Video: Hovis boy finally conquers Gold Hill in Dorset at the age of 58 – thanks to an e-bike

Carl Barlow, the boy who pushed his bike up the cobbled hill in Ridley Scott’s 1973 Hovis advert has finally conquered it in the saddle. The 57-year-old retired firefighter recently scaled Gold Hill in Shaftesbury, Dorset, on an electric bike.

“Get it inside you, boy, and you’ll be going up that hill as fast as you come down,” was the advice given to the loaf-carrying boy in the original ad.

However, it was actually a collaboration between Hovis and Evans Cycles which finally resulted in Barlow almost effortlessly riding up the slope on a Pinnacle e-bike, 44 years after that famous footage was shot. Needless to say, he also recreated the feet-off-the-pedals descent.

Hell on Hovis Hill

“How do you defeat one of Britain’s steepest commutes without breaking a sweat?” is the question, at the end of the video, which promotes a wider study into how e-bikes could persuade more people to cycle commute.

Sir Ridley Scott's first film was all about the bike - and now you can watch it online

Evans says that concerns about the time taken to make a journey and fears of arriving at work hot and sweaty could become a thing of the past.

They also highlight the cost, claiming that the average one-off cost of an e-bike of £1,484 means that the average commuter would save an annual £1,885 by switching from cars or public transport.

Evans’ research also echoes previous studies that have indicated that active commuting reduces stress.