179 yards of Frome’s finest cobbles will be cordoned off to bicycle racers for the first time in over a decade as the Cobble Wobble returns.
After a ten-year long hiatus, Frome’s infamous Cobble Wobble will return to Stony Street and Catherine Hill this August, with dates TBC, but the plan is to go just after the Glasgow UCI Cycling World Championships.
Photos by Tom Rickhuss.
The Frome Cobble ‘World Famous’ bicycle hillclimb sprint up 179 yards of a steep, cobbled hill in the heart of Frome, Somerset.
With the narrowness of the streets, the backdrop of 17th century buildings and a cheering crowd packed along the full length of the course, the Cobble Wobble is like nothing else.
Attracting a wonderful mix of international pro elite athletes from multiple cycling disciplines, and members of the public of all ages, the event is no more about going fast than it is about getting involved and having fun.
The winner of each category along with the 20 fastest overall riders qualify for the prestigious evening spectacular to crown the ‘King & Queen of the Cobbles’, the overall winners of the event.
Created and organised by Andrew Denham since 2009, the event has attracted participants from across the country, and media coverage from across the world. Credited for inspiring events such as the Cobble Hoppel in Germany, and being the inspiration for the Red Bull Hill Chasers event, held in cities across the world.
Starting at the bottom of Stony Street the course takes a sharp turn as it joins Catherine Hill before finishing when the cobbles run out at the top of the hill, 179 yards later. Incredibly narrow and lined with 17th century buildings the course is as impressive to look at as it is to ride.
With thousands of cobbles, varying gradients and that tight turn to contend with, the Cobble Wobble course promises to test the riders strength and skill.
“The Cobble Wobble is to Frome, what Cheese-Rolling is to Brockworth in Gloucester.”
Fastest times:
- 2009 – Neil Cousins – 23.54 seconds
- 2010 – Chris Akrigg – 21.51 seconds
- 2011 – Lewis Lacey – 22.71 seconds
- 2012 – Michal Prokop – 22.96 seconds (wet)
About the organiser:
Andrew is from and still lives in Frome, Somerset. He trained and worked as a mechanical design engineer for 5 years before packing it all in to pursue a life in the bicycle world.
He was the founder of the Black Cannon Collective, the mountain bike club that built many of the trails that later became Windhill Bike Park, in Longleat.
He first organised The Cobble Wobble to celebrate the stage 5 of the 2009 Tour of Britain, which started in Frome, running the event 4 times in total. Later Andrew founded the well-known frame building school, The Bicycle Academy. He ran the business for 10 years before it closed its doors in November 2022, having trained well over 1,000 people how to build bicycles from across the world, many of whom are now award-winning and world-renowned builders.
Andrew is also the man behind the Hack Bike Derby ‘klunker’ event that captured so many people’s imagination in 2016. Rumour has it that this is set to be making a comeback later this year too!
Quote from Event Organiser, Andrew Denham:
“The Cobble Wobble’ is so much more than a race. It’s a big silly party that just happens to be stretched out over 179 yards of cobbled hill. With bikes. And fancy dress. And the odd world champion athlete thrown into the mix. It’s quirky and positively life-affirming.
Having organised 4 events from 2009 to 2012 I took a break to start a new company called The Bicycle Academy. Over the 10 years that TBA was in business I had so many commitments that the event never quite happened. The first event was run with a bit of tape, some radios and a stopwatch, it was charming.
But the following 3 events were so much bigger and fantastical that the low-fi approach just wouldn’t work, as it was just far too popular. Putting on such a thing in the centre of a town isn’t easy, and as far as I’m concerned there just wasn’t any point in considering it unless it could be done properly.
Unfortunately TBA closed its doors in 2022, and while that’s hugely sad, it does mean I’m finally able to create the time to organise The Cobble Wobble, for 2023. So here we are, now in our 40s, organising a great big silly bicycle party on a cobbled hill. All ages are welcome, fancy dress is encouraged (but not mandatory), and the best bit…. Everyone’s invited. We can’t wait!”
What’s changed for 2023?
- We will be crowning a King AND a Queen of the cobbles. Don’t worry if you’re not a royalist, their reign is limited to 0.0001 square miles, and they’ll have no powers other than about 1000 watts, and bragging rights.
- Entry capacity will be significantly increased. With categories selling out within an hour of registration last time, demand is expected to be super high.
- 210 UCI points are available for the winner, on a par with a TDF stage win.
- There will be an e-bike category.
- Some of the cobbles wobble more than they once did. Which ones? Well there are thousands of them, so you’ll just have to find out for yourself. (At least 4 of the 5 on that list are true)
The event is scheduled to take place after the cycling world championships to give our elite riders a chance to warm up at that event. You might laugh but the 2010 KOTC Chris Akrigg was a 6 time national champion, and the 2012 winner Michal Prokop was a reigning World Champion.
