | Noah Killeen | Mid Shropshire Wheelers | J | 16 |
Women’s standings:
| Position | Name | Club | Cat | Best 5 |
| 1 | Emma Serjeant | Hafren CC | W | 40 |
| =2 | Bethan Till | Wrekinsport CC | W | 20 |
| =2 | Natalie Brooks | Paramount CRT | W | 20 |
| 4 | Louise Hurdley | Hafren CC | WV | 18 |
| 5 | Sahrah Wilding | Hafren CC | WV | 16 |
- There’s a video of the event on Shropshire CCA’s You Tube channel at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=99L7RaoC6RU
- With 11 medals to play for the attention will be on the 9th and final round of The Coaching Revolutions Hill Climb Series as Newport Shropshire CC present their ¾ mile climb of Station Road, Ironbridge at 11am on Sunday, 6th October.