Alexander Cornell (Parlay CC) made it back-to-back hill climb victories on Saturday at the Beachy Head CC hill climb on Butts Lane, while national champion Bithja Jones (Pankhurst Cycles) won the women’s event smashing the course record in the process.

In the double event Cornell also won the East Sussex CA hill climb in the morning and made it two wins in a day by also taking the afternoon event on Butts Lane.

Cornell beat Richard Cartland (HuntBikeWheels.com) by a single second in the morning’s event and repeated that result hours later clocking a winning time of three minutes and 55 seconds.

The Butts Lane hill starts in Willingdon before climbing for 1.18 kilometres in length at an average of 10.3%, with a maximum 14.2% gradient. 

Cornell took his third victory of the season but his 3-55 was much slower than the course record held by former national hill climb champion Andrew Feather who completed the climb in 3-18.

Veteran rider Cartland was narrowly beaten by a second, the same margin as the morning’s East Sussex CA HC, finishing in 3-56 this time out.

Junior rider Ben Neal (LVC Racing) was beaten into third in the morning’s event by one hundredth of a second but returned on Butts Lane to take the final podium position in 4-01.

In the women’s event national hill climb champion Jones recorded an emphatic victory and took 29 seconds off the course record.

Jones, from Reading, recorded a winning time four minutes and six seconds – beating the previous course record held by Joscelin Lowden of 4-35.

The 42-year-old will be hoping to defend her national hill climb title in two weeks’ time and showed the form she will need.

Harriet Hernando (Maidenhead & District CC) led the charge behind taking second in 5-13. The morning’s East Sussex CA HC winner Nikki Ray (Brixton Cycles Club) suffered for her earlier effort and finished third in 5-32.

Hastings & St. Leonards CC were the fastest team consisting of Owen Vidler, Samuel Benge and Michael Maxwell.

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

Results:

Men:

1 Alexander Cornell (Parlay CC) 3.55
2 Richard Cartland (HuntBikeWheels.com) 3.56
3 Ben Neal (LVC Racing) 4.01
4 Michael Sleeman (Horsham Cycling) 4.06
5 David Ross (LFGSS CC) 4.08
6 Olly Thomas (Sussex Revolution Velo Club) 4.09
 

Women:
1 Bithja Jones (Pankhurst Cycles) 4.06
2 Harriet Hernando (Maidenhead & District CC) 5.13
3 Nikki Ray (Brixton Cycles Club) 5.32
4 Liz Halliday (Sussex Nomads CC) 6.55
5 Amelia Culshaw (Brighton Phoenix) 7.07