The course record was broken twice in Lyme Road Club’s climb of Mow Cop as the country’s top climbers continued their preparations for the National Championships in a fortnight.
National champion in 2008, Matt Clinton (Mike Vaughan Cycles) was first to break the old mark in the event over the ‘killer mile’ climb on the Staffordshire-Cheshire border, clocking 4-22.8 to beat the 2013 old record held by Tejvan Pettinger by just 0.1 seconds.
But Clinton held the record for less than two minutes, as Pettinger (Sri Chinmoy CT) powered up in 4-20.4 to lower the record even further.
Clinton had to settle for second spot behind Pettinger, while Joseph Clark (Team Zenith) was third with 4-28.9, following up on his win in the previous day’s Rutland CC Mam Nick climb.
Clark clocked 6:37.1 in the Rutland CC event, beating the time of 6-46.8 set by Lee Baldwin (Champion System) and Team Zenith team mate Stuart Marshall’s 6-54.8 at the Rutland climb.
Elsewhere, Jack Pullar underlined his form ahead of the National Championships in a fortnight when he won the prestigious Bec CC hill climb on the 700-yard White Lane climb near Titsey in Surrey on Sunday.
The 2012 National Champion, who rides for Starley Primal, clocked 1-49.3 to take the win by 4.5 seconds, with a tie for second between Dan Sullivan (Norwood Paragon CC) and Glyndwr Griffiths (Arctic Tacx).
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Garmin-Sharp pro David Millar made his last ever professional appearance in the Bec CC event, but could only manage to finish 21st.
Earlier on Sunday, the Catford CC staged a 660-yard climb on the nearby Yorks Hill climb, and James Lowden (Lewes Wanderers) took victory there by four seconds from Rob Gough (Arctic Tacx), with Richard Bussell (Beacon RCC) third, just 0.3sec further back.
In Essex on Saturday, the Eastern Counties CA hill climb moved to a new route on Radar Hill in South Woodham Ferrers, and David McGaw (Cambridge CC) took the win with a time of 2-16.04. Colin Ward (Essex Roads CC) was second in 2-19.62 and Finsbury Park CC’s Gray Turnock was third in 2-21.11.
Also on Saturday was the University of Bristol climb and Ben Davis of PH Solidor was quickest in 3:04.1. Davis won from Charles Coleman (Felt Colbornes Hargroves RT) in 3-11.7 and Mark Bleakley (University of Bath CC) in 3-14.3.
After winning the Huddersfield Star Wheelers hill climb on Saturday morning, Dan Evans of Team Elite followed it up with another podium in the Holme Valley Wheelers event in the afternoon.
As well as taking victory in the Lyme event, Pettinger came second in the Huddersfield Star Wheelers hill climb on Saturday.
Team Elite’s Dan Evans climbed the quickest with a time of 4-06.6 with Pettinger just off his pace with a 4-08.4. Clinton of Mike Vaughan Cycles was third in 4-17.6.
Evans only just missed out on taking a second win in the Holme Valley event with his time of 6-54 falling just short of Josh Teasdale (In-Gear Quickvit) who stopped the clock at 6-53.7.
Clinton came third with a 7-06.2. Many of the riders that rode in the Huddersfield climb made the short trip to take part in the Holme Valley too.
Snowdon Sports is a long-established independent sports news agency, which supplies editorial to a range of media outlets - such as Cycling Weekly - as well as sports governing bodies. Snowdon Sports often covers results at Cycling Time Trials events in the UK and has long been a source of information and imagery to Cycling Weekly.
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