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Welsh Hill Climb Championships

27th September 2009

Welsh HC Champs – Llangynidr

Hill climb events always tend to take place at the end of the road and time trialling season when the air is fresh at it hurts your lungs the most. I decided to enter this event because I feel that climbing is one of my strengths being the build of a mountain goat. The event took place on Llangynidr Mountain that is local to me and also this was the climb I won the 2007 Ras De Cymru on.

With hill climbs no matter what you do to prepare for it, it’s going to hurt and there’s no easy way to go about it! I started off by riding the 2.2 mile climb about an hour before I was due to start and forgot how steep it got in places. After my pre ride of the climb it was on to the rollers for a long progressive warm up so that my body was as prepared as it could be.

I lined up on the start line ready to go with oil bas oil up my nose so my air ways were clear and the timer counted down and I was off. I started off fast and felt good pedalling comfortably until the climb got steeper. I started to loose my rhythm, getting in and out of the saddle and changing up and down the cassette to try and find a comfortable gear. My lungs started to burn shortly followed by my legs but I persevered and was past the half waypoint.

I started to feel really uncomfortable and felt that I was going to put in a bad performance, so much so I almost turned around and went home! But once I hit the hairpin corner I knew it wasn’t far to go but it felt like a lifetime, I got out of the saddle to try and up the pace but it was short lived. I was in agony and with the finish line in sight I barely had enough strength to sprint for the line!

Once crossing the line I had to lie down on the grass and try and replace the oxygen debt in my body for a good few minutes. Then after feeling completely unaware of how I did I rolled back down the hill to warm down and get changed. I was pleasantly surprised that I had managed to get second place with a time of 11 minutes and 11 seconds only 11 seconds of the winner.

On reflection I feel that if I hadn’t doubted my performance half way up and had fully committed to getting every second I could up the climb I may have been able to snatch victory; but every one feels like this after a close race I am sure.

Ben