CLINTON ADDS TO HIS TALLY OF WINS
Misses out on 20th consecutive win, yet takes two more!
A cold in the week meant it was going to be hit-or-miss as to whether regaining National Champion Matt Clinton from Balsall Common was to compete this weekend in hill climb events.
The Mike Vaughan Cycles rider just about managed to clear the cold by Saturday morning for the Holme Valley Wheelers event up the magnificent Holme Moss. The 1.5mile climb was held in beautiful, but slightly cool conditions, with a strong headwind blowing down the climb. Still being slightly blocked up and hardly touching the bike in the week due to the cold meant that it would be hard for Clinton to maintain his form and take his 20th consecutive win in two years.
With an average gradient of 10% Holme Moss is one of the longest, but most consistent climbs where you can get into a rhythm and push all the way to the top. Showing good form in previous weeks, Dan Shand (West Pennine) who is a full-time rider in Belgium set the fastest time of the day and the only rider under 7minutes. Clinton again was last man, but lacked that edge due to his cold to finish 1.5s down on Shand in a time of 7min 0.2s, as opposed to Shand’s 6min 58.7s. Shand is the first person to have beaten Clinton since his Bronze medal in the 2007 National Championships.
The tables would be turned on Saturday afternoon, with Clinton’s legs and lungs opened up by the effort up Holme Moss. This time hosted by Huddersfield Star Wheelers, the climb to Tinker’s Monument at Jackson Bridge, near Holmefirth is another classic event. A well supported event, with a new road surface, but more technical than Holme Moss, Clinton knew this was his chance to turn the tables back and win the event for the 2nd consecutive year. With a slight tailwind, he chose to use his fixed-wheel Giant Omnium on the same gear as Jeff Wright set the course record and took the National Title back in 1994.
Zipping through the hairpins at the start of the course, the gear felt easy with a flatter section to recover slightly before the main ascent of the hill. Pushing forwards the whole way up, at times Clinton struggled to stay on top of the gear, but in the end it paid off, winning by 5.3s over Shand and retaining the Granville Sydney Memorial Trophy.
Sunday Clinton headed back up North again for the infamous and tremendously popular climb of Ramsbottom Rake. The Lancashire Road Club event uses the 900-odd yard course straight out of Ramsbottom town centre up the Rake. One of the most prestigious and classic climbs, the course is only short with the record standing at 2min 14s. The beauty of the Rake is it starts off steady, but as you hit the final 300yds it kicks up to between 25 and 30% before finally flattening into the finish. A real challenge of a climb with huge crowds lining the steepest section of the course to spur all the riders on.
Clinton was confident of his form being better than the previous day, especially over a shorter climb where he’d been excelling in recent weeks. With the last 3 riders all being former or current National Champions, it was two minute intervals with Clinton last man. Taking it steady into the headwind on the lower section of the course, he knew it would be won or lost on the steepest part of the climb. Using his fixed wheel Giant Omnium again, it was a struggle to get the gear over the 30% section of the course but allowed him to carry his speed all the way across the line to finish over 4s up on Shand again with a time of 2min 26.9s. Way off the course record, but not ideal conditions, Clinton was pleased to take this prestigious win and taking home first prize of an £850 pair of wheels.
Clinton now looks to regaining some of his form lost due to his cold in preparation for the National Championships at Stocksbridge in less than 2 weeks time.