Talking to Hill Climb Championship silver medallist James Gullen about his ride and ‘that’ bike he rode up the Stang on Sunday.
RELATED ARTICLE: Hill Climb Championship 2013
Whilst his teammates in Hope Factory Racing are indulging in winter cyclo-cross racing, for James, it’s the Hill Climbs where he’s had some success and the championship was his final race before he goes off and eats some nice food post season.
James was the recent winner of the Cragg Vale Hill Climb and also a two stage one organised by Yorkshire RC. He’s a ‘name’ consistently in the results and James came to within two seconds of winning the British Hill Climb championship on the Stang last Sunday in horrible weather for the second year in a row.
Whilst losing the race to a title by only two seconds, especially over a course taking nearly eight minutes to complete, is quite gutting for any rider, James was pretty pleased with his ride. “I think I got it right. It’s hard to tell but Tejvan did the best ride on the day so you can’t take that away from him.â€
“He came into it as favourite so the result is probably the right one.â€
“I quite liked the distance of this one and it wasn’t a real short explosive one. I think if it had been a little longer, it might have suited me better but it’s hard to tell. A headwind too may have made it different too but this course was better for me than the Rake where some one like Jack (Pullar) could have won it.â€
At the recent Monsal Hill Climb (600 yards long) where James was 14th, I got to lift his bike and feel myself just how light it is. Under six kilos is quite something I can tell you! Asked what the story was with the climbing machine, he says “a friend of mine loaned me it for this with really light components on it and I cut the drops off to save a bit more weight.â€
The bike though still has a power metre on it adding a few grams. James explained that’s because he uses the metre for training purposes (gathering the numbers) and also pacing the hill climbs. “I could save weight there but as the bikes only 5.8 kilos, it is still very light. I also gambled with some track tubulars thinking that if I punctured, so be it, at least I have tried to make the bike as fast as possible.â€
“The gamble paid off though and I never puncturedâ€.
Asked what it is like to ride a bike that light, a kilo under the UCI limit (its not a UCI event I might add) James says “I find on the shorter hill climbs, I get wheel slip when you are leaning forward and going as fast as you can.â€
“With this course though being so long, I held back on the steep section (18%) and never got any tyre slip. If I’d gone too hard up that first bit, I’d have had nothing left for the final.â€
Looking ahead, James says he’s looking to be in a road team next season. “I am still talking to a few teams and hopefully I’ll get something sorted in the next few weeks. Now the season is over, I have time to concentrate on that rather than all these hill reps!â€
Good luck to James and thanks for the chat.
RELATED ARTICLE:Â Hill Climb Championship 2013
Other Results on VeloUK (including reports containing results)
- Features, Reports, Results
- QUIZ TIME! Dan Kemp (Prologue Junior Race Team)
- CX Result: Jersey Cyclocross League Jan 19
- CX Result: Army Cyclocross Champs 2025
- CX Result: Leicestershire Cyclocross League Rd 6
- CX Result: Western CX League Round 9
- CX Result: Tross Cross SQ R3 (Scotland)
- Track Result: 2025 Manchester Regional Track League (Jan 17)
- CX Result: Notts & Derby CX League 8
- FEATURE: Q&A with Carolyn Speirs
- Q&A with Sam Chaplin of Cycling Sheffield
- Quiz Time: James Hartley heading to France
- Rental getaway for cycling families — Casa Guadalest
- Track Result: Manchester Regional Track League (Jan 10)
- Crit Result: Full Gas Winter Circuit Series #10
- 2025 British CycloCross Championships Day 2
- 2025 British CycloCross Championships Day 1
- TEAM NEWS: RAPTOR FACTORY RACING
- STARTLIST: 2025 British Cyclocross Championships
- Q&A: Louis Herring (Prologue Junior Race Team)
- BRITISH CYCLOCROSS CHAMPIONSHIPS RIDER LIST
- Feature: Sophia Brooks (U16 road and track cyclist)
- CX Result: Wessex Cyclocross League Round 11
- CX Result: Lincolnshire Cyclo Cross Rd 11
- CX Result: Leicestershire CX League Rd 5
- NEXT WEEK: BRITISH CYCLOCROSS CHAMPIONSHIPS – CYCLOPARK
- National Trophy Round 5 – Day 1 (West Yorkshire)
- Q&A: UCI Race Winner in 2024 Josha Ludman
- FEATURE — Q&A WITH JAMES BEAGLEY (Prologue Junior Team)
- CX Result: Ripley Nova Cross 2025
- 2025 EVENTS: RTTC 10 mile TIME TRIAL CHAMPIONSHIP
- THIS WEEKEND: NATIONAL TROPHY SERIES 2024/25 ROUND 5
- CX Result: NWCCA CX League Round 10
- BMCR Newsletter January 2025
- CX Result: Yorkshire Cyclocross League rd 8
- CX Result: Jingle Cross (Jersey)
- CX Result: Notts & Derby CX League 7 (Darley Moor)
- TT Result: New Forest CC 10m TT
- CX Result: Coventry RC Boxing Day Cross
- TLI CYCLING RESULT: Round 6 of NECCL
- TLI Cycling Result: NE Cyclocross League Round 5
Other News on VeloUK
- 2025 British CycloCross Championships Day 2
- 2025 British CycloCross Championships Day 1
- TEAM NEWS: RAPTOR FACTORY RACING
- STARTLIST: 2025 British Cyclocross Championships
- Q&A: Louis Herring (Prologue Junior Race Team)
- BRITISH CYCLOCROSS CHAMPIONSHIPS RIDER LIST
- NEXT WEEK: BRITISH CYCLOCROSS CHAMPIONSHIPS – CYCLOPARK
- 2025 EVENTS: RTTC 10 mile TIME TRIAL CHAMPIONSHIP
- THIS WEEKEND: NATIONAL TROPHY SERIES 2024/25 ROUND 5
- BMCR Newsletter January 2025
- TEAM NEWS: BCC Race Team 2025 Squad Announcement
- TEAM NEWS: 2025 Handsling Alba Development Road Team
- Q&A with Paul Opie & Tom Mead
- Team News: New Junior team for West Lothian Clarion
- 2025 Events: Plymouth Corinthian
- News: Junior/Youth National Series 2025
- Startlist: Round 4 National Trophy Cyclocross (Dec 7/8)
- ELITE ROAD AND CIRCUIT RACES CALENDAR
- Sad News: No Saint Piran team for 2025
- News: The Pedal Club Lunch (November)
- Team Update: Brother UK / Onform 2025
- 2025 NATIONAL TRACK CALENDAR ANNOUNCED
- CHS CICLISMO – Complimentary daily massage and spa!
- Team News: Fensham Howes – MAS Design 2025
- National Trophy Cyclocross: Round 3 (Torbay)
- Tofauti Everyone Active announces new partners and new name for 2025
- Rider News: Matt Thompson signs for French Team BMC Bezier
- News: Youth Tour of Scotland 2025
- FEATURE: Billy Ladle’s Stellar Season Recognised at British Cycling Awards
- 2025 Prologue Junior Race Team
- STARTLIST: BUCS Hill Climb Championships
- News: West Midlands Road Race League Winner 2024
- Tofauti Everyone Active reveals its roster for 2025
- This weekend: National Trophy Cyclocross 2
- Team News: INEOS Announce Structure/Staff Changes
- STARTLIST: RTTC National Hill Climb Championships
- Feature: The Pedal Club Lunch (October)
- NEWS! Max Walker joins EF Education-EasyPost
- World Tour win for Ethan Vernon
- Louise Sutton signs for Euskaltel Euskadi Team