Cyclists to take part in post-Christmas hill climb

The event has been taking place since 2017

Dozens of cyclists are set to take on a post-Christmas challenge by slogging their way up a steep street in Derbyshire.

The annual Boxing Day Hill Climb starts at the bottom of Ilkeston's Bath Street and finishes in the Market Place.

Erewash Borough Council will close the route, which features a gradient of 5%, to traffic between 08:00 and 14:00 GMT on Thursday.

The event will raise money for Ben's Den charity, which provides holidays for children with cancer.

'A festive tradition'

Event organiser David Nunn, from Ilkeston Cycle Club, said: "It's a great way to sweat off yesterday's dinner."

He said the event was "always fun" with "loads of people" coming to watch every year.

Josy Hare, the borough council's lead member for health and wellbeing, said: "The Boxing Day Hill Climb has become a great festive tradition and is the perfect way to shake off the effects of too much turkey and Christmas pud."