CyclistUphill struggle: Riding the Catford Hill ClimbWith its multitude of disciplines and race formats, the cycling universe can be a cluttered place. The idea of a hill climb, then, is almost archaic in its simplicity: choose a hill; ride up it as fast as you can; the end. Thats what has brought me to the bottom of a mercifully dry Yorks Hill in Kent on a Sunday in October, venue for the Catford CC Hill Climb, said to be the worlds longest-running bike race at 139 years young.Historically the site of the race has moved around, taking in iconic local test-pieces such as Toys, Waller, Tatsey and Brasted hills the latter being one of the most harrowing in the area but Yorks is now its permanent home. The complete ascent of Yorks Hill is 1.6km at an average of 7.5%, but todays event uses just a segment of the climb the steepest part meaning were looking at a 640m slope at an average of 12.6%. The first 150m is relatively shallow, but the last 350m of the climb is 14% or steeper. That should separate the pukers from the non-pukers.Bikes of the living deadIn the Stubbs Wood car park at the top of the climb, racers are busily unloading bikes. Its a sight familiar at any sportive, but these dont look like normal bikes. Sawn-off drops, naked bars, absent bottle cages and computer mounts, polyethylene spokes, sanded frames, wafer-thin carbon saddles, machined rim brakes, minuscule tubular tyres, skeletal carbon cranks its like The Bikes Of The Living Dead: Directors Hacksaw Cut.Many of the deranged surgeons tinkering with these bikes are skin-suited, shaven and wisp-like, lacing up cycling shoes and pulling up knee-high, UCI-illegal aero socks on mossy verges. Its quite intimidating, but mercifully there are plenty of less optimised participants too. An impressive range of juniors are on the start line, but based on their warmup speeds theyre unlikely to be bringing up the rear either.I roll down to inspect the course and find a man, brush in hand, sweeping leaves and debris from the bone-dry road. This is Ken Strange, nobly embodying Catford CCs espirit de corps.This is as good as Ive ever seen it a huge slice of luck, he says. Unfortunately for the riders, that means no excuses.Hes right. Compared to photos Ive seen of the road in years gone by, its unrecognisable. Theres none of the mud, moss or slimy leaf residue that is the stuff of hill climbers nightmares. In 1940 just four of 43 starters managed to make it past the carpet of slimy leaves, while in 1987 a hurricane felled most of the trees and cancelled the event.Today the conditions couldnt be better. I perform a ponderous recce of the climb boy its steep and try to memorise which line to take and the location of any potholes. Then I collect my race number and mosey around the gazebos, looking for people who might be able to offer me some advice. This includes nine-year-old Lola Stewart of Limited Edition Cycling club in Greenwich.Its only my second hill climb after Catford last year so Im still very nervous, she says. The first time, I took one look and thought, Im never getting up that, but the atmosphere and the cheering makes your mind think you can do it and you can. My advice is to save most of your energy for the final two-thirds, otherwise youve got no chance on the steepest part.Slightly longer in the tooth is 16-year-old Eleanor Thompson from Team Ohten, who despite living just down the road hasnt ridden the event before.Its a special race for sure, she says. Everyone from my old club, 4T+ Cycle Racing, comes here so you get loads of support, but its one of those climbs thats so steep you get no chance to recover. Just focus on the cheering would be my advice.After Eleanor rolls off to tune her bike, I get talking to a rider of a different vintage, Cliff Bell, whos been a member of Catford CC for 71 years.Ive just ridden over from Biggin Hill, which is about ten miles away, but Im afraid Im not racing today after all, I am 92.This man is a walking advert for cycling; he doesnt look anywhere approaching that age.I raced it in 62 and 63 on a fixed wheel track bike. It was absolutely packed but no youngsters like there are now. Its so encouraging to see. Compared to 1963 bear in mind I was on 25mm tubs the surface is transformed. It used to be so rough. If youre going to take part, make sure youve climbed it a few times before.With those words ringing in my unrehearsed ears, a very pro-looking lad with a gentle scouse lilt asks for help pinning on his numbers. His skinsuit is so tight and body fat so low Im concerned that I might skewer him with the safety pins. Turns out this is Michael Henderson from Oxford University CC who is similarly unprepared but has rather more ambitious goals.Ive never ridden it, so my plan is just to go out hard and try to hang on, he says, smiling but not joking. Youve got to hope the crowd will carry you over the last bit. Its a long way to come from Liverpool but I prefer the short climbs so its worth it. Im on the aero bike today, which is hardly ideal, but hopefully Ill get a sub-two-minute time and make the podium.Article continues belowEven early on a Sunday morning in rural Kent, the support is loud and vociferous with cowbells and whistles in abundance.Danny BirdRiding is optional, grimacing is involuntary.Danny BirdKen Strange, Catford Member and former participant, makes sure the surface is tip top.Danny BirdDont get lost. The south London district of Catford is 18 miles to the north, but the hill climb is down in Kent, a few miles west of Sevenoaks.Danny BirdDanny BirdDanny BirdDanny BirdCyclist looks on as proud parents jog up the climb, cheering on their kids.Danny BirdJonathan Shubert (London Dynamo) rode 835km in 24 hours in 2014 to win the British time-trial championships, but the 640m climb is still a struggle.Danny BirdDanny BirdDanny BirdSustained dry weather makes a huge difference to road conditions. Yorks Hill is under such thick tree cover it takes a long time to dry out.Danny BirdThe lower slopes attract no fans, making it a lonely place for participants.Danny BirdThe later your start the better, as riders who have banked their time join fans on the climb.Danny BirdThis is still an old-school operation. Organiser Steve Airey is tasked with doing the all-important final sums on the big board.Danny BirdThe event is very welcoming, with lots of families and dogs in attendance. Its far less intimidating than you might expect.Danny BirdDanny BirdDanny BirdCyclist is tasting blood vessels in some esteemed company but doesnt trouble the sharp end of the TT this year, a time of 3min 22sec placing us 64th out of 82 finishers.Danny BirdMoment of truthThe time comes to put the advice Ive been given into practice. It would be useful to watch how other competitors handle the course, but somehow Ive contrived to be the second cab off the rank, so Ill just have to take it as it comes. At least Ill begin the day on the podium.Thirty seconds! bellows a clipboard-wielding commissaire. Rider number two on the line.I swallow loudly and feel my rear wheel wedge between the other commissaires thighs, his steadying hand on my seatpost. I clip in.You going for the course record or just a PB? says Mr Clipboard (aka, timekeeper Peter Watson). Encouragement and gallows humour are both on the menu, it seems.He counts me down and then Im released. A few shouts of encouragement reach me from the riders queueing nearby, but otherwise its silent. People want to see pain and suffering, so the crowds are gathered near the top.I settle into the correct gear and with Lolas advice in my head its a battle not to go too hard. The soft prologue is over in a second and the hill is rearing up in front of me like a tarmacked cobra. I pass commissaire Paul Tuohy as I enter the shade, who shouts, The steep parts coming now, gather yourself and go again.Its both ominous and reassuring. I see this as my cue to get out of the saddle and start burning some matches. Almost as soon as I do, I feel my left foot push down ever so slightly off kilter, slipping the cleat disastrously out of my pedal.I swear loudly. Its too steep to clip back in and theres nowhere to prop myself up. The seconds tick by as I try to work out my next move. Then I hear feet behind me Paul is coming to the rescue. Before I know it, Ive got a hand on my seatpost and Im clipped in again.A bend in the road means I cant see whats ahead, but I can hear the whistles and the cowbells. My lungs and legs suddenly push harder and faster without funds to pay the debt. Ordinarily I would try to stay in the saddle for as long as possible but Im reminded of Eleanors words: If youre in the saddle on those final bends you just look so slow.The fans screaming encouragement in my face and the stark dread of embarrassment combine to winch me up and out of the saddle. With fatigue and lactic bleeding through me like ink on a loo roll, keeping the front wheel pointing straight is hard enough. Im telling my legs to shut up but Im worried they might just shut down instead. The supporters help. The noise distracts. Its a level of exertion that almost prompts disassociation. Almost.A hairs breadthI roll over the line and collapse over the handlebars, sucking in air, the taste of pennies fresh in my mouth. Never in my experience has such a short race felt like such a lifetime.It only strikes me afterwards that riders here have been tasting the blood of their own bursting alveoli on this climb since 1887; thats before aeroplanes, before penicillin, before the World Wars. It feels good to now be part of that history.Before I head home, I get a word with todays mens winner, Matthew Ferguson of Redhill CC, who posted a time of 1min 52.3sec.Michael [Henderson, whom I spoke to earlier] was up fourth so Id seen his time of 1:52.5, he says. Last year I rode 2:01 and came second so I knew I needed a phenomenal ride. I shaved my hair on Friday and since I only beat Michael by two tenths of a second I think that was actually the difference. Catford is special because its the longest-running bike race in the world. Its nice to add my name to that list.Danny BirdThe riders ride: No1Jonathan Shubert, 11th, 2min 10sec, London DynamoThis is a Specialized Tarmac SL6, which is the final rim brake model, and Im using a 44-tooth Osymetric 1x chainring. Im not sure if I buy the gimmick, but at a low cadence on hill climbs I can believe it helps with gearing.Ive done some things to save weight like Cane Creek eeBrakes, Di2 button shifters, a 12 carbon saddle from AliExpress, lights from a dolls house on the rear [this is an official CTT event so lights are compulsory], and it comes in under 6kg. The alloy bars are 520mm across and arent light or aero, but it allows me to pull my body into the bike more and put out far more power.Ive gone for the aero mullet, with a Zipp 302 front wheel and a tub on the back with a box section rim. It has Chris King hubs and Sprint spokes for extra stiffness because Im a heavier rider. The Veloflex Record front tyre is so delicate I wouldnt ride it for anything else. The 30mm Corsa tyre on the back Ive dropped to 50psi to try and avoid wheelspin. Thank God its dry today.Danny BirdThe riders ride: No2Jack OBrien, 5th, 2min 04sec, Rapha Cycling ClubI ride for a team called Parlez and they built this for me. It was shared, but now Im the only one riding hill climbs. Thats why its a size too big, but at 5.1kg it does the job. Its got tubs so its like a fancy pair of underwear you cant use it for anything other than business.The frame comes direct from a Chinese factory. Its a VBR077 and can weigh as little as 765g. Its built with Sram Red, a Ceramic Speed OSPW and a Force crankset at the moment, which is slightly heavier than what I was using previously. The Bontrager Aeolus wheelset is set up with tubular tyres and Cane Creek eeBrakes, which are popular on climbing builds because they weigh about 80g each. Thats hooked up with Jagwire link cables through the MCFK bars, which weigh 147g.The MCFK saddle is 80g, the Hylix seatpost is 130g and to finish it off Ive got stripped lights, carbon quick releases and a 15g Alpitude computer mount with a basic Wahoo. I dont use power either, which saves a bit of weight. I just shut my eyes and hope for the best.The post Uphill struggle: Riding the Catford Hill Climb appeared first on Cyclist.