Tavistock Wheelers make their mark at challenging national cycling event
Tavistock Wheelers supporters brought horns, pots and pans to cheer on three club riders at the British National Hill Climb Championship in Somerset
A Tavistock cyclist has won a national age-group title after a dramatic ride at the British National Hill Climb Championship, where two club-mates also took on the challenging Porlock Toll Road in Somerset.
Tony Symons, of Tavistock Wheelers CC, became a national age-group champion on Sunday (25 October), after a ride that included a lost chain and a battle with strong winds.
The veteran cyclist was one of three club riders competing on the four-mile course, which climbs through woodland and open moorland.
Around 520 riders took part in the championship, the culmination of the traditional hill climb season.
Symons’ ride was not without its problems. As he emerged from the woodland into a strong headwind, he went off the side of the course and lost his chain.
He quickly recovered and continued to the finish, but then faced an anxious wait for the official result.
When the result was confirmed, Symons had secured the national age-group title, rewarding 15 years of hard work.
With some hill climb events decided by fractions of a second, the win was a significant achievement.
There was plenty of support from Tavistock Wheelers members, who travelled to Somerset armed with cowbells, horns, pots and pans to cheer on their riders.
As club representative Martin Williams put it: “The hills were alive with the sound of cowbells! You could be forgiven for thinking you were in Austria.”
Mr Williams added that club members had “arrived en masse”, armed with cowbells and “quietly confident that one of their own could win a championship medal.
Supporters lined the route in wind and rain, with some staying for around six hours to encourage the competitors.
The other Tavistock Wheelers riders were junior Harry Malthouse and veteran Rachael Malthouse, both taking part in their first national championship.
Harry faced some of the best junior riders in the UK and ‘coped with the cold conditions and challenging course’ to finish in the middle of the field.
His mother, Rachael, also ‘competed very strongly’ to finish in the middle of the field.
All three riders represented Tavistock Wheelers in challenging conditions, with Symons’ national title marking a proud moment for the club.
The British National Hill Climb Championship is organised by Cycling Time Trials and has been held annually since 1944, with the course changing each year.
Previous winners have included leading British cyclists Brian Robinson, Chris Boardman and Malcolm Elliot.