'It was good while it lasted' – Team of national hill-climb champion stripped of prize as two riders disqualified after review
Giles Drake and Dan Evans disqualified over team changes, while Schils-Doltcini RT are the new winners of the overall prize
Two riders, Dan Evans and Giles Drake, have been stripped of their positions in the British National Hill-Climb Championships after being found guilty of violating regulations that prohibit changing teams more than once within a year. The duo, who finished seventh and tenth in the senior open category, respectively, had originally raced for the ASSOS UK Race Team alongside the winner, Ed Laverack.
However, due to their team changes, Evans and Drake are no longer recognized as part of the winning team. Laverack retains his national champion title, having achieved the fastest senior time on Porlock Toll Road, Somerset, on Sunday. The men's team prize, initially awarded to the ASSOS trio, has now been conferred upon Schils-Doltcini RT, with Paddy Clark, Eugene Cross, and Carl Jolly as its representatives.
The fastest on the day was 16-year-old Ezra Bateman from Decathlon CMA CGM Juniors, who narrowly beat Laverack by 0.2 seconds but was not awarded the senior win as he was competing in the junior category. Illi Gardner from Cardiff Ajax CC emerged victorious in the women’s event, while Mabli Phillips from Shibden CC claimed the junior women’s hill climb title.
The announcement of these disqualifications came after a request for a review by Cycling Time Trials (CTT), the organizing body. The CTT's website stated that the riders involved had been informed of their disqualification due to a breach of Regulation 8, which prohibits team or club changes more than once in a calendar year. The trio responsible for the decision acknowledged that this news would be surprising to many, but emphasized that the regulations were put in place to safeguard the integrity of the sport of time trialing.
Upon learning of their disqualification, Evans shared an email from the CTT, expressing his disappointment with the situation, stating, "Oh well, was good while it lasted." The email also informed Evans and Drake that they were required to return their medals to the CTT.
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