ANDREW FEATHER

WHO IS ANDREW FEATHER?

Andrew Feather is the British amateur hill-climb specialist who finished ahead of Tadej Pogačar at the 2024 Pogi Challenge — admittedly with a 6–7 minute head start on a handicap, but at 6.3 W/kg for 44 minutes at age 40, the performance is itself the headline. His career is the cleanest case study in what a true amateur uphill specialist can do, and how the W/kg numbers that win UK national hill climbs compare with what WorldTour climbers are putting out at the very top end.

KEY IDEAS

The major positions Feather is known for in cycling and endurance sport.

• →6.3 W/kg held for 44 minutes at age 40 puts a top UK amateur hill climber inside the same W/kg bracket as a strong WorldTour climber for short uphill durations.
• →Handicap-format climbs are won by the rider whose actual W/kg most exceeds the organiser's assumption — Feather hit 6.2–6.3 vs an estimated 5.5.
• →Net-time over the climb is the real number — Pogačar was about 3.5 minutes quicker than Feather over the 15km, 1,200m ascent.
• →Quinn Simmons' Il Lombardia ride — 355W average across 4+ hours, climbing at 400+W — defines the modern WorldTour ceiling, and Pogačar still caught him with 2.5 minutes to spare.
• →Top amateur W/kg numbers are catching elite numbers for short durations, but the 4-hour durability gap is what still separates the categories.