Five conclusions from the RTTC National Hill Climb Championships
Ezra Bateman sets the fastest time of the day, two four-time champions head in different directions, and the start intervals come under scrutiny: the talking points from Porlock Toll Road, and a look ahead to next year.
This year’s National Hill Climb Championships didn’t run to the usual beat. The seaside village of Porlock, in Exmoor National Park, played host to one of the closest, most memorable editions in recent years, the narrow Toll Road an intriguing challenge for riders more accustomed to short, sharp efforts: a 6.6-kilometre ascent through multiple switchbacks to stunning views from a windswept moorland summit.
The day will be remembered not only for 16-year-old Ezra Bateman’s ride to the junior title and the fastest time of the day, but also for a battle royale between Ed Laverack and Andrew Feather, two legends of the hill climb scene who slugged it out to the finish line in the open race. In the women’s event, a fourth title went to Illi Gardner, while Mabli Phillips earned herself another blue and red banded jersey on her hill climb debut, adding to the junior road race title she won in July.
We’ve dissected the major talking points from Sunday’s action, with a look ahead to what’s in store in 12 months’ time, when Tegg’s Nose is rumoured to make its championship bow with Macclesfield Wheelers taking on the organisation duties.
Bateman should have been the champion, but Laverack can wear the jersey with pride
Social media has a habit of blowing things out of proportion. Between the ongoing discourse over Andy Burnham’s Gogglebox appearance and another crisis at Manchester United, there was debate, annoyance, and near anger levelled at CTT, the governing body that oversees the National Hill Climb Championships, on Sunday evening. The majority of it was not aimed at Rebekah Hendrickse’s provisional disqualification from third place in the women’s event on a technicality.
Just hours before, Bateman, riding in the colours of Decathlon CMA CGM Juniors, had set the fastest time of the day on his way to the junior open title, bettering Laverack’s effort by 0.3 seconds. The Welshman was emotional as he claimed the open title, and the plaudits that come with it, for the second time in his career.
Ed Laverack. Image: Mark James
It is a quirk of the CTT rules that despite getting the better of Laverack, Bateman is eligible only for the junior prize. A flurry of social media comments across the platforms were less than complimentary about the governing body and its rules, some calling for Laverack to “do the right thing and hand over the trophy” to the Scarborough-based teenager, others pointing out simply that “he didn’t win, he came second”.
Two-time open champion Harry MacFarlane pointed out in an interview with The British Continental on Monday that the archaic rules were probably put in place at a time when it was unfathomable that a junior could compete with the best, and that, in his opinion, the rules need to be updated.
Now, they surely will be.
But at the finish on Sunday, and then in the packed village hall for the presentation, there was little of the fierce passion shown online—a storm in a teacup, a fitting idiom given the weather that had recently battered the South West.
Sunday was a day that belonged to all four winners: Phillips, Bateman, Gardner, and Laverack. These riders don’t make the rules, but they do contribute to the rich tradition hill climbing holds in British cycling
A very polite, surprised, and diplomatic Bateman told The British Continental he had simply won his category, while Laverack paid tribute to him both in his media interviews and in his speech on stage, describing how it was “awesome” to see such talented young riders dedicate themselves to the hill climb scene, and how they continue to push and inspire him.
Sunday was a day that belonged to all four winners: Phillips, Bateman, Gardner, and Laverack. These riders don’t make the rules, but they do contribute to the rich tradition hill climbing holds in British cycling—one where, ultimately, the result is less important than the memories and friendships built through a collective passion.
Ezra Bateman. Image: Mark James
Laverack can look back on his ride with pride. The trophy and jersey were deserved for a phenomenal performance in which he and Feather, two of the discipline’s greatest riders, went toe to toe over 6.6 kilometres, Laverack proving himself the best senior hill climber in the country.
Those are the rules—a fact he, as well as those browsing social media, should not forget.
Two four-time champions with two different tales to tell
By the end of Sunday’s race, Feather had been joined by Gardner as the only other rider in the field to have won the championship four times, the pair taking the discipline to new heights during their careers.
They could be headed in different directions from now on, however. Gardner, who at only 27 already shares the record for women’s championship wins with Lynn Hamel, is back on the up, taking back the crown she lost to Rachel Galler on Bank Road last year with a typically commanding performance.
One of the most gifted climbers in the world, the softly spoken Cardiff Ajax CC rider again has endless possibilities ahead of her
One of the most gifted climbers in the world, the softly spoken Cardiff Ajax CC rider again has endless possibilities ahead of her. Despite not enjoying shorter climbs, she should find Tegg’s Nose, the rumoured host of next year’s championships, well within her range as she continues to find boundaries to push beyond the CTT scene.
Meanwhile, Feather’s silver medal marked his third year without stepping on top of the podium, and perhaps his best chance to do so for a fifth time.
At 41, it is remarkable that he is able to hold down a full-time job as a lawyer and go head to head with the best in the country, riders who are often half his age. But the trademark punch that once led him to near domination of the sport seems to have faded, with multiple competitors now able to mix it with him on the shorter climbs that make up the majority of the calendar.
Andrew Feather. Image: Mark James
Slimmed down to new levels, and having changed his riding style and position to compete on a hill whose unique demands other specialists struggled to cope with, Feather came up just short on Porlock Toll Road, with Bateman and Laverack less than two seconds ahead of him. Two seconds that may have felt like a lifetime as he reflected on his ride after the race.
Feather still holds the course record on Tegg’s Nose, set in 2020, and on that basis, and given he is still one of the finest hill climbers to grace the scene, he should not be discounted from adding a fifth title to his collection, if not next year then shortly after. But he is not getting any younger and, for now, his best chance of doing so has passed.
Aerodynamics played their part, but the most important factor was the rider
When CTT National 10 champion Matt Rossiter made it from the reserve list to the start line in the days before the race, it got people talking. Was Porlock Toll Road the place where a time trial specialist could upset the odds and beat the climbers?
Rossiter, a former rower, certainly gave it a good go. Riding a bike that looked like it was out of the space age, he crossed the line on the extensions to set a time of 16:47. Fast, but good enough only for 38th place in the open category.
The key to conquering Porlock Toll Road was the type of rider on board, the constant gradient lending itself, as many predicted, to those with the best threshold power
Aerodynamics did play a part in proceedings throughout the day. The best riders were generally statue-still in the saddle in a slick position all the way up, the likes of Rowan Baker donning an aero helmet for an extra boost.
But the key to conquering Porlock Toll Road was the type of rider on board, the constant gradient lending itself, as many predicted, to those with the best threshold power: often road racers used to endurance-type efforts.
Mabli Phillips. Image: Mark James
Lucy Harris capped her fine season with 5th place in the women’s race, while Baker, Josh Hall, and, to a lesser extent, Gabe Dellar proved the day’s surprise packages in the open race. Baker nailed a near-perfect ride for bronze and Hall finished a brilliant 6th, while Monsal Hill Climb winner Dellar took 4th, a place better than last year and two better than in 2024.
Bateman showed just why he is on one of the biggest junior squads in the world on a course with a European feel, while Phillips doubled up on national titles, adding the hill climb jersey to her road race one
On that note, it was perhaps no surprise that the junior winners were also two serious road racing talents. Bateman showed just why he is on one of the biggest junior squads in the world on a course with a European feel, while Phillips doubled up on national titles, adding the hill climb jersey to her road race one, as Ruby Isaac did 12 months ago: proof that some of the best talent can be found practising this niche British pastime.
The 30-second intervals between the favourites were just too short
In his interview at the presentation, Laverack himself noted that he could see Feather in the distance as the pair made their way up the climb, the Welshman given the rare advantage of being able to judge whether he was ahead of or behind his rival as they neared the finish.
This year the organisers set the seeded riders off just 30 seconds apart, rather than the conventional full minute. Given the length of the climb, catches were common and multiple riders were often in the finishing straight at once, so overtaking became a key element on the narrow course, with luck playing a huge role.
Gardner catches Anna Boniface. Image: Mark James
This was perfectly demonstrated by a near miss between Galler, the defending women’s champion, and a charging Dellar. The pair almost collided on one of the hairpins as Dellar went for the overtake while Galler took the racing line, forcing both to take evasive action, a situation that could so easily have been avoided.
A short gap would mean less chance of an incident like the one above hampering a rider’s race, while also allowing the women’s winner time to soak up the atmosphere, and the attention, after crossing the line
With plenty of daylight left, the top riders from each category should have made up the final 20 to 40 starters, set off at one-minute intervals, firstly to keep catches to a minimum, but also to make the event safer and build an even bigger sense of anticipation as riders came into the finish.
No gap was left between the final starters from the women’s and open fields, which gave the likes of Dellar, fifth from last off, a less than ideal task, as he was almost certain to catch multiple riders ahead of him. A short gap would mean less chance of an incident like the one above hampering a rider’s race, while also allowing the women’s winner time to soak up the atmosphere, and the attention, after crossing the line.
Minehead CC put on a brilliant show, and next year could be even better
When a longer climb is announced as the host of the National Hill Climb Championships, eyebrows are always raised.
The topography of the UK favours short, steep climbs that produce the familiar images of grimacing faces and animated spectators willing riders through the pain, and the hill climb calendar, and with it the skill set of the riders, generally reflects this.
Image: Mark James
However, Porlock Toll Road offered a different challenge: a European-style climb in a picturesque part of the UK, bearing little resemblance to the celebrated courses of Bank Road or Jackson Bridge other than that they are all uphill. The 6.6-kilometre climb offered a chance for a different type of rider to shine, or for the usual suspects to adapt as best they could—multiple-time hill climb champions are a rare breed for this very reason.
Next year’s climb, rumoured to be Tegg’s Nose, just outside Macclesfield, offers what could be the perfect transition.
At 2.2 kilometres, rising at an average of 7% with a maximum gradient of 12%, it is tough but not excessively so, its length and profile allowing a cross-section of riders to compete for the titles.
Porlock Toll Road offered a different challenge: a European-style climb in a picturesque part of the UK, bearing little resemblance to the celebrated courses of Bank Road or Jackson Bridge
The climb will be at the limit of Laverack’s range, the Welshman being best suited to longer efforts, but it is not inconceivable that he will again challenge the likes of Feather, MacFarlane, Kieran Wynne-Cattanach, and Andy Nichols for a third open title, while Bateman, by then a second-year junior, could well be joining the hunt for senior honours.
The women’s race looks equally appealing. Gardner, unmatched this year, will have to take on a shorter hill in pursuit of a fifth title in six years, while Galler, unbeaten in the jersey until Sunday, will meet her in the middle of their preferred terrains. It promises to be an intriguing contest, made all the more interesting by the continual emergence of new talent in the women’s scene.
This year’s National Hill Climb Championships didn’t run to the usual beat. The seaside village of Porlock, in Exmoor National Park, played host to one of the closest, most memorable editions in recent years, the narrow Toll Road an intriguing challenge for riders more accustomed to short, sharp efforts: a 6.6-kilometre ascent through multiple switchbacks to stunning views from a windswept moorland summit.
The day will be remembered not only for 16-year-old Ezra Bateman’s ride to the junior title and the fastest time of the day, but also for a battle royale between Ed Laverack and Andrew Feather, two legends of the hill climb scene who slugged it out to the finish line in the open race. In the women’s event, a fourth title went to Illi Gardner, while Mabli Phillips earned herself another blue and red banded jersey on her hill climb debut, adding to the junior road race title she won in July.
We’ve dissected the major talking points from Sunday’s action, with a look ahead to what’s in store in 12 months’ time, when Tegg’s Nose is rumoured to make its championship bow with Macclesfield Wheelers taking on the organisation duties.
Bateman should have been the champion, but Laverack can wear the jersey with pride
Social media has a habit of blowing things out of proportion. Between the ongoing discourse over Andy Burnham’s Gogglebox appearance and another crisis at Manchester United, there was debate, annoyance, and near anger levelled at CTT, the governing body that oversees the National Hill Climb Championships, on Sunday evening. The majority of it was not aimed at Rebekah Hendrickse’s provisional disqualification from third place in the women’s event on a technicality.
Just hours before, Bateman, riding in the colours of Decathlon CMA CGM Juniors, had set the fastest time of the day on his way to the junior open title, bettering Laverack’s effort by 0.3 seconds. The Welshman was emotional as he claimed the open title, and the plaudits that come with it, for the second time in his career.
It is a quirk of the CTT rules that despite getting the better of Laverack, Bateman is eligible only for the junior prize. A flurry of social media comments across the platforms were less than complimentary about the governing body and its rules, some calling for Laverack to “do the right thing and hand over the trophy” to the Scarborough-based teenager, others pointing out simply that “he didn’t win, he came second”.
Two-time open champion Harry MacFarlane pointed out in an interview with The British Continental on Monday that the archaic rules were probably put in place at a time when it was unfathomable that a junior could compete with the best, and that, in his opinion, the rules need to be updated.
Now, they surely will be.
But at the finish on Sunday, and then in the packed village hall for the presentation, there was little of the fierce passion shown online—a storm in a teacup, a fitting idiom given the weather that had recently battered the South West.
A very polite, surprised, and diplomatic Bateman told The British Continental he had simply won his category, while Laverack paid tribute to him both in his media interviews and in his speech on stage, describing how it was “awesome” to see such talented young riders dedicate themselves to the hill climb scene, and how they continue to push and inspire him.
Sunday was a day that belonged to all four winners: Phillips, Bateman, Gardner, and Laverack. These riders don’t make the rules, but they do contribute to the rich tradition hill climbing holds in British cycling—one where, ultimately, the result is less important than the memories and friendships built through a collective passion.
Laverack can look back on his ride with pride. The trophy and jersey were deserved for a phenomenal performance in which he and Feather, two of the discipline’s greatest riders, went toe to toe over 6.6 kilometres, Laverack proving himself the best senior hill climber in the country.
Those are the rules—a fact he, as well as those browsing social media, should not forget.
Two four-time champions with two different tales to tell
By the end of Sunday’s race, Feather had been joined by Gardner as the only other rider in the field to have won the championship four times, the pair taking the discipline to new heights during their careers.
They could be headed in different directions from now on, however. Gardner, who at only 27 already shares the record for women’s championship wins with Lynn Hamel, is back on the up, taking back the crown she lost to Rachel Galler on Bank Road last year with a typically commanding performance.
One of the most gifted climbers in the world, the softly spoken Cardiff Ajax CC rider again has endless possibilities ahead of her. Despite not enjoying shorter climbs, she should find Tegg’s Nose, the rumoured host of next year’s championships, well within her range as she continues to find boundaries to push beyond the CTT scene.
Meanwhile, Feather’s silver medal marked his third year without stepping on top of the podium, and perhaps his best chance to do so for a fifth time.
At 41, it is remarkable that he is able to hold down a full-time job as a lawyer and go head to head with the best in the country, riders who are often half his age. But the trademark punch that once led him to near domination of the sport seems to have faded, with multiple competitors now able to mix it with him on the shorter climbs that make up the majority of the calendar.
Slimmed down to new levels, and having changed his riding style and position to compete on a hill whose unique demands other specialists struggled to cope with, Feather came up just short on Porlock Toll Road, with Bateman and Laverack less than two seconds ahead of him. Two seconds that may have felt like a lifetime as he reflected on his ride after the race.
Feather still holds the course record on Tegg’s Nose, set in 2020, and on that basis, and given he is still one of the finest hill climbers to grace the scene, he should not be discounted from adding a fifth title to his collection, if not next year then shortly after. But he is not getting any younger and, for now, his best chance of doing so has passed.
Aerodynamics played their part, but the most important factor was the rider
When CTT National 10 champion Matt Rossiter made it from the reserve list to the start line in the days before the race, it got people talking. Was Porlock Toll Road the place where a time trial specialist could upset the odds and beat the climbers?
Rossiter, a former rower, certainly gave it a good go. Riding a bike that looked like it was out of the space age, he crossed the line on the extensions to set a time of 16:47. Fast, but good enough only for 38th place in the open category.
Aerodynamics did play a part in proceedings throughout the day. The best riders were generally statue-still in the saddle in a slick position all the way up, the likes of Rowan Baker donning an aero helmet for an extra boost.
But the key to conquering Porlock Toll Road was the type of rider on board, the constant gradient lending itself, as many predicted, to those with the best threshold power: often road racers used to endurance-type efforts.
Lucy Harris capped her fine season with 5th place in the women’s race, while Baker, Josh Hall, and, to a lesser extent, Gabe Dellar proved the day’s surprise packages in the open race. Baker nailed a near-perfect ride for bronze and Hall finished a brilliant 6th, while Monsal Hill Climb winner Dellar took 4th, a place better than last year and two better than in 2024.
On that note, it was perhaps no surprise that the junior winners were also two serious road racing talents. Bateman showed just why he is on one of the biggest junior squads in the world on a course with a European feel, while Phillips doubled up on national titles, adding the hill climb jersey to her road race one, as Ruby Isaac did 12 months ago: proof that some of the best talent can be found practising this niche British pastime.
The 30-second intervals between the favourites were just too short
In his interview at the presentation, Laverack himself noted that he could see Feather in the distance as the pair made their way up the climb, the Welshman given the rare advantage of being able to judge whether he was ahead of or behind his rival as they neared the finish.
This year the organisers set the seeded riders off just 30 seconds apart, rather than the conventional full minute. Given the length of the climb, catches were common and multiple riders were often in the finishing straight at once, so overtaking became a key element on the narrow course, with luck playing a huge role.
This was perfectly demonstrated by a near miss between Galler, the defending women’s champion, and a charging Dellar. The pair almost collided on one of the hairpins as Dellar went for the overtake while Galler took the racing line, forcing both to take evasive action, a situation that could so easily have been avoided.
With plenty of daylight left, the top riders from each category should have made up the final 20 to 40 starters, set off at one-minute intervals, firstly to keep catches to a minimum, but also to make the event safer and build an even bigger sense of anticipation as riders came into the finish.
No gap was left between the final starters from the women’s and open fields, which gave the likes of Dellar, fifth from last off, a less than ideal task, as he was almost certain to catch multiple riders ahead of him. A short gap would mean less chance of an incident like the one above hampering a rider’s race, while also allowing the women’s winner time to soak up the atmosphere, and the attention, after crossing the line.
Minehead CC put on a brilliant show, and next year could be even better
When a longer climb is announced as the host of the National Hill Climb Championships, eyebrows are always raised.
The topography of the UK favours short, steep climbs that produce the familiar images of grimacing faces and animated spectators willing riders through the pain, and the hill climb calendar, and with it the skill set of the riders, generally reflects this.
However, Porlock Toll Road offered a different challenge: a European-style climb in a picturesque part of the UK, bearing little resemblance to the celebrated courses of Bank Road or Jackson Bridge other than that they are all uphill. The 6.6-kilometre climb offered a chance for a different type of rider to shine, or for the usual suspects to adapt as best they could—multiple-time hill climb champions are a rare breed for this very reason.
Next year’s climb, rumoured to be Tegg’s Nose, just outside Macclesfield, offers what could be the perfect transition.
At 2.2 kilometres, rising at an average of 7% with a maximum gradient of 12%, it is tough but not excessively so, its length and profile allowing a cross-section of riders to compete for the titles.
The climb will be at the limit of Laverack’s range, the Welshman being best suited to longer efforts, but it is not inconceivable that he will again challenge the likes of Feather, MacFarlane, Kieran Wynne-Cattanach, and Andy Nichols for a third open title, while Bateman, by then a second-year junior, could well be joining the hunt for senior honours.
The women’s race looks equally appealing. Gardner, unmatched this year, will have to take on a shorter hill in pursuit of a fifth title in six years, while Galler, unbeaten in the jersey until Sunday, will meet her in the middle of their preferred terrains. It promises to be an intriguing contest, made all the more interesting by the continual emergence of new talent in the women’s scene.
It is less than a year away.
Use code TBC10 at 4Endurance.co.uk for 10% off your order.
Share this:
Discover more from The British Continental
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.