'It was good while it lasted' – Team of national hill-climb champion stripped of prize as two riders disqualified after review

Two riders have been disqualified from the British National Hill-Climb Championships after they were found to have breached regulations for changing their teams more than once in a year, it was announced on Wednesday.

Dan Evans and Giles Drake, who finished seventh and 10th in the senior open category, both raced for the ASSOS UK Race Team, alongside the winner, Ed Laverack, but Evans and Drake have now been stripped from the record. Laverack is still national champion, after setting the fastest senior time on Porlock Toll Road, Somerset on Sunday.

The men's team prize, originally awarded to the ASSOS trio, has now been awarded to Schils-Doltcini RT, with Paddy Clark, Eugene Cross and Carl Jolly. The prize is calculated on cumulative time of the best three riders from one squad.

Fastest on the day was 16-year-old Ezra Bateman (Decathlon CMA CGM Juniors), who beat Laverack by 0.2 seconds, but was not awarded the senior win as he was racing in the junior category. Illi Gardner (Cardiff Ajax CC) won the women’s event, while Mabli Phillips (Shibden CC) claimed the junior women’s hill climb title.

Wednesday's revelation came after a review was requested, the organising body, Cycling Time Trials (CTT), said in a statement.

A post on CTT's website reads: "A full write up of the RTTC National Hill Climb Championship Outcomes has been delayed due to some administrative issues which have arisen due to a breach of CTT Regulations. The riders involved have now been informed that following a breach of Regulation 8, which prohibits changing clubs/teams more than once in a calendar year, that they have been disqualified.

"This means that team ASSOS UK Race Team have been disqualified and are not the team champions for the RTTC National Hill Climb. As a result, team Schils-Doltcini RT are the [men's] team champions for the RTTC National Hill Climb.

"It is appreciated that this news will come as a surprise but the Regulations of CTT exist to protect the integrity of the sport of time trialing and a thorough review of the circumstances has been carried out following a request."

In a story on Instagram, Evans revealed the email that had been sent to him regarding his disqualification, under which he commented: "Oh well, was good while it lasted."

The email documented how Evans had changed teams from ASSOS to Black Cat CC in February, before changing back to ASSOS in September. Meanwhile, Drake changed teams from Wheelbase Cabtech Castelli to Port Sunlight Wheelers in July, before changing to ASSOS in October.

The pair were also asked to return their medals to the CTT. The email concludes: "I appreciate you will find this very disappointing but the regulations exist for the good governance and management of time trialing in the UK."