OXENHOLME cyclist Lynn Hamel had to settle for second place in Sunday's National Hill Climb Championship at Cheddar Gorge, in Somerset.

Her title ambitions were dashed by Caroline Kloiber, who recently returned from a season of racing with the Chirio Foron D'Asolo elite women's team in Italy.

She stormed up the 2.1 miles course to finish in 39th overall, beating many well known male climbers in the process.

Her winning time was 8mins 00.3secs compared to Lynn's 8-23.9 but the GreenRoom-Group.com and Kent Valley Road Club rider had the consolation of another national second place to add to her runners-up placing in the season-long British Best All-Rounder time trialling competition.

The men's winner was James Dobbin (Arctic Shorter Rochford RT) who rode the climb in 6-51.5 but there was a local double success in the supporting age group categories with Burton-in-Kendal's Calum Nicholson (Probikekit) racing to the national junior title with an 8-04.1 clocking, and Levens 14-year-old Jonathon Knox (Kent Valley RC) taking the juvenile crown in 8-17.8.

Border City Wheelers' veteran Carlo Berton, from Windermere, finished 59th overall in 8-18.9.