Holly Carter and Joe Barker tasted victory in the Yorkshire Road Club’s hill-climb of Cragg Vale near Mytholmroyd in West Yorkshire on Sunday afternoon.

Carter (Manchester Wheelers) covered the 4.8-mile climb in 21-50.1, which was good enough to win the women’s category by a minute and a half from veteran Gretchen Zoeller (VTTA Yorkshire), with Otley CC’s Claire Jessop not far back in third, another 1.9 seconds off the pace.

Overall fastest was Joe Barker (TORQ Performance) with 15-07.3, good enough for victory by 13.2 seconds with second going to impressive junior Harley Widdowson (Clancy Briggs Cycling Academy), while Mark Jagger (Team Lifting Gear Products) was another two seconds back in third spot.

Most riders had a tailwind for the last couple of miles over open moorland on a fine and dry afternoon with some sunshine, although there was no danger of any course records being broken with Jude Taylor and Sarah Lewthwaite’s five-year-old records still very much in place.

Category winners were Otley CC’s James Marston whose time of exactly 17 minutes was fastest by an espoir, while quickest over-40 veteran was Ben Craggs (Otley CC) with 17-24.9.

Vive le Velo rider Andrew Askwith was fastest over-50 with 18-06.4, while over 60s winner was John Raftery, the Otley CC rider who clocked 18-26.8.

Barker’s next open hill-climbs looks likely to be the West Pennine Road Club event on Blackstone Edge on October 8, while he has also entered the National Championships on The Struggle on October 29.

Meanwhile Holly Carter will be looking for more good performances when she tackles next Sunday’s Withington Wheelers climb of the 980-yard Peaslows Hill at Chapel-en-le-Frith, as well as Sheffrec CC’s Monsal Head climb the following weekend.

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

Results:

Men:

1. Joe Barker (TORQ Performance)    15-07.3

2. Harley Widdowson (Clancy Briggs Cycling Academy)     15-20.5

3. Mark Jagger (Team Lifting Gear Products)            15-22.5

4. Michael Jenic (Clifton CC) 16-13.6

5. Joe House (Drighlington BC)         16-30.4

6. Andrew Johnston (Airedale Olympic)        16-48.6

Women:

1. Holly Carter (Manchester Wheelers)          21-50.1

2. Gretchen Zoeller (VTTA Yorkshire)           23-20.7

3. Claire Jessop (Otley CC)    23-22.6

4. Julie Henderson (VTTA Yorkshire)            25-47.5