Another successful Ditchling Beacon Hill Climb has come and gone
Men’s Open winners [L-R]: Kishan Bakrania (2nd), Matt Ferguson (1st), Antony Baritsch (3rd)
Women’s Open winners [L-R]: Michelle Lewis (3rd), Eleanor Thompson (1st), Rianna Mahoney (2nd)
On 18 October we held our 9th annual event with the largest number of participants ever : we had an amazing 91 entries! As the crowning event of the South Down Hill Climb Series, we had some top riders competing. Men’s winner Matt Ferguson’s time of 4:07.4 shaved 2 seconds off the previous event record! And Nomads glory was not far behind: our very own Ben Griffin placed 6th going sub 5 minutes – a great effort. The women’s race was dominated by two juniors, Eleanor Thompson finishing top of the podium with a strong 5:40.1 and Rianna Mahoney in second place with 6:10.2. They both went on to do very well at the Nationals the following weekend. For the first time there were no Nomads women competing; let’s see if we can change that next year!
We were delighted to see a great turnout from the youth of Preston Park Youth Cycling (13 entrants) with 13 year old Thomas Dewey taking 2nd place in the under 18 category. Clearly someone to watch!
The post-race ambiance in Ditchling Village Hall was the usual scene our event has become known for: warm, chummy conversations fortified by Helen Codling’s yummy cakes. There was the usual battle trying to get the results for the event and the series out as quickly as possible, with Graham Rees and Alan Dainty in the frame. It did take too long, so plans are already in place (with the assistance of AI) to streamline and fully automate the process.
Some shout outs are in order to:
Our sponsors - South Downs Bikes, The Jungle Cafe, Ditchling Village Association, and Phoenix Marketing (run by our very own Stuart Farrell-Humphrey) for their generous support.
Graham Rees for his dedication to making the South Downs Hill Climb Series the monument it has become (and for placing 10th in his age category at the Nationals!).
Our Nomads volunteers who made it all happen yet again!
Thanks also to the valiant litter pickers on Beacon Road.
Well-earned coffee and cakes in Ditchling Village Hall