Podcast: Brother UK Cycling Podcast with Adam Kenway

Listen to the new episode of the Brother UK Cycling Podcast for an in-depth preview of the 2022 hill climb season where Adam Kenway, the former national hill climb champion, joins co-hosts Timothy John and Phil Jones


Podcast: Brother UK Cycling Podcast with Adam Kenway

Listen to the new episode of the Brother UK Cycling Podcast for an in-depth preview of the 2022 hill climb season. With the Monsal Hill Climb only days away, there’s never been a better time to get the inside line on one of the best-loved periods on the domestic calendar.

Adam Kenway, the former national hill climb champion, joins co-hosts Timothy John and Phil Jones to discuss power-to-weight ratios, transitioning from the road season and establishing a winning routine. Adam, a Brother UK-sponsored athlete, lifts the lid too on his disastrous ascent of Winnats Pass at last year’s national championships.

Hill climbing is a discipline on the rise in every sense. Summer campaigns indicate a growing desire for this simple, but brutal endeavour. Tim asks if hill climbing, like cyclo-cross, will become an almost year-round phenomenon or if autumn is likely always to remain the business end of the campaign.

Adam reveals how escalating standards are making victories harder to attain amid a “golden generation” of top hill climbers and a seemingly annual influx of talented newcomers. He comments too on how increasing specialisation can leave even WorldTour superstars like Tom Pidcock wondering at the speed of dedicated hill climbers. Phil’s love of bike tech will be familiar to regular listeners of the Brother UK Cycling Podcast. He quizzes Adam on his set-up for last year’s rain-soaked national championships and uncovers a unique source of assistance in his pursuit of a lightweight machine: students in Adam’s design and technology class!

As in road racing, the use of power meters divides opinion in hill climbing. Adam reveals why he will finally make the switch at this year’s national championships on the “old” Horsehoe Pass. Phil digs deep into the data, quizzing Adam on his peak outputs for climbs like Monsal Head. What’s better than winning a national title? Winning it for a second time, says Adam, citing Mark Cavendish’s delight in his recent British road race success. Adam explains why “the stripes” are more coveted in hill climbing than any other discipline and shares his pride in winning the 2016 title.

Further, Adam explains how the national championships unite the discipline’s many niches. He describes how hill climbers from the south of the England and the north, short course specialists and riders who prefer longer tests are brought together annually by the cherished opportunity to pull on the national champion’s jersey. “Everesting” was the lockdown pursuit of choice for professionals in 2020 when solo riding was enforced in the face of the Covid pandemic. Adam, who briefly set a British record on the Sir William Hill climb in Derbyshire, explains why a world record attempt remains on his ‘to do’ list.

Five times a podium finisher at the national hill climb championships, with victories in both the individual and team competitions, Adam knows how to succeed in cycling’s most demanding discipline. Follow the link or visit any leading podcast platform to hear Adam’s light-hearted but informative conversation with Phil and Tim:

 

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