Bowditch blows away national hillclimbers

ANN BOWDITCH has become national women's hillclimb champion. The Guernsey Velo Club star beat her nearest rival by 15 seconds over the 2.2-mile course in Elsdon, Northumberland, an astonishing effort considering that, despite all her previous cycling successes, Bowditch has limited experience of hillclimbs.

However, the multi-Island Games gold medallist, went into the event well prepared having directed her training towards it for the last two months.

'Once the main time trial events were over, I changed my focus to hillclimb,' Bowditch said.

Having travelled up to the typically cold north-east of England on Friday, the Sarnian had the first of her two practice runs up the course, known locally as Winters Gibbet, on the same day.

Although conditions changed to a tailwind on race day, she had been able to formulate a strategy of how to attack the climb.

'The organisers called it a tactician's hill, which suited me because I like to think about how I am going to ride an event and it was a very interesting hill. It was just a case of pacing it really,' Bowditch said.

'I basically divided the hill into three sections. The first section was very steep - a one-in-six - and that was the worst part of the hill.

'The middle third was quite strange in that there were actually some slight downhills and then very steep uphills, so it was a case of trying to get as much momentum as possible on the descents going into the climbs.

'The finishing third was on a more gradual gradient. By the time you got to that stage, you wanted your tank to be almost empty because it was the easiest section and you should have used up your energy putting down the power on the very steep sections,' she added.

Bowditch covered the course in a very impressive 8min. 29.7sec. after one of the earlier woman riders had given her a decent target by clocking a sub-9min. time.

Catherine Hare, who set off after Bowditch, finished as the closest competitor to the Guernsey rider in 8-44.5.

'It is a decent gap on a race of that distance, particularly when it is you against the clock,' Bowditch said.

Becoming national champion was 'a nice way to finish off' her competitive season admitted the modest Sarnian and she will now enjoy a couple of weeks off before getting ready for next year, which is set to be extremely busy once again.

As well as competing in several national time trials and road races, Bowditch will be back to defend her hillclimb title.

'Next year's hillclimb is very different to this one. It sounds like a very good challenge - it is shorter but much steeper.'