Photo Credit Fabrizio Malisan, FMphotos.co.uk
I think it’s fair to say the Waller Pain hill climb went off with a bang this weekend.
With just under 100 riders setting times on the hill, and friends, family, and locals lining the course; 2015 had the biggest turnout since the climb was brought back to Caterham 6 years ago. The aim of the Waller Pain has always been to run an inclusive event, and we were particularly happy to see that each of the new categories we added for this year brought competitors to the hill.
Before we had even finished sweeping the course or setting up the PA for our live commentator Marty MacDonald, riders were arriving at the base of the hill to reccy the ride, warm up on rollers and ensure they made it into the line up, spaces being limited to 120 riders.
Photo Credit, Nigel Wynn Cycling Weekly. The Waller Pain
The Men’s event was won by Matthew Burton of the Velo Club Rutland, finishing in one minute fifteen seconds, and missing out on Matthew Pilkington’s 2011 course record by just one second. He has since promised to return next year and claim the record, and put together a writeup of his run which you can read here.
The Women’s event saw British hill-climb champion Maryka Sennema’s record beaten by just shy of five seconds by Les Filles team rider Helen Mckay, finishing in a time of 1:49.7. Mckay was also able to see off competition from the first professional rider to enter the competition, Penny Rawson of Matrix Pro Cycling, who are competing this week in the Aviva Women’s Tour.
Lesley Wilkinson (Addiscombe CC) Woman’s Vets Winner 02:18.0. The Waller Pain
Full results of the days racing can be seen here
Year on year, the climb has seen a steady growth in popularity. Used extensively in the late 1800’s, the first ‘new’ event was run in the summer of 2010, organised by Yellow Jersey co-founder Scott Georgiades. As Yellow Jersey has grown as a company over the past year and a half, we have been able to bring in our marketing resources and contacts to support its development.
The Waller Pain represents just one of a huge number of small scale, local cycling events which used to be run as regular fixtures in the British countryside. A decline in participation and interest in cycling in the previous decades has seen many of these disappear from our calendar, but with the rapid expansion of cycling that came off the back of the Olympic Games –which three years later is in no danger of slowing down- the opportunity exists for more to make a return.
Our eyes are currently set on the Caterham Criterium, a once hugely popular event in our local area that drew in clubs from across the South of England, along with hundreds of spectators for fast paced circuit racing. With interest in helping run the event from Caterham School and The Caterham Round Table –who were instrumental in bringing back the Waller Pain- we hope the once prestigious event can once again become a highlight of the amateur race season.
Photo Credit Fabrizio Malisan, FMphotos.co.uk The Waller Pain
Check out some of the pictures kindly taken for us at the event: