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Lakes Goes No-Stop |
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Well, there’s no doubt that some subjects generate more responses than others, judging by last week’s column about observing in no-stop trials.
It’s been the best response to my ramblings for ages – I thought everybody had gone to sleep!
It looks as if my first comments this week should be to apologise to Andrew Brown for damaging one of his Sherco banners. I wasn’t even aware that I had damaged one of his banners, but judging by my performance on the section in question where I was an embarrassment to all and sundry (including myself), it could well have been me. But it certainly wasn’t deliberate, just a result of a combination of a muddy hill and what I quickly realised was a flat tyre. So, sorry AG and by the way, those steel rods holding the banners in place did my knuckles no good at all!
The responses totalled 31 by the time I have got round to writing this week’s column, and even I can read between the lines on this one and it seems as if the majority of posters prefer no-stop trials. And no-stop is how I have been brought up so perhaps the time is coming when the sport goes full circle and every trial, everywhere will eventually be no-stop.
Whilst I can accept different points of view over this subject, I do want to point out that I was not making any direct criticism of the Reeth trial. It is what it is, and I ride plenty of Richmond trials by choice and know only too well that no-stop is the way they run. It certainly won’t stop me entering their events, nor those of other clubs that run no-stop.
In fact I heard only today that the Lakes Two Day in October is going no-stop, which is totally different to the way most trials in the Northern Centre are run. There was a meeting last Monday evening to discuss this year’s trial and following the recent change in trials regulations, it was felt by those present that to accommodate 180 riders, using punch cards, and with a high percentage of good riders (i.e. those that can balance for ages), it would be preferable to make the trial no-stop.
As I type this late on Sunday evening, I see from the results of the British Championship trial at Brimham Rocks, that Dougie Lampkin has badly injured his hand. Doug is having a rough time of it these days, following his nasty crack on the head at Erzberg, and a hand injury necessitating surgery is something he certainly doesn’t need.
I’ve said in this column in the past that frequently it’s trials riders who can turn their hands to other forms of off-road bike sport and be successful, yet asking a motocrosser or a road racer to tackle trials is sometimes just too much of a challenge – though not always. I was at Barbon speed hill climb for a short while on Saturday afternoon and two of the fastest guys there were former regular trials riders Neil Crayston and Simon Walker, which simply proves my point about trials men being able to adapt to other aspects of sport.
Another thing mentioned before here – though not recently – is my concern that this column and arguably Trials Central itself, is very much northern biased. We recognise only too well that there is trialing elsewhere in the country and we would like to hear more from clubs and riders “dahn sarf”. I came north from Devon where I know there are some great trials. It would be good to hear from the lads that way, if only to remind me what trials are on and where they are held.
How about it?
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