We were blessed with perfect conditions for this year's Hill Climb competition - a sunny, blue-skies day in the middle of Autumn, with little wind. It's a popular event in the WV calendar, not just for the competitive challenge, but for the hot dogs, coffee and donuts served by Alan and Sue from their camper van afterwards.
All contenders are required to go through the "weigh-in" ordeal of standing on the precision scales with bike in hand, while Claire shouted out the figure for all to hear along with your age to determine which category you fall into.
The categories are flatteringly named to encourage participation - from Young Whippersnappers and MAMILs to Old Gits and Very Old Gits. The ladies' category names are slightly more forgiving, with one brave contender for the Not So Young Ladies. The quickest time of the day came from Laurence Kirby, one of the Young Whippersnappers, who powered his way up the 0.6 mile-hill with its 5-6% gradient in 2 minutes 8 seconds.
