Getting excited now, eh?? Remember what I said many weeks ago (look back to find it) but remember now for one last time, give it a go for all its worth and finally, folks there will be able to HELP, nobody is going to knock you back or discourage you; it's the best sport for camaraderie you will find. It's hard graft, but oh so worth it.
This is what I did last year. Leanachan until about 10ish, drive down to Aluminium works at Kinlochleven, then walked up to Coire Mhorair and stayed for about 90 minutes (by the way the walk is not much more than 25 minutes and it's a darn sight easier walking up the LEFT hand side of the pipes rather that the stoney track), then took a quick look at Garbh Bheinn which is literally at the side of the road, 10 minutes was long enough as it was dead easy, then spent the rest of the day at Lagnaha.
Walking out to Blackwater is a good 55 minutes each way and as I was there four weeks ago for the Ian Pollock, I've already seen it this year, and it looked to be much easier than it has been in the past (even though I fived it twice!!)
Anybody seen the results yet, what a disaster, they couldn't have got it more wrong. Observers didn't know what classes should be riding what section leading to riders riding the wrong flags as there was no identification on the bikes to show where they should be going; and 32 riders excluded for "missing" sections where in most cases they will have ridden them but the observers have not written down any score. Exclusion is the wrong penalty according to Normandale regs, ten marks is the correct penalty for "missing" a section. Biggest mess up at a trial I have ridden in for years. Experienced clubs should know better and I expect loads and loads of complaints.
Message to Yoram - you'll have your hands full riding the Scottish as is without worrying about fuel. If in doubt, fit a Hebo tank and be done with it, you won't notice the weight, all those huge rocks, long moors, miles of road will take your mind off a couple of pounds at the front of the bike.
Do it, do it, do it, do it. If you can get an entry do it.
The only fitness you need is bike fitness. I can't run upstairs, but I can ride a bike across country all day, everyday. Remember if it's hurting you, it will be hurting others too and pain is only temporary, glory is forever. And a SSDT finish is glory.
I tell you to think of this. You've got an entry in the trial, come Thursday you are knackered, the bike has had 2 punctures and you've broken the clutch lever. You retire, so what do you say to your mates at work next week. I retired, the tyre was flat and the levers broken.
Or do you tell them, Cor, Thursday was horrible, I was knackered, I had to scrounge a tyre fix from somebody, then had to fit a new lever and I was well over half an hour late, but I got it done and finished. Great.
Well done they'll say and in 15 years time, you'll still have that finish under your belt.
Potential Normandale riders may like to notre that whilst Lancs County's Angela Redford round does not have a maximum for riders, the way it is filling up, we MIGHT have to as it'sd not practical in having much more than 150-160 riders, so the suggestion is to get your entry in pretty quick, as we could reach that number well before the official closing date.
I rode the 1988 ISDE in France at Mende, blisteringly hot and very tough, trials type terrain. Hardpack on some trails and mega dusty on others. The 4 SSDTs were 1972, 1979, 1981, 1996, as for training, I have to confess I've never trained in my life, just relied on natural ability!!!!!.
Having said that, since early November I've been swimming twice a week, every week to try and get some more stamina, which I think has helped but haven't lost any weight. Trouble is birthdays keep coming (glad to say!) and ability is now not as good as head thinks it should be.
The reason that the SSDT is so hard to Joe Ordinary is that it's so physical. The good guys can ride all the sections whereas the lesser lights have to struggle up many sections. I guess you have never been to the Scottish and have to tell you that you will be overawed by the trial, it's size, the time schedule and the abilities of so many "ordinary" riders. Guys you will never have heard of are VERY good, but there's no secret except to press on and when it hurts, plenty of others will be hurting too. You need to pray for a dry week.
The Thursday following the trial you will look back and think "what a fabulous week that was". The Thursday of trial week as you churn your way across Rannoch Moor, you will be thinking "I simply can't do any more"
My favourite remark, and you must remember this if you remember nothing else, "Pain is temporary, Glory is forever!"
Do it and enjoy it, it's too far to come and get beaten by the trial itself.
Just been reading all these posts about SSDT and see that MexMex has just finished an ISDE in Mexico.
Well done, but having ridden and finished both an ISDE and four SSDTs, I can assure you that the Scottish is far more physical, tiring, frustrating and harder on the bikes than the ISDE.
Not putting you off, just trying to explain that one is more difficult than the other.
Rolling over/crashing gracefully is not part of my repertoire - ask the guys I ride with. A Rapley crash is eagerly awaited with baited breath; it will brighten even the dullest day; riders will travel home with an amusing chuckle.
Sorry old dear, you'll have to put up with me for the odd occasion yet!
I owned a Pathfinder in 1971 as I recall, having exchanged a Bultaco for it. It was awful in comparison to Monts and Bults of the time and I only kept it for about 6 months.
My results on it were not very good, but I did ride it in the 1971 Welsh Two Day enduro of that year in the Otter Vale team and we won the best club team award. My fellow team members were Brian Higgins (now ACU Chairman) and Ian Haydon, though what they rode I can't remember. I exchanged it at Bob Gollner's shop for a Mk5 Montesa, which was also crap and kept that about 6 months before buying a Miller Bultaco in early 1972 ready for my first SSDT when I finished 64th I think.
Just found the details, I bought the Pathfinder on March 8, 1971 from Windsor Comp Shop, it was
I have to confess I've just written Column 201 for next Sunday!! Nothing much, but I had a few thoughts churning round on Bank Holiday Monday so turned them into words.
In reply to Big John, you will read my final column tomorrow, but as you will see, it's a lot more than 200 when you add in the TMX contributions.
When I was at TMX, I edited Rafe's work and whilst he did indeed write far more than I have done so far, he also took the easy way out by supplying half a dozen pictures and 100 words to explain why he was using them, quite a bit different from 800 fresh words every week without pictures.
Since folks became aware a few days ago that I am finishing my column, that's all I'm stopping, I'm not leaving the sport! All that's happening is that instead of sitting down here every Sunday night, I can now do what everybody else does - watch the telly, make tea, wash my bike etc. Many Sundays through the year it's get home, unload the van, wash the bike, have a shower, produce a set of results from my club's trial, write a report for TMX, then write the column. Early nights on many Sundays has not been an option!
Andy has already said that should I want to write something every now and then, he will accommodate me, and I guess that's what will happen. All I'm avoiding is the total commitment of HAVING to write every week, come rain or shine, good ride or bad ride, something to write about or nothing to write about.
I do thank everybody for their kind words, but I'm not going away, biking will continue as it has always done
You are right about clubs needing youths to help out, but as I see it, help doesn't come until riders have youngsters who want to take up trials, or when the riders themselves have been doing it for a good number of years and are mature enough to understand that if the sport is to continue, then assistance is needed.
I'm a good case in point, I didn't act as a secretary of a club, nor did I get seriously involved with organisation until I was 53, I was too busy working and riding until then! However, I did have a very short time as treasurer of Otter Vale in Devon before I moved north, but how long that would have lasted I can't say.
Now, I'm happy to help out where I can, I ride, act as Lancs County secretary, observe for clubs when they have a national, and this year acted as a one-off secretary for two nationals back in July for the Lakes when the regular secretary was on holiday. And when riding gets too arduous, I'll be happy to go out and observe - but I'm hoping that won't be for another 20 years!
All the dates have been distributed to the secretaries of clubs who have been successful in securing rounds.
For your info, the traditional series is: Feb 6 - Phil King; March 12 - Lancs County; March 13 - Bootle; March 20 - Bemrose; May 22 - Mansfield Maun; June 26 - Torridge; August 7 - Westmorland; September 11 - Sutton Falcons; October 2 - Otter Vale; October 30 - Hillsborough.
Hi all, thanks for the very many replies to my column. I haven't retired after lighting the blue touch paper, it's just that I have tried to add a comment/posting, but for some reason, the TC site won't accept it. I'll write no more and see if this can load up.
How I hate spell checkers. I have recently acquired a new lap top and the spell checker keeps changing enduro to endure, so my apologies for the mistakes in this week's column. When I find out how to turn it off, I will!
As you probably know, I was not at the Manx Two Day this year, however, I shall be at this coming weekend's Classic Manx Two Day, so the plan is to write about that trial - it will be interesting to see how the two events compare.
In addition, it is not always possible to cover everything in my column, and to keep it interesting there must be variety. Whilst those down south and elsewhere will probably not know of the late Dick Horner, there are plenty in Yorkshire who did; equally, the Old Mine is a venue well known by many people.
There was no intention to dismiss the Manx, in fact if there had not been other subjects to cover, then the trial would have probably featured. Then I would have been criticised for commenting upon an event which I had not attended. I can't win!!
Unfortunately, the Barrow Club's website is not currently in use, but Northern Centre riders (and others) who want a really good trial on Sunday, August 8 should head for the Landrover Garage at Torver for the Zeke Myers Trial, one of the best Barrow trials of the year.
It will be held over a two lap, 20(ish) section course plotted by Chris and Mike Myers and is the trial that runs alongside the banks of Coniston Water. It's a cracking trial and fully deserves a good entry to make use of a piece of Lake District territory that gets permission to be used just once per year.
Start time is 11am with parking at the Landrover garage. Observers are wanted if you can help, so make your way into the national park for a great day of trialing.
Just fitted one last night ready for the Reeth Three Day.
Easy peasy. Secret is to lubricate bead with WD40, it will slip on easily, put in a tyre worm or a partly inflated MTB inner tube, inflate and it will blow out very easily.
WD40 may be an unusual lubricant to use, rather than soap and water, but WD40 is water based and when it dries out, it sort of glues to tyre to the rim. Certainly they will run for a considerable distance flat without coming off the rim should you get a puncture.
As you can see, laptop is working at the moment, but can't guarantee for how long.
I do not know who Toneybow is, as unfortunately contributors are able to hide behind a pseudonym, however, I don't, so when I write it is immediately apparent who it is by.
Now then Mr Bow. I assume you were a rider, if so, you will have arrived at my van where my daughter relieved you of your punch card, totalled it up and immediately added it to the results board which was in the van, trying to be kept dry in the pouring rain. Once the last rider had finished, she travelled one mile down the road and took it into the annex where you signed on. There it stayed, out of the rain until just about everybody had gone home.
If you had taken the opportunity to ask, or indeed find out for yourself, the full results were available and on display, less than 10 minutes after the last rider had finished. Can't say that is too bad myself, but you obviously think differently.
Having got the results out and on display, I considered that I had done enough for the day, particularly as transferring the results from the board to a computer file for all to read was going to take me an hour and a half. When I reached home, I washed my bike, cleared out my van, LOADED IT FOR WORK IN THE MORNING, had a shower and wrote the sidecar trial report from the previous day.
It was my plan to prepare a file for publication on Monday evening, indeed I did, but at the crucial moment, everything died - fortunately the file had been saved, and on Tuesday morning, I tried again and hey presto, the laptop was back in action and I was able to load up the file to Trials Central.
Did I fail, arguably yes, but all I want from technology is for it to work, and it didn't!
Just to make you feel really humble (impossible I think), I was at Torver on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. I rode the course with Norman Cooper on Friday to check the sidecar sections. Having signed everybody on, Saturday morning, I observed three sections on Saturday and made a number of section alterations as it became apparent that the trial was on the hard side for the clubmen.
On Sunday again I signed everybody on and again observed a number of sections. I also had to make the decision to cut out three sections and re-route the trial as the river had become impassable, before doing all that I have described above.
Do I want a medal for all this, of course not as I was simply part of a team. Cooperman spent hours doing all the section marking with Andy Wilkinson, whilst many others did their fair share.
I could go on, but to get to the point, results were there for you and everybody else to see, and they were on Trials Central as soon as technology allowed. If you do ride in trials at which I am involved, you will also know that results are always up and on show about half eight every Sunday night, and the same time on Thursdays after a Wednesday evening trial.
That's my lot, now I wonder if you'll have the guts to say who you are. I bet not!
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Getting excited now, eh?? Remember what I said many weeks ago (look back to find it) but remember now for one last time, give it a go for all its worth and finally, folks there will be able to HELP, nobody is going to knock you back or discourage you; it's the best sport for camaraderie you will find. It's hard graft, but oh so worth it.