Nick Spencer (Blumilk.com) and Lucy Lee (VC Melyd) were fastest male and female riders respectively as Cestria CC staged their annual climb of Peth Bank near Lanchester in County Durham.

The tough 1,500-metre climb attracted some of the area’s top riders, and there were some impressive times despite wet and slippery conditions on the course.

Spencer clocked 4:18.5 to take the overall win by 3-5 seconds from Colin Atkinson (Muckle CC), while Graeme Wardale (Team Bikestop Tyrekey) was third, another 3.4 seconds back.

And in the women’s category victory went to in-form Lucy Lee, the 21-year-old VC Melyd rider who lives in Bath. She clocked 5:16.7 to take the women’s win by 7.3 seconds from Sarah Wilkinson (Blaydon CC) while third spot on the female podium went to Hannah Farran (Team Boompods).

Early rain eased before the start at 10am, but it had left the course slippery and wet which made climbing tough as riders struggled to get the power down without wheels spinning.

While the top three riders were all veterans, fourth was a junior with Archie Irving (Beacon Wheelers) covering the course in an impressive 4:31.4.

Spencer’s ride was only his third open event on record for 2019, having previously placed fifth in the North Tyneside Riders climb of Winter’s Gibbet and eighth in GS Metro’s climb of Hedley on the Hill.

His last time on the Peth Bank climb in an open event was back in 2017, when he was around 19 seconds slower than today and eleventh!

Spencer was also due to ride Sunday’s Sunderland Clarion hill-climb of Silverhills, and has also entered events next month being organised by Houghton CC and Muckle CC on Quarrington Hill and Prospect Hill at Corbridge.

Lee’s winning performance comes after she was second in the previous weekend’s Clwb Beicio Egni climb of the Nant Gwynant Pass in North Wales. She was victorious in the Weaver Valley CC Cat and Fiddle climb as well as second again in the Beacon Wheelers event on Great Dun Fell.

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

Results:

Pos   Name  Club  Gender      Cat   Time

1     Nick Spencer     Blumilk.Com Male  Vet   4:18.5

2     Colin Atkinson   Muckle Cycle Club Male  Vet   4:22.0

3     Graeme Wardale   Team Bikestop Tyrekey  Male  Vet   4:25.4

4     Archie Irving    Beacon Wheelers  Male  Junior      4:31.4

5     Lee Ager    Blaydon CC  Male  Senior      4:33.9

6     Craig Hodgson    Muckle Cycle Club Male  Senior      4:42.9

7     Adam Greenwood   Muckle Cycle Club Male  Senior      4:45.0

8     Graeme Kirton    South Shields Velo Cycling Club    Male  Vet   4:46.7

9     Wilson-Jay Brown PM Racing UK     Male  Senior      4:54.1

10    Clive Allan Allen Valley Velo Male  Senior      4:59.0

11    Joe Stringer     Muckle Cycle Club Male  Senior      5:02.7

12    Anthony Burrell  Houghton CC Male  Vet   5:08.5

13    Noel Stoddart    Blaydon CC  Male  Vet   5:10.2

14    Michael Todd     Derwentside CC   Male  Senior      5:14.7

14    Sam Leng    AIMS Cycling     Male  Senior      5:14.7

16    Lucy Lee    Velo Club Melyd  Female      Espoir      5:16.7

17    Daniel Thompson  North Tyneside Riders CC     Male  Senior      5:19.5

18    Ian Gaskins Bishop Auckland CC     Male  Vet   5:21.9

19    Sarah Wilkinson  Blaydon CC  Female      Vet   5:24.0

20    Brendan Mcmillan Tyne & Wear Fire & Rescue Service CC    Male  Senior      5:26.3

21    Colin Blacklock  Muckle Cycle Club Male  Vet   5:28.4

22    James Hadfield   Blaydon CC  Male  Senior      5:29.8

23    Hannah Farran    Team Boompods    Female      Senior      5:31.1

24    Barry Fordham    Cestria C.C.     Male  Vet   5:32.3

25    David Goodwin    Newcastle Cheviot CC   Male  Vet   5:37.6

26    Stephen Mcallister     Cestria C.C.     Male  Vet   5:38.6

27    Ian Clark   Backyard Bootleggers   Male  Espoir      5:44.6

28    Kenny Mclellan   Cestria C.C.     Male  Vet   5:55.1

29    Tim Nichol  Blaydon CC  Male  Senior      5:55.5

30    Robert Knibbs    Richmond CC Male  Senior      6:10.2

31    Ian Dodds   Cestria C.C.     Male  Vet   6:10.8

32    Donna Mcbride    Cestria C.C.     Female      Vet   6:13.0

33    Sam Atkinson     Cestria C.C.     Male  Senior      6:16.8

34    Angela Mcgurk    Blaydon CC  Female      Senior      6:32.3

35    George Parker-Fuller   Cestria C.C.     Male  Vet   7:23.0

36    Joe Mcmillan     Blaydon CC  Male  Vet   7:29.2

      Samuel Gray Muckle Cycle Club Male  Senior      APOL

      Ben Wilkinson    Muckle Cycle Club Male  Espoir      APOL

      Stuart Matthews  Infinity Cycles - Cube Store Cycling Team     Male  Senior      APOL

      Marcus Cram Blaydon CC  Male  Senior      APOL

      Scott Mccance    Derwentside CC   Male  Vet   DNS

      Tom Townsend     ASSOS Equipe UK  Male  Espoir      DNS