Trials Blog - Let's try that again, shall we? - Trials UK

Trials Blog - Let's try that again, shall we?

• 31st January 2010
• Read Comments

I got a call last night from Nige who said he fancied coming and observing at the next trial, which just happened to be the following day, again at Tong. 

It was another really cold day.  The ice wasn’t quite as bad as the trial before Christmas, but it wasn’t much better.   Nige was given section 2 to observe so he and I had a good look at the section just to see where the riders had to go and in honesty, it didn’t look too bad.  I met up with Gaz and Simon (a customer of mine who’s now become a friend) as we were going to ride the trial together. 

Section 1 was packed, so we thought we would start on section 2 – Nige’s section.  I went first and just rode it badly.  I got my front wheel lodged between 2 rocks and went kind of over the handlebars as the bike came to a sudden halt.  It wasn’t a bad fall, but it was enough to knock my confidence.  Simon and Gaz cleared the section.  Onto section 3 then, where we had to start on a hill, traverse round a tree, into a stream, out of the stream up and over some roots and drop down into another stream over some more roots.  The ground was slippery, I was riding stiff and, as I went over the second set of tree roots my bike just jack-knifed.  I was off, but worst of all, it was into the stream, on my back with the bike lying on top of me.

Two sections, two offs.  Wet, cold and feeling incapable of riding even the simplest of sections.

The lads could see that my confidence was shot to pieces so did their level best to encourage me at every opportunity.  It was good of them to do that but by the end of the first lap of 10, having been off another time, I thought enough was enough and I went to join Nige on section 2 for a chat. 

As it was I spent very little time chatting because as wet wheels hit cold rocks the section was beginning to freeze up and had become increasingly treacherous.  In fact, it got so bad that I had to act as minder for many of the riders, catching their bikes as they failed to get enough traction to make the exit (up and over a rock). 

Simon was one who would need my help.  He somehow timed it badly and hit the rock without any lift on his front wheel.  As the forks compressed, he started to go over the handlebars but the bike stood up on its back wheel and threw Simon up, so he was now horizontal with the ground.  I couldn’t get to him quickly enough before momentum stopped and gravity took over.  Si came crashing to the ground, landing fully horizontally face first on the ground.  His brand new, 2 day old Sherco lost its rear mudguard and there was the sickening sound of new metal grinding on very old rock. 

Result:  1 bruised chest, 1 broken finger and 1 broken mudguard.

I’m so glad I retired!