Hill rides to sixth at gravel world championships

Wangaratta cyclist Paul Hill has produced the best result of his career, finishing sixth in the men’s 55-59 age group at the UCI Gravel World Championships in Nannup, Western Australia last weekend. The 55-year-old said he was “pretty ecstatic” after the 125km race, which featured about 3000 metres of climbing, with riders repeatedly tackling steep ascents and fast gravel descents. “It was a bit of a shock, a total surprise,” he said. “I just didn’t think I’d be as high up as that, to be honest. “It’s a tough, tough course." Hill said he made a good start and was climbing and descending well, while his bike set-up allowed him to stay with several rivals in his age group. He said the descents could be “a bit hairy” and “a bit scary”, but he was able to ride them well and remain in contention as the field began to split. After the leading riders opened a gap, Hill became part of a four-rider contest for the minor placings. He tried to break clear on the final climb, before an American rider who rode with Lance Armstrong edged him in the sprint for fifth. “Fifth was just half a second away,” Hill said. The narrow margin briefly left him frustrated, but that feeling disappeared once the scale of the overall result became clear. He initially did not know where he had finished because riders from different age groups were mixed together on the course. A friend delivered the news that he had placed sixth. “I was a little bit emotional, and very, very happy and relieved,” Hill said. The race was the end point of months of preparation and weeks in which the championship had occupied much of his thinking. Hill qualified for the championships by finishing third in his age group at Gravelista in Seymour last year. That result gave him a place at the world championships and a clear target for the following season. Hill maintained his fitness before sharpening his program in the final two to three months. His preparation intensified over the final two to three months, with the last six weeks including 12 to 15 hours on the bike each week. Rehabilitation, stretching and weight-bearing work pushed his total training commitment to about 20 hours a week. Hill said much of the build-up came through winter, when dark mornings and cold conditions made long hours on the bike more difficult. "It's bloody dark and cold, so it's not really inviting to get out on a bike," he said. A former triathlete and road cyclist, Hill said gravel racing appealed because it was more individual than road racing and opened up quieter routes away from busy roads. Hill’s endurance background stretches back years, having competed in triathlons before moving further into road cycling when running was no longer an option, then bought a gravel bike as the discipline began to grow. He has raced gravel seriously for the past two or three years and said the format quickly suited him. "It was just a different mode of cycling for me and it really clicked," he said. "Unlike road racing, where riders can gain a significant advantage by working in a bunch, gravel competition demanded a more individual effort. "Riding close behind another competitor could also carry greater risk on an uneven surface because it limited a rider’s view of bumps and changes in the road ahead. "I bought a gravel bike there a few years ago and just took to it, I love it." He said the dirt roads around Wangaratta, Eldorado, Beechworth and the Warby Ranges made the area well suited to the discipline. For Hill, that local network is one of gravel cycling’s biggest attractions. The wider tyres of a gravel bike allow riders to leave sealed roads behind and explore the region’s quieter dirt routes. “They just open up so many avenues of cycling, especially around Wangaratta,” Hill said. Hill said sixth in the world was his best result, surpassing an 11th-place age-group finish in triathlon when he was in his 40s. "You go through all the emotions in the build up to the race," he said. "Over the couple of weeks prior you get a bit stressed and I drove over the Nullarbor so my back was pulling up a bit sore from sitting in the car for so long. "But it all came to fruition on the day." After the intensity of the build-up and the race itself, Hill said he was ready to let the holiday begin, relax with a few beers on the beach and enjoy a result he had not expected.