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Four-time national champion Andrew Feather has altered his riding position and bike setup for this year’s National Hill-Climb Championships, which will use the longer, shallower Porlock Hill toll road. Three-time champion Illi Gardner says she is looking forward to the four-mile course and has made no major changes to her approach. The championships are scheduled for October 25; wind and riders’ form remain factors.
Four-time national champion Andrew Feather has changed his riding position and bike setup for the October 25 National Hill-Climb Championships, which will take place on the longer, shallower Porlock Hill toll road in Somerset. Three-time champion Illi Gardner says she welcomes the course’s distance, setting up a contest on a climb that differs from the short, steep routes often used at the event.
Feather told Cycling Weekly he began working on a different position early in the year because the Porlock course is relatively shallow and fast. He said his usual upright, out-of-the-saddle style catches more wind on that type of climb. His changes include riding in the drops, extending his reach by six centimetres, lowering the front of the bike by five centimetres and narrowing his handlebars from 42 to 32 centimetres.
Feather is riding an S-Works Tarmac and has targeted longer races this season. According to the report, he has won all six hill-climbs he had entered so far, including the three-mile Nebo Road event in Wales and the 4.5-mile Great Dunn Fell climb. Those results do not establish how he will perform at the championships, which he identified as his main goal.
Gardner, last year’s silver medallist, said she is excited by the longer distance and has already inspected the route. She has not changed her general approach to hill-climbs, though she acknowledged that she may have lost time in past races by not wearing a skinsuit. After competing in the Everesting Championships in Sicily, where she is defending her title, she plans to return her focus to shorter hill-climb races before Porlock.
A Longer Test at Porlock
The course changes the demands of the national title race. Porlock’s toll road route is about 4.2 miles long, with an average gradient of 5.5%, according to the report. That is a different challenge from the short, steep climbs that commonly define hill-climb championships and may reward riders who can sustain power and manage their position over a longer effort.
For Feather, the route has prompted a season-long adjustment to his riding posture and equipment. Gardner’s comments point to another set of variables: she expects exposure near the top could make wind a factor. The course therefore offers a test of preparation and pacing as well as climbing ability, though the report does not predict which approach will prevail.
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How Porlock Changes the Course
The UK hill-climb season generally runs from the start of September to the national championships, a short period of racing that can attract specialist climbers and lightweight bike setups. While many championship routes favour brief, steep efforts, this year’s event is on the toll road at Porlock Hill, which runs roughly parallel to the famous main-road climb.
The main road is known for its severe gradients, but it is not the route selected for the race. The toll road’s longer, more gradual profile is the reason riders interviewed by Cycling Weekly described different considerations from those they would face on a steeper course. The scheduled championship date is Sunday, October 25.
“I’ve made significant changes.”
— Andrew Feather, speaking to Cycling Weekly
Conditions and Race Outcomes
The report does not give a race-day weather forecast, so the effect of wind remains uncertain. It also does not specify the full start list or provide a confirmed assessment of how other contenders are adapting to the course. Feather’s six wins and Gardner’s past titles are reported form and credentials, not evidence of who will win at Porlock.
The article gives the event date as October 25 but does not report a result. The actual race outcome, final conditions and any late changes to the event arrangements are not established in the supplied material.
Racing Before October 25
Gardner said she would compete in the Everesting Championships in Sicily before turning her attention to shorter hill-climb events, with several more races planned ahead of the nationals. Feather’s preparation has already included longer climbs and a revised riding position. The next major milestone described in the report is the National Championships on Porlock Hill, where riders will face the course’s four-mile profile and whatever conditions prevail on the day.
Key Questions
When are the National Hill-Climb Championships?
The report says the championships are scheduled for Sunday, October 25.
Where will this year’s championship climb take place?
The event is scheduled to use the toll road at Porlock Hill in Somerset, rather than the famous, steeper main-road climb.
What changes has Andrew Feather made?
Feather said he is riding in the drops, has extended his reach by six centimetres, lowered the front of his bike by five centimetres and reduced his handlebar width from 42 to 32 centimetres.
How is Illi Gardner preparing?
Gardner said she has not changed her overall approach to hill-climbing. She planned to compete in the Everesting Championships in Sicily, then race several more times before the national event.
What is different about the Porlock course?
The toll-road route is about 4.2 miles long with an average gradient of 5.5%, making it longer and shallower than the short, steep courses often used for the championships.
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