Kate MacTear set a new women’s course record on her way to victory in the Sussex Nomads CC climb of Ditchling Beacon in East Sussex on Sunday morning, while Ashley Dennis set a new men’s event record and won overall.

MacTear, the 28-year-old who rides for the Bristol South CC, clocked 5:02.9 for the challenging 1,576-yard climb on closed roads, giving her the victory on the day by 42.2 seconds and setting a new women’s course record.

Meanwhile, fastest male rider was Ashley Dennis (Things That), the 26-year-old from Eastbourne, whose time of 4:07.8 was an event record and good enough for the win by 25 seconds.

MacTear’s time was just half a second better than the old women’s course record set in 2017 by Maryka Sennema. Ashley Dennis’s performance was a new event record, but some distance off the men’s course record which was set back in 1995 by Stuart Dangerfield. His time of 3:42.2 survives for another year!

Hub Velo’s Calvin Cheung took second place with 4:32.9, while third was Luke Burgess (Horsham Cycling) who was 0.7 seconds further off the pace.

Stolen Goat RC rider Miriam Jessett was second fastest female in a time of 5:45.1, while third woman was Kate Palmer (1904 RT) who was 1.7 seconds slower.

There were also some impressive performances from junior riders, with VC Londres youngster Conor Williams clocking 4:41.4 to take the prize for fastest junior male, while quickest female junior was Isabella Smith (Beachy Head CC) in 8:24.3.

This win was only the second this season for Ashley Dennis, who doesn’t ride many open hill climbs.

Last month he placed second in both the Beachy Head CC climb on Butts Lane Hill and the East Sussex CA event on Firle Bostal. On both occasions he was second only to Andrew Feather, the 2020 National Champion who was runner-up in this year’s title race in Derbyshire a week ago.

Dennis’s only other open hill-climb win this season came in the Brighton Mitre CC event on Bostal Road in Steyning on October 9.

MacTear has been a prolific rider this season, mostly in hill-climbing but with three time trials early in the season which saw he place fifth on each occasion.

She was last victorious in the VC Walcot hill-climb on October 10 and went on to place ninth at last week’s National Championships. Five times this season she has finished as second fastest female in hill-climbs, most recently at her own club’s climb of Burrington Combe.

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

Results:

Men:

1 Ashley Dennis (Things That)     4:07.8 (event record)

2 Calvin Cheung (Hub Velo)         4:32.9

3 Luke Burgess (Horsham Cycling)             4:33.6

Women:

1 Kate MacTear (Bristol South CC)             5:02.9 (course record)

2 Miriam Jessett (Stolen Goat RC)             5:45.1

3 Kate Palmer (1904 RT) 5:46.8

Junior Boys: Conor Williams (VC Londres)              4:41.1

Junior Girls: Isabella Smith (Beachy Head CC)       8:24.3

Male veterans on std:

1 Ashley Nunn (Addiscombe CC) (4:39.2) +34.6

2 Richard Cartland (HuntBikeWheels) (4:46.6)     +28.0

3 Cris Coxon (Brighton Mitre CC) (4:54.8)               +20.8

Female veterans on std:

1 Olivia Webb (Eastbourne Rovers CC) (6:00.2)    -11.6

2 Eimear D’Arcy (Woking CC) (6:29.7)      -42.1

3 Rachel Carless (Brighton Mitre CC) (6:27.9) -45.1