SUMMIT IN THE WATER

CHASING THE TIME RECORDS UP EUROPEAN MOUNTAINS IS ON-TREND, AND TWO UK RIDERS ILLI GARDNER AND ED LAVERACK HAVE CAPTURED SOME OF THE MOST PRESTIGIOUS. HERE, THEY SHARE THEIR TIPS

Charlie Allenby

ALPE D’HUEZ. STELVIO. SA CALOBRA. Just the names of these three mountains will pique the interest of any avid road cyclist, and bring back memories of pain and suffering to those who’ve attempted them. But 25-year-old Illi Gardner wasn’t just taking on these monsters for fun. The Brit had the Strava segment’s Queen of the Mountain (QOM) title in her sights. “Alpe d’Huez was one of the first major ones I got,” says Gardner, who’s since added the Stelvio and Zoncolan to her trophy cabinet. The 2024 British hill-climb champ is one of a growing breed of col hunters – riders who head overseas to target some of the most famous (and hardest) climbs. Ex-pro Ed Laverack is another, the 30-year-old Welshman setting the record on Mallorca’s Sa Calobra in…

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Cycling Plus (Digital) - 1 Issue, April 2025

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