The fastest man at the British National Hill-Climbing Championships was not awarded the overall win due to being a junior rider.
Nationals took place on Porlock Toll Road in Somerset on Sunday, with the fastest time of the day set by 16-year-old Ezra Bateman, but the rider from Scarborough didn’t appear atop the Open podium.
Bateman, who will turn 17 next week, stopped the clock at the top of the 6.6km-long hill climb after 14 minutes and 31 seconds, registering a time that was 0.2 seconds faster than that of Ed Laverack (Assos UK Race Team), who was crowned the winner of the open category for the second time in his career.
Riding in the familiar colours of Decathlon CMA CGM Juniors, Bateman was the last of the juniors to set off on Sunday, when climbers had to contend with extremely gusty conditions as they scaled the steep flanks of Exmoor’s tallest hill, amid the aftermath of Storm Boelo.
Up out of the saddle for much of the long course (6.6km with an average gradient of 5.5%), he caught and passed numerous other riders enroute to victory and beat his nearest rival in the junior category by almost half a minute. However, the second-placed junior, Oliver Swinburn (Velo Club Lincoln), finished in a very impressive time of 14:58, making his the fourth fastest ride of the whole day.
But Neither Bateman nor Swinburn will appear in the Open results, because the senior and junior races are separate events, despite being ridden concurrently, a situation that has caused a flurry of comments on social media.
Bateman took the decision with a degree maturity that shines through in performances on the bike, and when asked by The British Continental whether he should have been awarded the Open championship title, he said: “To be honest, no, because it’s a different category. Even if I set the fastest time, the two categories are different.”
"Ezra Bateman's achievement in recording the fastest time of the day, and becoming Junior Open National Hill Climb Champion, at just 16 years old was exceptional and highlights the exciting young talent coming through our sport," Tim Smith, the new Chair of the CTT, told Cycling Weekly.
"Equally, congratulations to Ed Laverack on becoming Senior Open National Hill Climb Champion for the second time, a fantastic achievement in an incredibly competitive field.
"Age categories have long been an important part of CTT's history and heritage, providing opportunities for riders of all ages to compete, gain recognition and achieve success at national level. They are part of what makes time trialling such an inclusive and accessible sport.
Addressing the question of why Bateman wasn't awarded the overall title, Smith said: “It's all run as one event, but within that event there are different categories and different National Championships. So we have the junior National Championships, the open National Championships, the women's National Championships and the junior women's National Championships.
“Those are the titles we award. And when you enter, the system allocates you to a category based on your gender and your and your age. That's why Ezra was put into the junior category.”
“These things will happen, when you have someone who is clearly as extremely talented as he [Bateman] is,” Smith continued. “I know it was discussed in previous years for the hill climb, when it was thought Harry Hudson might win it. But that didn't happen in the end.
“We have had similar scenarios. even earlier this year, with Leon Adkins, when he won the junior closed circuit at the Road Bike Champs. He won the junior, but his time was good enough that it would have given him third place in the overall as well. He was given junior national champion as opposed to the third in the overall.”
With his 17th birthday falling next week, will have to wait until 2028 to see Bateman race in the Open ranks, but clearly a powerful force is coming.
In the other categories, Illi Gardner (Cardiff Ajax CC) won the women’s event, while Mabli Phillips (Shibden CC) claimed the junior women’s hill climb title. Full reports to come. Christopher Scott was crowned Para Champion, and Geoff Pickin the 2026 Handcycle Champion.