Harry MacFarlane (Rule 28 Outliers) retained his UK National Hill Climb Championship crown and smashed the course record with an astonishing effort up Matlock’s infamous Bank Road on Sunday.
MacFarlane blasted up the 834m climb – which averages a leg-shredding 14 per cent – in 2 minutes 14.7 seconds, beating Andrew Feather to the top spot, while Rachel Galler (FTP Fulfil The Potential RT) claimed the women’s crown against pre-race favourite Illi Gardner (Cardiff Ajax CC) in 2 minutes 59.8 seconds.
So just how fast and powerful was MacFarlane’s winning ride? Here’s the champion’s astonishing effort in six numbers.
2:14.7
MacFarlane’s winning time set a new course record on Bank Road, one of the steepest and most iconic climbs in the British hill climb calendar. Averaging 14 per cent and ramping into the high teens through Matlock’s town centre, it’s a short, savage ascent that leaves no room for error.
Matlock last hosted the National Championships in 2016, when Adam Kenway won the men's title with a time of 2 minutes and 18.2 seconds.
4.8
Hill climb racing is as much about perfecting the bike as the body, and MacFarlane's approach to this year's race was no different, stripping his Trek Émonda back to a feathery 4.8kg.
707
That’s the enormous average power MacFarlane sustained for the length of the climb.
The data, recorded using a single-sided Favero Assioma power meter, represents a personal best for MacFarlane. “It was a power PB by a long shot – I can only pull something out of the bag like that once a year,” he told BikeRadar.
9.9
Based on his last recorded weight of 71kg, MacFarlane’s ride equates to a power-to-weight ratio of 9.9W/kg.
That’s an extraordinary figure, even by elite standards, and one that underlines the performance required to win.
23.3
MacFarlane averaged 23.3km/h over the 834m climb. On a gradient that rarely dips below double digits, that pace is remarkable.
720
His ride also set a new personal best for two-minute power, peaking at 720W. MacFarlane tells us his power “dropped right off” in the final 20 seconds, but the damage to the field had already been done, putting 5 seconds into Andrew Feather's time.
More from the 2025 UK Hill Climb National Championships
- Don't try this at home! I love these super sketchy hacked eTap shifters
- This 14-year-old's budget weight-weenie bike weighs 5.7kg, has AliExpress parts and features ‘uphill brakes’
- A £150 bike with £4,799 wheels: this veteran rider's hill climb bike won my heart
- 'The hipsters rocked up' – how Britain’s #1 hill climb expert turned a London fixie into a race bike
