Calum Brown and Emilie Verroken powered their way to victories at the Monsal hill-climb in Derbyshire, with Brown coming within just 0.3 seconds of the long-standing course record in the Sheffrec CC event.

Team B38-Underpin Racing rider Brown, 27 and from Sheffield, clocked 1-14.5 to come agonisingly close to breaking the 37-year-old course record for the OHC/3 645-yard climb set in 1981 by Malcolm Elliott.

He was 2.1 seconds faster than last year’s winner on Monsal and 2016 national champion Adam Kenway (Vitus Pro Cycling), while Gregg Booker (Loughborough Students CC) was 5.3 seconds adrift in third spot.

Emilie Verroken (Maxx RT) was fastest female with an impressive time of 1-56.3, giving her the win by 3.2 seconds from Fusion CC’s Abbie Taylor, while Hannah Larbalestier (Boompods EDCO) just scraped under two minutes, clocking 1-59.9 for third.

Originally from Edinburgh, Sheffield-based Brown’s victory comes 12 months after he unshipped his chain and failed to finish the Monsal hill-climb. But he tackled the hill impressively this time to win the Dick Aldridge Memorial Trophy as well as the £250 top prize.

His form has been good so far this hill-climb season, with victory in the Matlock CC charity hill-climb in June as well as the Bolsover and District CC climb last month and second at the Sheffrec CC climb at High Bradfield in July.

He will tackle more climbs in the Tickhill Velo and Matlock CC over the next two weeks before heading to Stocksbridge for the national championships.

Verroken’s victory comes 12 months after she placed second in the Monsal climb, while so far in 2018 she has won hill-climbs run by the Bolsover and District CC at Hardwick Hall, the Birdwell Wheelers and Matlock CC.

* All reports are copyright of Cycling Time Trials/Snowdon Sports. Not to be used without permission.

* A full gallery of images from this event by Kimroy Photography is available here

Results:

1. Calum Brown (Team B38-Underpin Racing)         1:14.5

2. Adam Kenway (VITUS Pro Cycling)        1:16.6

3. Gregg Booker (Loughborough Students CC)        1:19.8

4. Joseph Clark (Cycling Sheffield-Giant)     1:22.5

5. Kieran Smith (Bolsover & Dist CC)           1:24.1

6. Josh Coyne (Okehampton CC)       1:26.0

7. Leon Wright (Race Hub)    1:26.2

8. Ben Harmer (Wold Top Actif)       1:26.6

9. Russ Downing (Holdsworth Pro Racing)   1:27.7

10. Steve Tait (OVB)  1:28.3

Women:

1. Emilie Verroken (Maxx RT)           1:56.3

2. Abbie Taylor (Fusion CC)  1:59.5

3. Hannah Larbalestier (Boompods EDCO)   1:59.9

Junior Boys: Kieran Smith

Junior Girls: Sarah Briggs (Matlock CC         2:22.5

Veterans: Russell Downing

Veteran women: Emilie Verroken

Over-50s: Rich Stoodley (3RT)          1:58.8

Schoolboys: Taylor Hill (Sheffrec CC)           1:41.4

Schoolgirls: Sarah Briggs

Teams: OVB (Steve Tait, James King, Josh Rowe)   4:30.0