S1 Ep16: Brother UK Cycling Podcast - 2021 National Hill Climb Championship Preview

This special edition of the Brother UK Cycling Podcast previews the 2021 National Hill Climb Championships. Winnats Pass, a savagely beautiful climb at the heart of the Derbyshire Peak District, will host the championships for the first time in 40 years. This year, a female athlete will be crowned national champion on its slopes for the first time. Brother UK will proudly serve #Winnats21 as an event sponsor. 

This episode contains insights from eight expert witnesses, including the Brother UK-sponsored athletes Adam Kenway and Rebecca Richardson. Adam was crowned British champion in 2016 and has finished on the podium on four other occasions. Rebecca is the three-time and reigning Welsh hill climb champion. Both have won the prestigious Monsal Head hill climb. 

Event organiser (and rider) Nick Latimer has worked on staging this year’s championships for two years, regularly engaging with Castleton Parish Council and other authorities to secure the essential road closure. Additionally, he has secured sponsorship from Brother UK and others to help meet event costs and donate to local good causes.

Mechanic Rick Bailey offers fascinating insights into the hill climb community's unique approach to cycling technology. Photographer Tony Wood speaks in glowing terms about Winnats’ scenic qualities, while journalist Larry Hickmott offers his views on the value of hill climbing as domestic cycling’s ‘feel good’ scene. He offers a rundown of the pre-race favourites, too. 

Jack Young, the newly-crowned Shropshire junior hill climb champion and a young rider with autism, celebrates hill climbing’s inclusivity. And Phil Jones MBE, Brother UK’s Managing Director and the podcast’s co-host, offers his views on a range of topics, from Brother UK’s sponsorship of the event to the congruency achieved by top-class athletes like Rebecca. 

The episode is presented and produced by Timothy John, a journalist and consultant.