When Bithja Jones sets off for 'seven minutes of pain and oxygen debt' at 12:42pm today, she'll be racing for more than just another victory... cycling
Today, on Sunday 30th of October at 12:42, I will be entering into seven minutes of pain and oxygen debt, racing up the Old Shoe in the National Hill Climb Championship in Llangollen together with 400 other riders, 70 of whom are women. My aim is to defend my title.
It’s not always been like this. Women only started racing at the National Hill Climb Championship as late as 1998! And it took even longer before we had a first officially recognised women’s champion 2003. And in 2012, silver and bronze medals were awarded to the women for the first time in history. We have come a long way in that short time.
The following year, the epic race up Winnats had 60 female competitors out of 300 overall. The organisers had put the female riders last to show their respect to the women’s race. I was the last rider up. Some spectators started leaving the hill after the fastest men had finished their rides, thinking the race was over.
My eight-year-old daughter has raced in two hill climbs. She wants to become National Champion. I hope measures like this will be unnecessary when she rides her first National Championship.