Trials Blog - My Best Yet - Trials UK

Trials Blog - My Best Yet

• 12th December 2010
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It seems an age since I wrote my last blog - and it is. It's been over a month, but in that time I have hardly been able to ride, largely due to the adverse weather we've been having here in the UK, and particularly up North. I could have written about the snowball fights we had, the snowman we made in the garden (with breasts, much to the amusement of my 15 year old son) or the fun I've had trying to drive in 12 inches of snow, but I didn't think anyone would be interested.

On to this weekend then, and miraculously we managed to complete a trial. Had you asked me on Wednesday if I thought the trial would have been going ahead I would have told you, without question, that there's no way on earth we would be able to ride this weekend, but we hit near tropical temperatures on Thursday and Friday and I'm chuffed to say that we had a ride this weekend. And for me, what a ride it was.

The venue was Deer Park near Bingley in West Yorkshire. It's not a big place - instead I'd describe it as three long 100 meter wide fields with a high slope at one side, the slope being peppered with jagged rocks and small boulders. It's a long thin venue and it's popular with riders because, no matter how hard they make the trial, you're unlikely to hurt yourself. So, bad news for those on Spud Watch (I'm delighted to announce that both my potatoes are in marvellous, undamaged working order), but great news for those on Rick Watch as my old adversary was out for a ride on his shiny new Gasser. 

It was a cold morning, but the venue offers loads of grip if you ride without screaming the knackers off your bike. So, to section 1 and I find myself behind a pack of about half a dozen riders who were all on twin shock bikes. Honestly, it was like being back in 1982. There was TY250's, Fantics. Honda TLR's, Triumph Cubs - the lot. My bike looked positively brand new in comparison.

I followed these chaps round nice and slowly and admired the way they all rode. Nice and steady with no dramatics...so I did the same. Well, by section 6 I think I had only dropped one mark. What on earth was going on? I was riding like an ageing and slightly grey Adam Raga (rather than like his Nan, which seems to be the norm for me). Then onto the section which really buggered things up for me. It was section 7 - a steady drop down from the highest point of the rocky side, then back up in a weird S shape. Could I get it right? Could I Hell. 3 marks there and on to the next section. Cleaned 8, 9 and 10 for a lap of 4. I don't think I have ever done a lap of 4 at a Horsforth trial before (assuming I've got my sums right). This was mad.

Of course, it wasn't to last as I had a shocker of a second lap and not a great 3rd, dropping a 5 (for riding like Raga's Nan again) and picking up another 3 on section 7. I'm trying to remember how I went on on the last lap but can't seem to work it out. I have a feeling that I have done the trial in something like 22 which, if true, is utterly, mind-blowingly awesome for me. Moreso given that I had the stupid 5 on my card.

After a sustained period of being nothing but shite, am I turning into a real trials rider?

I literally can't wait for the results to come through to see how I've done and to find out Rick's score. Considering he was on a brand new bike, he looked to be having a great ride.

I'm going to have to let you all know in a in update just how I did - and how Rick did.  Wish me luck!

UPDATE: Oh My God. 19. I scored 19.  One, Nine. Nineteen. To quote Paul Hardcastle, n,n,n,n,n,n nineteen.

Rick scored an admirable 26, so a good score for both of us, but 19!

Move over Raga's Nan. Move over Adam Raga!

Pictures: Top- Simon "Bou" Green. Middle- Mike "Raga's Nan" Warren