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UK hill-climb racing recorded 4,650 event participations this year, a 19.6% rise from last year, according to figures shared with Cycling Weekly by Spindata. The number of individual riders increased from 1,699 to 2,214, while Cycling Time Trials says it is considering how to sustain the growth and adapt lessons for other events.
UK hill-climb racing recorded 4,650 event participations this year, up 19.6% from last year, according to figures Spindata shared with Cycling Weekly. The number of individual riders rose more than 30%, from 1,699 to 2,214, making the short, timed races a rare part of UK cycling competition to show strong growth amid broader difficulties attracting entrants.
The reported total counts event participations, rather than unique riders: it increased 19.6% year over year and 17.8% compared with 2024. The rise in individual competitors was larger. Spindata’s figures put this year’s total at 2,214 riders, compared with 1,699 last year.
The individual-rider count is approaching the discipline’s reported 10-year high of 2,300 in 2018. The figures indicate a substantial recovery in hill-climbing participation, but do not establish why riders have returned or whether the increase will continue.
Tim Smith, chair of Cycling Time Trials (CTT), the UK governing body for time trialling and hill-climbing, described the increase as encouraging. He said the organisation wants to understand what is driving participation and look for ways to maintain momentum, including opportunities to apply lessons to other types of time-trial events.
Why Short Hill Races Are Drawing Riders
The figures stand out against a wider participation problem described by Cycling Weekly: organisers of road races and time trials have struggled with lower entry numbers and the challenge of rebuilding them after the pandemic. Hill-climbing’s rise offers a contrasting result, although the available figures do not show that the same approach would work across other disciplines.
The format may lower some barriers to trying competition. Races are short, and riders generally need only climb to the finish; events often last a few minutes. The report also describes roadside spectators and the close gathering of riders and supporters as part of the experience. These qualities may help make a race feel both demanding and manageable for newcomers, but that explanation is not proven by participation totals alone.
CTT also points to closed-road events as a controlled setting in which younger riders can experience competition. If the growth holds, it could give clubs and organisers a useful example as they work to attract entrants to other events.
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A Distinctive Branch of Time Trialling
Hill-climbing is a form of racing against the clock on a short, steep course. Cycling Weekly characterises it as an eccentric, distinctly British niche, with events often featuring steep roads and riders’ customised bikes. Its size and format differ from longer road races and traditional time trials.
The participation figures come from Spindata and were shared with Cycling Weekly. The article says that competitive cycling more broadly has faced a post-pandemic reluctance among riders to enter events, affecting both road-race and time-trial organisers. It provides comparisons for hill-climb events across this year, last year and 2024, as well as the 2018 high for individual riders.
Smith credited the growth in part to the work of clubs, promoters and volunteers. His comments identify the people involved in running events, but the supplied reporting does not quantify their contributions or identify specific changes that drove the increase.
“We’re really encouraged to see such a significant increase in participation in hill-climb events.”
— Tim Smith, chair of Cycling Time Trials, speaking to Cycling Weekly
What the Participation Figures Cannot Show
The figures establish changes in event participations and individual rider numbers, but the report does not explain what caused them. The proposed appeal of short races, closed roads and a social atmosphere is a possible explanation, not a demonstrated finding from the data.
It is also unclear whether the rise reflects sustained new participation, returning riders, changes in the number of events, or some combination of factors. The supplied information does not give a full breakdown by age, location, event size or repeat entries. The 4,650 participation count should not be read as a count of unique cyclists.
CTT has said it wants to identify ways to maintain growth, but has not set out specific measures, targets or a timeline in the reported comments. The figures also do not establish whether other kinds of time trials are seeing a similar improvement.
CTT’s Plans to Maintain Growth
CTT says it is looking at how to sustain hill-climb participation and whether approaches that work for the discipline can be adapted for other time-trial events. Smith also highlighted the role of clubs, promoters and volunteers in creating opportunities to race.
No specific initiative or next milestone was announced in the report. Further participation figures would show whether the current rise continues, while details from CTT on its plans could clarify how it intends to support events and broaden access.
Key Questions
How many people took part in UK hill-climb racing?
Spindata figures shared with Cycling Weekly put the number of individual riders at 2,214 this year, up from 1,699 last year. The separate total of 4,650 counts event participations, not unique people.
How much did hill-climb participation increase?
Event participations rose 19.6% from last year and 17.8% compared with 2024. Individual riders increased by more than 30% year over year, from 1,699 to 2,214.
Why might hill-climb racing appeal to new riders?
The format is short and timed, with riders climbing to a finish that often takes only a few minutes to reach. Cycling Weekly also points to spectators and a social atmosphere. These are suggested reasons for the discipline’s appeal, not confirmed causes of the increase.
What is Cycling Time Trials doing about the rise?
CTT chair Tim Smith said the organisation is looking at ways to sustain the growth and identify opportunities to apply successful ideas to other types of time-trial events. No specific plan or timetable was reported.
Source: cyclingweekly.com
