Kieran Wynne-Cattanach (Team Lifting Gear Products/Cycles In Motion) took his second victory in as many events in the Velo Club Cumbria hill climb of Whinlatter, while Natalie Stevenson (Eat Plants Not Pigs CC) won the women’s event.

The 24-year-old missed last season amid the coronavirus pandemic but has returned with good form this hill climbing campaign.

 Wynne-Cattanach covered the 1.75-mile climb in a finishing time of seven minutes and one second – seven seconds quicker than his nearest rival.

Climbing steeply from the bottom the Whinlatter Pass starts close to the maximum of 14.8% before levelling off slightly passing through Greengarth and then getting steeper approaching the one-kilometre marker.

Passing Knott Head the gradient eases again before the last steep section up until the two-kilometre mark and then a long straight section at a consistent gradient.

One final kick up greeted riders at the three-kilometre mark before the final push to the finish.

Wynne-Cattanach finished 27th in the National Hill Climb Championships in 2019 and on his opening outing of 2021 he won the Birdwell Wheelers HC.

Leading the chase behind Wynne-Cattanach was Jude Taylor (Crimson Orientation Marketing RT) who finished runner-up again, as he did on the Cragg Vale HC last weekend, clocking 7-08.7 on this outing.

Host club rider Martin Mikkelsen-Barron completed the podium positions finishing third for Velo Club Cumbria in a time of 7-27.7.

Quickest junior rider was Dan Taylor (Leicester Forest CC) whose time of 8-21.1 was good enough for fifth place overall.

Leading veteran was Brian Whiteley (Doncaster Wheelers C.C.) in 9-22.1 ahead of Velo Club Cumbria team-mates Julian Cook and Kenneth Brown.

In the women’s event Stevenson was a clear victor covering the climb in a time of eight minutes and 59.3 seconds.

Stevenson finished second in the Beacon Wheelers event on Great Dunn Fell last month but went one place better on this occasion.

Francesca Counsell (Bella in Sella Racing) was the only other women’s finisher completing the course in 11-29.2.

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