By kazimladimeji 
Taking place in just over 4 weeks on the 31st October 2021 will be the National Hill Climb Championships 2021 which is to be held at Winnats Pass in Derbyshire. It’s a picturesque 985-yard climb, not that the riders will pay any attention to it, as they smash and grind their way up the hill. The race is being organized by myhillcycling.co.uk and Rutland CC.
The last time the National Hill Climb championships was held here was in 1996 and the winning time of 3 minutes 11 seconds still stands today, which is crazy genius given the current Strava KOM (achieved with modern tech) is Andrew Feather with a time of 3 minutes 27 seconds for a 0.95km climb, with 124 metres of elevation, averaging 12.9% gradient with a maximum gradient of 18.3%. It’s a very popular segment as you can imagine with over 25,000 riders having completed it with some competitive times, so reigning National Hill Climb champion Andrew Feather won’t have it all his own way, assuming he enters.
Entry
I noticed on Andrew Feather’s public Strava profile that was active on a 1500 metre plus/80km jaunt through our Stroud hills and valleys recently setting a few KOMS, so assuming he’s in training for this year’s climb. According to the National Hill Climb Facebook Page the event is heavily oversubscribed and there is a maximum of 360 riders, but the closing date for entries is not until 12/10/2021. It costs £35 to enter and it is open to Juniors and Juveniles too.
Spindata rankings are being used by the organizers to determine the field for the National Hill Climb Championship and will be based on the average of a competitor’s 3 best hill climb rides of 2021.