Getting started...

Getting Started

At its simplest, a hill climb event is a time trial up a steep hill where the rider with the fastest time is the winner. It helps if you can be very light and very powerful! To get you started, here are some great videos which will give you a flavour of what it’s all about:

How to become a better climber | Operation Hill Climb | Cycling Weekly - YouTube

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=61qUKQlAAEI The Weird World Of Hill Climb Racing - YouTube

And from our very own Adam Russell his blog of his first attempt at the Sussex Nomads hill climb event up Ditchling Beacon.
My FIRST EVER Hill Climb Event! | Ditchling Beacon | Cycling Vlog - YouTube

Ten top tips for hill climbing | Cycling training | PedalCover

Surfing The Line | Inside the World of Hill Climb Racing - YouTube

Training

Training has two main features, the first is to prepare your body for what can be a very brutal event – if in doubt seek advice from a medical professional, the second is to try and get you as quick as you can be!

To establish a good level of base fitness, it may be worth considering zone 2 training in your preparation. Here are links to a couple of interesting videos to get you started:

How "normal people" can train like the worlds best endurance athletes | Stephen Seiler | TEDxArendal - YouTube

Why Riding Slower Makes You Faster: The Secrets Of Zone 2 Training - Bing video

Having established your base, you may then want to high intensity training to your training plan. There’s plenty of stuff on the web … go get googling.

Entering an event

In order to enter one of the events in the series (excluding the youth event which is under the BC governance), the first thing you need to do is to join the CyclingTimeTrials organisation (which is free). This can be done at Cycling Time Trials: The national governing body for cycling time trials.

Registering with the CTT is free (yes, it is free!), and gives you access to their website where you can review and enter events. The regulations change from time to time, but at the time of writing you will need to be wearing a cycle helmet and have a working front and rear light on your bike.

So, no excuses, lookup the series events, get entering and ENJOY!

Good luck!