Illi Gardner | |
Fullname: | Illi Cerys Gardner |
Birth Date: | 14 October 1999 |
Discipline: | Road |
Role: | Rider |
Ridertype: | Climber |
Amateuryears1: | 2017 |
Amateurteam1: | Cardiff Ajax CC |
Amateuryears2: | 2018 |
Amateurteam2: | YRDP |
Amateuryears3: | 2019 |
Proyears1: | 2020–2021 |
Proteam1: | [1] |
Illi Cerys Gardner (; born 14 October 1999) is a British professional racing cyclist.
On 14 August 2021 she set a new women's world Everesting record of 8 hours 33 minutes and 47 seconds, beating Emma Pooley's 2020 record by almost 20 minutes by riding up and down Bwlch y Groes 72 times.[2] [3]
On 23 July 2022 she set a further women's world Everesting record of 8 hours 3 minutes and 29 seconds, improving on her previous record by over 30 minutes by riding up and down the Crowcombe climb 59 times.[4]
On 30th October 2022 she won the National Hill Climb Championships[5] by over 23 seconds at the Old Shoe climb near Llangollen in North Wales.
In 2023 she won the first edition of the Championnats d’Europe des Grimpeurs, which took place in Switzerland on the legendary 12,780 metre climb from Airolo to the 2091-metre-high Gotthard Pass.[6]
On 29th October 2023 she won the National Hill Climb Championships[7] for the second time by 59 seconds at the Struggle climb to Kirkstone Pass ascending from Ambleside in Cumbria.