History So Far Of The Wigmore CC Annual Open Hill Climb

Doug Laidlow writes on the history of the Wigmore CC Annual Open Hill Climb event...

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Way back in 1973 the Wigmore Cycling Club were quite disappointed when their Annual gut buster on Thurnham Hill near Maidstone attracted just three club members. The Hill Climb was being held on a Saturday afternoon so I suggested that if it was on a Sunday morning then I would lead the club run to Thurnham and we would all take part.

Roy Mace And Doug Laidlow At Sign On

I just hate hills but having suggested it, I was honour bound to participate. 16 rode that morning and from there it developed into an inter club the following year with the Medway Velo Club. From memory over 30 riders participated. And so, from that the Wigmore Cycling Club Open Hill Climb was born in 1976. An encouraging 38 riders entered and the first winner of the event held then on Cold Blow Lane was Bob Smith (Folkestone CC).

1977 could have been a disaster. We had accepted an offer of some equipment to add to the prize list. In return we needed to place a banner across the road at the bottom and another at the top of the hill. 62 entries came along for that one. Halfway through the event riders stopped appearing. Cause of that was a large lorry needing to come up the narrow lane and the banner was not high enough. So it was removed and the event continued. Problem then at the summit. That banner was tied to a tree and a pole attached to one leg of the refreshment table. Just stopped the vehicle in time. Tom Wilson (CC Orpington) won that year. Ironically as the presentation was being made the lorry returned. It had come up the wrong North Downs hill.

The event progressed averaging out about 40 riders. Three victories for San Fairy Ann's Phil Mason and five for Medway Velo Club rider Martin Macgregor. Then came a very poor year indeed in 1992. Just 23 entries and the promoting club provided 19 of them. A young lad by the name of Stephen Castle had not long joined the Wigmore CC and this was his first event. He was to be the winner on a depressingly wet morning.

Riders And Spectators Re-fuel

Up until then the event had been aided by the use of a parking area at the summit, courtesy of an elderly farmer Mr Button. Now he had passed on and his descendants did not appear so amicable. In conversation with the late Les Ambrose of the Medway Velo Club who had been my main timekeeper from the outset, suggested that Hollingbourne would be the best hill around providing that I could find an HQ area. It was just a couple of hills along and adjacent to the one we had been using. First thoughts were that the hill would be too easy. Then, what I was really looking for was people to enter that would be capable of climbing it. That a 1 in 8 average over 1400 yards was more likely to attract riders. A visit to the hill and a look around and I was very fortunate to find a local who was quite happy to let us use a piece of land as an HQ. Four years on and Melvyn moved away and a young cycling minded Simon Hill was the new owner.

Continued ...

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