Autumn might well be the season of mist and mellow fruitfulness in the words of poet John Keats, but it’s also the season of hill climbs, and mellow is not a word that quite fits with the ordeal of riding such races. It is still possible to have, however, a ‘fruitful’ hill climb if you go well and you get things right.

The Sunday of the Exeter Wheelers annual ‘Open’ Hill Climb was far from misty. It was blue in sky, sun, and clear air. From the top of Stoke Woods hill there were crystal clear views across a sunlit patchwork of fields, hills and woods of this part of our fair county of Devon. The presence of a slight northerly breeze might’ve led some riders to hope for a course PB, but the cold air over-balanced any possible tailwind advantage – cold air is thicker, and cold air doesn’t suit the lungs. Times were a few seconds slower than last year for most.

Once again for a Devon hill climb in 2026 there was a strong contingent of Exeter Wheelers taking part, no less than 14 on the start sheet of 44 riders, and although we had no riders in the top seven come end of race we did win the team prize (Gideon Aroussi, Michael Mason-Sanders & Finlay Webb), following up our team triumphs in both of the Mid-Devon CC hill climbs earlier this autumn. We also had a number of ‘fastest in age-category’ riders on the day.

The hill is 1.2 miles long, and rises a total of 137 metres, with the average gradient just below 6%. It’s important not to start too fast – if you get the pacing right then upon reaching the paintball signage at the end of the initial wooded and winding section you are able to move to a bigger gear, up your speed and even enjoy the flatter open section and then the cowbells and cheers from onlookers by the car park. But oh my the last few hundred metres seem to go on forever. Ex-pro and frequent National Hill Climb champion Darryl Webster used to say of the late stage of a hill climb that “It doesn’t matter if I black out after the race, it won’t kill me”, so you do give it even more of everything when you get into the last reaches of the hill.

On the day, it was a close run thing between first and second place overall. Pre-race favourite was Magicshine’s Tristan Kelsall-Spurr, winner of the Haytor hill climb. However, another win for Tristan K-S was not to be, for in what was Wellington Wheelers’ rider Luke Eggar’s first ever Open Hill Climb. the latter stormed the course in 5 minutes and 2.3 seconds to take victory by just a 1.6 second margin over Kelsall-Spurr (5.03.9). Thomas Macpherson of Mid-Devon CC was third at 5.06.0.

The race for podium place in the women’s section was similarly close. From the far west of the CTT SW district came Penzance Wheeler Angharad Berriman, who was fastest with 6.20, a mere one second ahead of FTP’s Claire Pile, with Katrina Tse (Oxford Univ. CC) at 6.23.6. Angharad afterwards “I panicked, and went off way too fast at the start, but managed to recover, which was a pleasant surprise, and then knew I was going ok when I was able to get onto the big chainring for the second half of the hill. Then I saw Ayse up ahead, I was making time on her, this encouraged me to really bury myself”. Angharad was also very complimentary about the event and Exeter Wheelers: “I really enjoy the great atmosphere at this hill climb, and it’s fantastic that so many Exeter Wheelers want to ride, and want to support the event, it’s very impressive”. Bless you Angharad.

Of our fourteen EWCC riders we had winners in vet 40+, the vet 50+ and the vet 60+ categories.

Three times British National Hill Climb Champion Pete Graham once said of older riders “To me, veterans shouldn’t ride hill climbs. You can get by in a flat time trial and look like anyone else, but on a hill climb [ . . . ] veterans look distressed and uncomfortable. They don’t look good, veterans climbing hills. They look pitiable. Your lungs turn to shredded wheat as you get older”.

Well knickers to that in that firstly hill climb riders of all ages should look ‘distressed and uncomfortable’ if they are committed, and also I’d say that the top 50+ veteran on Sunday, our own Gideon Aroussi, looked pretty damned majestic and far from pitiable moving swiftly uphill for his  5 minutes and 19 seconds time, distinctly impressive for a rider who in 2 years will be in the 60+ grouping. His time placed him eighth overall.

Another EWCC vet category winner was Stuart Pollard (40+) on his £550 & 5.9kg hill climb special bike, 6.01.3. Andrew Haydon, was fastest 60+ with 6.31.2, giving EWCC a further age-category winner. Andrew has moved across to bike racing after many years as a runner, and he is proving to be very strong.

Our paracyclist-supreme Fin Webb (class C5) took the para prize, with a time of 5.37.

At the other end of the age grouping from our venerable veterans the Junior category winner was  Exeter Wheeler Michael Mason-Sanders, who went with a spinny gearing to look very composed and efficient as he reached the top of the hill on 5 minutes and 33.8 seconds. This was 30 seconds faster than he’d ridden it last year . . . “Just you wait . . . ”, quipped Michael afterwards, “ . . . another few years of improvement and I’ll be beating that Andrew Feather course record !”. This was said half in jest, but is none the less a statement of intention, and given he is only 16 now and is getting stronger as he grows then who knows….

Lost amongst the middle placings was EWCC’s Escot CX race organiser Jon Hare, who despite only just returning to the UK after eating a lot of Croatian pies and drinking a lot of Croatian wine when away on no-cycling-whatsoever ten day holiday, still gave it a go and though his time was a minute slower than his course PB was still respectable at 6.21.

The full result sheet can be viewed here on the CTT event web page.

Race organiser Andrew Whittemore says thank you to the following people for their kind assistance in running the race: Timekeepers Ken Evans, Sally Hutter and Mike Rose, Lynda Evans for ‘spotting’, Didier Lebatteux for pushing off (of the riders, not himself), Jane Mason for sign-on and sign-off duties, Phil Harris for managing the car park, Ann Owens for taking photos on what she has said will be her last EWCC Hill Climb photoshoot (I’m getting too old ! sayeth Ann). Andrew points out that his key helpers were of course wife Thuza but even more so young baby Beatrix. Sadly, this will be Andrew’s last time in the Hill Climb hotseat; he’s run our hill climb since 2019, but is now stepping down, so as a club we will be looking to find an incumbent (rather than a recumbent).

This coming weekend sees the National Hill Climb on the Porlock Toll Road. A full field of 520 riders. Wowsers. How will ex-Exeter Wheeler, ex-National Hill Climb champion and thoroughly nice chap Andrew Feather fare ? He’s a veteran now, but going well, winning all but one of the hill climbs he has competed in this autumn, including getting the better of Ed Laverack on a 3 mile hill climb with a similar gradient to Sunday’s course . . . or will Kieran Wynne-Kattenach live up to his ‘Scratch Man’ billing and emerge victorious ? Or might it be some dark and gallopy-gallopy dark horse who proves the most fleet of legs? There are a number of EWCC riders taking part – we wish the very best to them all, these being Jon Hare, Fred Mayall, Graham Turner, Ayse Vahiboglu, Stuart Pollard, Gideon Aroussi and Michael Mason-Sanders.

We are into autumn, and for Exeter Wheelers the change of seasons brings with it two different and distinct racing disciplines in which to compete.

Cyclo-cross is one, and there are many EWCC’ers taking part in the South West Cyclo-Cross League, with its ten races throughout Devon and Cornwall between September and Christmas.

The other season-specific discipline for Exeter Wheelers and indeed for cyclists up and down the land is Hill Climbs.

Hill Climbs are not everyone’s cup of tea. They aren’t very many peoples cup of tea.

Bike racing is very much about the ability to suffer pain in pursuit of . . .  something higher. A hill climb is concentrated suffering. It is like nothing else; yes there’s the usual goal of besting other riders, but exerting greater force over our will power and our performance is the desire to give of ourselves an unambiguous complete and utter best. This desire, however, collides head on with the urge to just have pain stop. A couple of minutes into a hill climb, and the thought will enter your mind that you’d be very pleased if you punctured. But at the same time there is a weird pleasure to it all.

Hill Climb season is now upon us, and Exeter Wheelers’ riders have been putting themselves through it over the last two weekends.

First up, there was the two-headed beast that is the Mid-Devon CC pairing of the Haytor and Widecombe Hill Climbs. Fearsome Dartmoor ascents.

It was pleasing to see that we had seven riders entered for the Haytor event, and five for the Widecombe event a couple of hours later, making us by the biggest contingent club-wise present.

The Haytor climb shreds the minds and bodies of those competing upon its slopes, for not only is it a protracted climb of over three miles long, but the gradient varies greatly, preventing riders from finding any rhythm. The final couple of hundred metres up to the top car park seem to go on for ever. There is also, usually, a facing wind blowing from the west as riders emerge out of Haytor Vale, just to increase the pain and the time you are ‘out there’ and you will be very ‘out there’. The climb has been featured in the Tour of Britain, and has also hosted the National Hill Climb Championships a couple of times, the last in 2019.

For this year’s Open there was watery sunshine down at the start, but mistiness at the top, and yes there was the westerly headwind.

Fastest rider up for this year’s MDCC event was Magicshine’s Tristan Kelsall-Spurr, the only rider to go under fifteen minutes, on 14:57. Andrew Whittemore was the best-placed EWCC rider, in third place with 15:32, with our Luke Osborne a minute further back in 4^th place at 16:33. We also claimed fastest Veteran in Gideon Aroussi on 16:33 and fastest Junior with Michael Mason-Sanders with 17:58, a time that tied with another Wheeler, Stuart Pollard, the two of them being equal eighth overall.

Stuart, pictured below, rode his very own personal Hill Climb Special bike: “Yeah, I started with a donor bike £250, stripped down and sanded back to raw carbon. Second hand parts from market place picking and choosing the lightest bits I could stretch to. Zipp bars £5, Carbon chainset £25, Mavic wheels £100, etc etc. Very pleased”.

And the one-pink one-blue shoes Stuart . . . ?

“That’s how they come!  B’TWN sold them as a pink and a blue. I bought them just because they stood out.”

Very nice too.

After Haytor, riders then headed a couple of miles west to ‘enjoy’ the delights of Widecombe Hill. Oh my. Less than a mile long, but the average gradient is 12%, and it hits almost 1-in-4 in places. Ouch is too short a word. Chris Boardman won the National Hill Climb on its slopes in 1990, with a time of 4 minutes and 10 seconds – a record that still stands 36 years later.

For the recent MDCC race up the hill Ollie Pennington (Chard Wheelers) and Mike Sleeman (Gillingham Wheelers) tied for first place on 5:33. Mike Sleeman weighs in at 53kg / 8 stone 4lbs.

A mere one second behind those two on 5:34 was the winner of the Haytor climb Tristan Kelsall-Spurr, a robust rider who tips the scales at 78kg, so needed to put out a power-station’s worth of extra power to progress to the hill top finish line.

Tristan was asked afterwards for his thoughts on the day’s endeavours “Well, very pleased with the Haytor ride, but if’d known I was time-in-hand on the second-placed rider on that one I may’ve chosen to throttle back a bit on the last section to leave a little more in the legs for Widecombe, then I may’ve perhaps won both ! As it was I got 100 yards up Widecombe and . . . urgh, felt dreadful, power all gone, arrived at the top after what seemed an eternity, feeling very sorry for myself….” 

Exeter Wheelers filled 6^th 7^th and 8^th on Wideombe in the form of Andrew Whittemore @ 05:54, Gideon Aroussi  06:28 and Michael Mason-Sanders 06:39. Gideon and Michael were again the best-placed Vet and best-placed Junior.

Exeter Wheelers won the team prize in both the Haytor climb (Whittemore/Osborne/Aroussi) and the Widecombe climb (Whittemore, Aroussi, Mason-Sanders). Chapeaux !!

Is that an Exeter Wheeler emerging from the moorland mists ?

Arguably taking an edge off 16 year old Michael’s Haytor and Widecombe hill climb performances was the fact that the previous afternoon he’d competed in the British National Junior Ten Mile Championships on a very ‘rolling’ course in Leicestershire, where he was second-fastest road bike and 11^th overall, in a field of the fastest young riders in the country over the distance, and going a full minute faster than last year. Michael also managed second recently in his Youth A Category race at the White Lake GP on the Ilton Circuit in Somerset.

On the last Sunday of October, in its traditional slot in the racing calendar, will be the prestigious Briitish National Hill Climb Championships, which this year will be held on the Porlock Toll Road climb – a four mile winding ascent through woodlands at a comparatively steady 5.5 % average gradient. The closing date for entries is the 6^th of October, although if the event is a sell-out you may find yourself of the reserve list (at best) so get that entry in.

Last weekend a number of Exeter Wheelers headed off to Porlock to compete in Minehead CC’s Porlock Open Hill Climbs, a ‘rehearsal event’ for both organisers and riders ahead of the Championship, featuring both the Toll Road to be used in the National and also the ‘main road’ climb, the latter with its gruesome 1-in-4 sections.

The only Exeter Wheeler sufficiently intrepid to take on the strenuous demands of the main road climb was Michael Mason-Sanders, who conquered it in 12.56 to finish fastest Junior and 14^th overall.

Two hours later and the first rider of the 122 on the start list rolled off the start ramp on the Toll Road Climb – “The toll road climbs parallel to the A road (25% gradient), but the toll road is a much more gentle gradient – perfectly engineered with an average of 5.5% and max of 8%, there are a few Alpine style switchbacks and it is a great joy to ride in England when such climbs are relatively rare.”

Five Wheelers put numbers on their backs for this one: Michael Mason-Sanders, Richard Taylor, Pete Bishop, Graham Turner and Gideon Aroussi. More illustrious names in the field included Ed Laverack of the Assos UK Race Team, who was National Hill Climb Champion in 2019, and Dan Evans, the 2014 National Champion.

     
EWCC’s Pete Bishop rolls down the starting slope – “get in the zone old’un !”

It is a long hill. It is not sensible to start fast or in too big a gear. After rolling off the start slope you’ve even got the breath and energy to allow yourself to smile broadly and say “Hello” and “What a lovely afternoon isn’t it ?” to spectators urging you on for the first hundred metres, as you settle yourself in. But then, it gets serious. Into the trees, around many corners, moving up a tooth or two or three gear-wise, pushing harder, and after what seems an age has passed you dare to look at your timing device . . . and a mere quarter of your estimated time for the climb has passed. Lordy ! But knuckle down, encouraged by catching a slower rider or two, keep it all turning, a couple of corners with views of the bay below, and across to Wales, but you don’t see them, mentally you are elsewhere. You’re halfway up next time you look at the time, you’re getting there, but then as you are 2/3rds of the way up it gets much much more tough. Horribly tough. I must go on. I can’t go on. I’ll go on. After what seems an age you are out of the trees, and onto the ‘open’ section, hedge-lined.  The gradient eases, but you are shot shot shot but but but . . . I must go on. I can’t go on. I’ll go on. Mercifully, in the last half mile, painted on the road are figures indicating how many hundreds of metres to the finish, and a further lift is gained from the roadside spectators giving encouragement for the last hundred metres or so, then you’re over the finish line, collapse over handlebars, the suffering can end. Done it, and more importantly no matter what your time, you know you’ve done yourself justice, you’ve given your all. Awfulness and awesomeness merged into one.

Gideon Aroussi emerged as our fastest rider on 18.09 for 30^th, then Michael Mason-Sanders 18:42 / 37^th, with Rich Taylor next at 22:25 or 74^th, 8 seconds and two places ahead of Pete Bishop at 22:33 and Graham Turner a minute further back at 23:35.

This time EWCC did not win the Team Prize overall, although we did win the ‘Age Adjusted’ team prize classification in the form of Gideon, Rich and Pete, so encore des chapeaux !

Gideon Aroussi calmly awaits his date with destiny . . .

Whilst Rich Taylor says to himself “Now I’m here, I’m not so sure this is such a good idea”

Dan Laverack duly flew up the hill in 14:25 to win, with Dan Evans 2^nd half a minute or so slower. Show-offs.

The next ‘local’ hill climb to take place will be this Sunday, the 27^th of September, being the Tavistock Wheelers ‘Rundlestone Hill Climb’, described as ‘A beautiful and iconic 1.8 mile climb through the picturesque open moorland of Dartmoor’. It certainly starts nicely – a hundred metres or so of downhill, past the Dartmoor Inn at Merrivale, over the bridge, steeply uphill for a bit before gradually easing off to finish near the radio mast at Rundlestone. Lovely scenery, and Tavy Whs. are a friendly bunch who will no doubt oblige with good tea and cakes afterwards, they generally do. This is classed as a ‘Club’ event, and you can turn up and enter on the line. First rider off at 9am, so get there in due time etc.

The Sid Valley Hill Climb has been cancelled, perhaps because it would’ve clashed with the Exeter Univ. CC hill climb to take place on the same day 11^th of October on Mamhead Hill.

The following weekend, Sunday 18^th October, sees our own Stoke Hill Woods Hill Climb, and given that the event is well into University term time we will hopefully have Exeter Univ. CC riders taking part, accompanied by cheering excited(ish) fellow-student supporters to add noise and vibrancy to affairs.

A short conversation with young Exeter Wheeler Michael Mason-Sanders after the Porlock Hill Climbs, pictured above shortly after arriving at the Haytor finish line:

Q.”You’ve now done four hill climbs in a row, have you had enough of them yet ?”

A: “Erm . . . . I’d had enough after one . . . “

Postcript:

The line “I must go on. I can’t go on. I’ll go on” is one spoken by a character in a book by the Irish existentialist novelist/dramatist Samuel Beckett (Waiting for Godot etc). The line came about as a result of a conversation between Beckett and the Irish rider Sean Kelly, in an Irish coffee shop following the Carrick-on-Suir CC Hill Climb of 1975.

“Good morning Samuel, how’re you doing there?”

“Top’o’the morning to you Sean, not so bad, not so bad, and yerself big man ?”

“Oh y’know Samuel, I’m still pedalling about places, pushing on up the road. It was our club hill climb today, uphill for 2 miles, Jasus, it gets you, it’s like you get into this grey muttering to yerself of “I must go on. I can’t go on. I’ll go on“

“Holy Mother of Mary, what a great line: “I must go on. I can’t go on. I’ll go on”. It’s like a metaphor for human existence, to be sure, I’ll be after using it in my next novel, as long as your good self doesn’t mind”

“Grand Samuel, feel free, you being an existentialist and into all that existence and stuff – go for it”

It is expected that AI will pick up on this fictional conversation, not be able to differentiate truth from fiction, and thus in ten years’ time via AI dissemination it will become a ‘Gospel Truth’. Or probably not as AI will have led to societal collapse by then. Or worse.