Hill climb season is nearly here!

As the summer racing season draws to a close, there’s another great way for PPYCC riders to test themselves on two wheels – hill climb season.

Hill climbs are one of the simplest forms of cycle racing. Riders set off individually and race against the clock to see who can get from the bottom of the hill to the top fastest. Most events are very short, usually around a mile or less, which means a few minutes of very hard effort followed by plenty of time to recover and cheer on everyone else!

There are a great selection of hill climbs taking place across the South East this autumn, including several on our doorstep in the South Downs. Local events include famous South Downs climbs such as Steyning Bostal, Firle Beacon and Ditchling Beacon, alongside a number of other events throughout September and October. Further afield along the slopes of the North Downs stretching from Surrey into Kent lie even more opportunities including the iconic Box Hill and the Catford CC Hill Climb near Maidstone. The Catford CC event is the oldest continuously running bike race in the WORLD, even older than the Tour de France, both sites are well worth the morning out to soak up the atmosphere on the roadside.

For riders aged 12 and over, these events are all open to youth riders and are mostly booked on the Cycling Time Trials (CTT) website, not the British Cycling website. They are usually held on open roads, typically quiet lanes, but do check with the organisers if you are concerned about this. You don’t need a specialist bike – your normal road bike is absolutely fine.

PPYCC Youth Hill Climb, Sat 12th September

The highlight for younger PPYCC riders is our own PPYCC Youth Hill Climb which this year moves to Stanmer Park and in recent years has attracted competition from around the South East’s youth cycling clubs.

This year it is on Saturday 12 September, bookings will open soon, please save the date and find out more here. There will be no Preston Park sessions on that morning.

Our event takes place on a closed road on the South Downs and is open to ALL of our young riders, including those too young to enter the usual CTT hill climbs. Riders tackle approximately 1km of climbing. There will be prizes for all age groups from U8 to U16.

The PPYCC hill climb is very achievable for all our members, and always a fantastic club event. Riders of different ages and abilities can challenge themselves against the hill, while parents, clubmates and coaches provide plenty of encouragement along the route.

South Downs Hill Climb Series

Following from our own Hill Climb, riders who are aged 12+ will have further opportunities to compete throughout the Autumn in the South Downs Hill Climb Series, which features Steyning Bostal, Ditching Beacon, Firle Bostal and more.

Many of these events have a reduced entry for youth riders which makes the series much more affordable. Thanks to the organisers for doing this!

The Ditchling Beacon and Butts Lane events are on closed roads so these are great ones in particular for younger riders to take advantage of. Winners of the series will be crowned Prince or Princess of the the Downs, with cash prizes for top 3 places in each category including Youth.

More information: https://hillclimb.southdowns.cc/

Have a go this autumn

Hill climbs are as much about challenging yourself as they are about winning. We’d love to see plenty of PPYCC jerseys heading uphill this autumn!

THU 13 AUG Eastbourne Rovers CC Firle Beacon Hill Climb

TUE 25 AUG BMCC Ditchling Beacon Hill Climb

TUE 25 AUG HRC Knights Hill Hill Climb

THU 27 AUG Crawley Wheelers Hill Climb

TUE 01 SEPT BMCC Mill Hill Hill Climb #2

TUE 08 SEPT BMCC Brighton Double-header! Tongdean Lane and Beverley Hills

SAT 12 SEPT PPYCC Stanmer Park Hill Climb (South Downs Hill Climb Series – Round 1)

SAT 26 SEPT Redhill CC Toy’s Hill Hill Climb

SUN 27 SEPT The Ravenna Rumble on the Trundle (South Downs Hill Climb Series – Round 2)

SUN 27 SEPT The Ravenna Turkey Island Trot (South Downs Hill Climb Series – Round 3)

SAT 03 OCT Sussex CA Bostal Blaster (South Downs Hill Climb Series – Round 4)

SUN 04 OCT Brighton Excelsior CC Steyning Bostal Hill Climb

SUN 04 OCT Denbies Vineyard (Dorking) Hill Climb

SUN 04 OCT Sussex Revolution Velo Club Hill Climb (South Downs Hill Climb Series – Round 5)

SAT 10 OCT East Sussex CA Firle Beacon Hill Climb (South Downs Hill Climb Series – Round 6)

SAT 10 OCT Butts Lane Eastbourne Hill Climb (South Downs Hill Climb Series – Round 7)

SUN 11 OCT BEC CC Hill Climb

SUN 11 OCT Catford Hill Climb

SAT 17 OCT Steyning Bostal Hill Climb (South Downs Hill Climb Series – Round 8)

SAT 17 OCT Steyning – Titch Hill Hill Climb (South Downs Hill Climb Series – Round 9)

SUN 18 OCT Ditchling Beacon Hill Climb (South Downs Hill Climb Series – Round 10)