Gullen takes three wins in Yorkshire

James Gullen (Hope Factory Racing) bagged three victories in hill-climbs in Yorkshire over the weekend, but had to settle for second in another over the border in Lancashire.

The 24-year-old, who is from Leeds but lives in Lancaster, started his weekend in style on Saturday when he won both stages of the Yorkshire Road Club climbs of Weardley Bank near Eccup in West Yorkshire.

He won the shorter climb by seven seconds, clocking 2-01.4 to take the win from Sam Ward (Dirtwheels Cycles), while David Watson (Coventry CC) took third.

He also won the longer climb with 4-43.1, but Ward and Watson switched places for the second climb, Watson edging out Ward by 0.6sec.

Gullen then rode the North Lancashire Road Club climb of Nick O'Pendle on Sunday morning, but he was pushed into second spot by Matt Pilkington (Metaltek-Knights of Old) who clocked 3-38.1 to win by 5.3sec from Gullen, while former national champion Jim Henderson (Southport CC) was third, another 14sec off the pace.

But Gullen returned to winning ways when he came back over the border for Yorkshire Road Club's event on Sunday on Cragg Vale.

He clocked 16-18.4 for the 4.81-mile climb, winning by seven seconds from Richard Handley (Rapha Condor-JLT), with Sam Ward (Dirtwheels Cycles) taking third.

Fourth spot went to Pete Greenwood (Clayton Velo) who defied his 62 years of age to cover the course in 18-39.4 despite wet conditions and a headwind.

Elsewhere, there was a double winning weekend for Bristol Road Club's Ben Davis.

He won the Team Tor 2000 climb near Priddy in Somerset on Saturday by six seconds from Charles Coleman (VC Walcot) on the 1.979-kilometre Westclose Hill climb.

He then rode Sunday's Bristol South CC climb of Burrington Combe, where he clocked 7-33.6 to win by four seconds from Liam Glen (Wheelbase) with Paul Jones (Bristol CC) another ten seconds off the pace in third.

Near Gateshead, Ian Taylor (Ciclocostablanca.com) won the Sunderland Clarion Peter Foster Memorial climb of Silverhills on Sunday in a new course record time.

He clocked 7-16.5sec to win by just 0.3sec from Nick Spencer (Gosforth RC), while junior Luke Mullen (Hetton Hawks) took third, another 2.3sec off the pace.

And in Derbyshire, there were victories in the Matlock CC climbs for James Allen (Langsett Cycles) on Bank Road and Adam Kenway (Team Zenith) on the Riber climb.

Allen clocked 1-52.6 to win on Bank Road by 2.1sec, while Kenway finished fourth behind runner-up Lee Baldwin (Buxton CC) and Matt Clinton (Mike Vaughan Cycles).

But on the longer Riber climb Kenway raced to victory in 3-39.5, 3.5sec quicker than Lee Baldwin , with Allen third.