Haytor and Widecombe climb is a superb local cycling challenge

Torbay pro Harrison Wood ended his road racing season on a high and will be favourite to win his boyhood Mid-Devon Cycling Club’s Hill Climb ‘double’ of Haytor and Widecombe this weekend.

Wood (Anicolor-Tien21), 25, finished third on the hilly final stage of his own team’s ninth Grand Prix Anicolor in northern Portugal.

He helped to set up his French teammate Alexis Guerin for overall victory, while finishing sixth himself.

It rounded off a successful campaign with Anicolor, cementing their position as the strongest pro team in Portugal.

The year included a spirited week at the Tour of Britain recently, when Anicolor beat many WorldTour squads to finish second in the Team competition.

Wood’s plans for next season are not finalised yet, but he is looking forward to a good day over the Dartmoor terrain he knows so well this Sunday.

He is seeded No. 1 for the MDCC annual climbs of Haytor (3.2mls at 6.5%) and Widecombe (1672yds at 10.5%).

As a 19-year-old, Wood finished seventh in the National Hill Climb Championships on Haytor in 2019 in 12mins 30secs.

He will hope to beat that time on Sunday, and get closer to the course record of 11.37, set by Welshman Ed Laverack when he won the UK title there six years ago.

The first riders are away from the Haytor start near the Edgmoor Hotel at 9am and the Widecombe ascent at 11am.

Sunday also sees the start of the ten-round South West Cyclo-Cross League.

The opening meeting of the popular competition is at Coxleigh Barton near Barnstaple. Round Six, which incorporates the SW Regional Championships, will be at Paignton’s Torbay Velopark circuit on November 23.