MORE than 40 riders are preparing for Leigh Premier Cycle Club's Silver Jubilee Hill Climb.

The climb on Frodsham's Mersey View Hill takes places on Sunday.

And, to commemorate 25 years of hard riding, all finishers will receive an anniversary mug featuring an appropriate drawing by local cycle cartoonist John Helms.

The "fun" begins soon after 10am as the intrepid two-wheelers struggle up the 1-in-6 gradients of Howey Lane and Bellemonte Road at one minute intervals.

Defending champ Tom Snape (Liverpool Century RC) is not riding this time and all the attention will be on 1994 winner Mark Turnbull, now riding for VC La Motta.

Leigh Premier will be looking for something special from Simon Bridge, leading their 10-man entry...

Ray Smith, S A Botts, Phil Lowe (schoolboy), P R Ingham, P J Fish, Martin Sackfield, Nathan Turnbull, Bill Fairhurst and Pete Towers.

But there is tough competition. Last year's second and third, Chris Roy (Mansfield RC) and Jamie Hyde (Macclesfield RC), are again riding, as is specialist hill climber Stuart Green (Oldham Century), who had two wins last year and was fifth in the 1994 National Championship.

Record for the 0.8 mile climb is jointly held by Olympic medallist Chris Boardman (1987) and Steve Joughin (1980), both then riding for the Manchester Wheelers.

The team prize should be a close-run affair with Leigh Premier sure to be in the running alongside Oldham Century, Seamons and Weaver Valley.

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