slapshot 3

Keep it clean boys or this one will closed as well

Broken both sides in the past but never had any problems really, three to four weeks healing time. The idiot son has had a few issues, think he's reached 5 different breaks unfortunately 4 have been on the right side. The last time the docs offered to put a titanium plate in it straight away but he has continued to refuse because the next time it could be his shoulder he wrecks rather than the collar bone, he reckons keeping the weak link could stop him having a bigger problem later, guess it's one of those times where being a radiography student helps!! I hasten to add, I was only responsible for one of them

Think you're a bit harsh Dixie, if you want to move forward in anything you need to know what's happened in the past, that way you generally don't make dumb mistakes again. As always John's post are factually correct and when all the BS is flying around about the rules and possible changes the facts are important to get a proper starting place. New sensible ideas here.........

Don't let that bugger Greeves sneak it back to Spain guys...... he's got enough

If I'd thought it would bring in the Girls I'd have done it years ago, not bothered about the grey....long as it fills the ever expanding gaps.

They must do really fat sizes, my T shirt still fits........just......

I love this old chestnut and it's always something that gets folks blood boiling....fantastic Okay fatboy's tuppenceworth (edit....maybe 50p): To stop or not to stop, that is the question, whether tis nobler to think that no-stop will bring riders back to the fold or to suffer the slings and arrows of outrageous humiliation if the FIM/ACU etc etc don't do something to dig the sport out of its mess. Seriously, someone, somewhere has to make a stand about this. How does a championship class of ten riders make sense? How does running 5 different routes at national level make sense? Stop/No-Stop: I'm firmly in the No-Stop category and grew up in the sport as no-stop, through the start of the "stop" rules and all the buggering about there was with them. Crunch is we have a Stop rule now that is almost decipherable and workable however I still find it boring. A world trial is an amazing spectacle but the sections bore the hell out of me after the first few riders are through, it was like that few years back, Germany in 95 was the end for me, brilliant as it was 8 minutes to ride a section is a joke. Granted there was another "tweak" the following week but it killed wtc for me. What I do remember is the few worlds that I saw as a kid, big sections but ones you could have a big blast at, massive third and fourth gear climbs, amazing to watch, Vesty, Schrieber, Martin Lampkin moving into the next generation of Burgat, Michaud and Lejeune, then as the next generation of Tarres etc etc etc came in the rules really started going silly. It will always be no stop for me. I think that it might tease more riders out, I don't think that any solution will work overnight it has to be worked at, make the change and encourage riders and the size of entries will rise eventually. Multiple routes works no matter what rules people want to use, if it's done properly. We had the whinging this year after the changes in the Scottish Champs, but by god it worked over 100 entries for the first round and from what I've been told entries are still better. BUT what is shown is that two other factors play a big role in entries, where the trial is and how many are willing to travel to it and whether the riders know the trial will be sensible. Stevenston round this weekend, be interesting to see what happens as a comparison to the Bon Accord round. Observing at any level is simple as long the observer knows and understands the rules and applies them consistently. After that it's up to CoC's and clubs to support the observers if something goes pearshaped. The SSDT: It is the best barometer of our sport, every change has been reflected in the six days in some way. As the rules and sections changed towards stop format to suit the worlds best riders who rode year in year out then the numbers started to fall as the multitude of everyday riders fell away because they couldn't handle it anymore. SSDT changes format, HL has nightmares and her postie a heart attack every December as the entries flood in. The recovery of the SSDT is down to no stop I think everyone agrees with that, the rest of the sport would follow eventually. Use it as a world round, fantastic, bring the big riders back but change practically nothing. Think about this year, Doug and Wiggy, 1 mark in the end and lets be honest how many marks does it take to create a separation, winner on 1, next guy on 2, next guy on 3 etc etc etc. I'm all for the big trials in the nations being world rounds, I think it would be a proper test, none of the same old predictable big steps, dry rocks and more and more man made hazards every year. The worlds best rider is the man who can adapt to whats thrown at him best they can all adapt to something when it the same thing every round. The Scottish and the Scott are two perfect examples of a test, what do the other countries have to offer? Well done to the ACU for changing the Novogar, I sincerely hope it's successful, I sincerely hope the rest of the sport follows suit.......soon!!

Car Park beside the THB behind what was Marshall and Pearsons...now Blacks. Parc Ferme was there as long as I can remember

Course they are, it's you southerners that have the very strange grip on the geographical accuracies most of the gas is in the south (where else would you get that amount of gas) the oil in the North ........ Haggis, of course it's ours, have you never seen them running round the hills during the Scottish...very blinkered

looks like a Xipsa....(someone had to say it)

You're right...not far away is it.....

was the bird with the long legs, stockings and sussies that caught my eye first....then the younger one

Some gorgeous stuff in there bikes are superb as well.....

4 and a half inches of rain in your neck of the woods yesterday, not surprised it's that wet.

Without wishing to get into a fight with Tim and Dabster, just an opinion. Wars are unfortunate: I don't like that statement for a number of reasons but the over riding fact is that wars are never unfortunate but always a calculated method of one pshycopath impressing his will on everyone else, generally motivated by little more than armed robbery written large. Look at nearly every war, battle, conflict of any nature and it will come down to this. What is unfortunate about wars are the consequences. If we'd put Hitler, Tojo, Mussolini etc in a wrestling ring with Churchill, Roosevelt, de Gaulle etc etc and see who wins our grandparents (and great Grandparents perhaps) may not have had to live through a war that caused the deaths of around 60 million people. We can all bandy around numbers but the reality is there will never be a realistic figure. I discovered pro cycling in the early to mid 70's, tail end of the Merckx domination watching the TDF on World of Sport, from there I got interested in all parts of the sport. I've only ever been to about 10 stages but I've thrown in a few classics as well, Liege-Bastogne-Liege (coupled that with a trip to the Ardennes battlefields), Ronde van Vlaandria that sort of stuff. When you're young free and single you have to balance priorities, week at the Scottish, week chasing the RAC rally, couple of weeks skiing in the winter you don't get to do everything. When you eventually get to balance out your life, the handcuffs are on and you're B*****ksed I wouldn't say I have have an encyclopaedic knowledge of anything but I am a bookworm and where Mr Grieg might take the mickey out of Mrs Slapshot and her Mills and Boon books, I more likely be reading some other tome about the Roman Empire, Napoleonic Europe, WW1 or WW2, books on cycling, Quantum Physics or some other geeky nonsense. The case in point though is that if you post on these forums you post an the basis of your own knowledge. If you don't you end up looking stupid because you can't back up your arguements. Tim's initial toungue in cheek point about Armstrong hides the perennial question in procycling, who is and who isn't doping, you can all take your own views on that one.

Oy Witham, that's not fair....how can I sit on the fence getting splinters if you don't give me the option to do so....

Yeah, but lusting after Sarah Palin is probably a bad thing for a man of your advancing years mate, Hillary is probably bout as good as it gets which reminds me of a film I saw recently,......

Fuji film is better....cleaner edges. Two seals, better still double lipped seals from Motomerlin, one of the site advertisers on here, arrived in two days...tenner.

...because if the the WTC rounds are promoted and publicised properly there's every reason to hope that the SSDT will benefit in terms of spectators and increased media attention, don't we all want that???

HMMM....Axes to grind??? Promoting the World round when the maximum focus was on the location was the perfect thing to do. Remember Wisardofos we are a small but very very captive audience, G2F took the maximum from it they could and I do not believe for one minute the SSDT or the committee lost out. On the contrary the SSDT might benefit immeasurably from the WTC/TDN at Aonach Mor. My old man comes from Fort William and until about 15 years ago an old uncle was on the town council. Around that time they wanted the six days to move away from the West End because of the impact on the tourists rather than the concern over the money spinner that the SSDT is. I believe through various sources these issues raise themselves from time to time. I've commented about about growth and whether the trial has outgrown the middle of town, but I'm still in two minds about this. Jamie.........that will be the same waterfront development they talked about when they moved the railway station in the 70's...all that materialised as the oyster bar. I've a lot of connections and affection for Fort William, unfortunately I am the first generation of our family not to be born there, I've a deeper love and affection for the Scottish and I'll come back to my initial comment the SSDT committee have to do what they see necessary for the permanant survival of the Greatest Motorcycle Trial there is. I'd hate to see the town suffer but the trial is more important

I've said likewise for years...the town needs to do more to welcome the trial but remember they have responded, we have a parade, finishing stuff etc that's all fairly new remember. Another thing to consider is the finances what does the town contribute, what would the Cattlemart/Ski range contribute lots of stuff to think about.

Okay, we perhaps have a different perspective on it. Then again, I'm not a fan of Armstrong in fact the worst thing that's happened to pro-cycling in recent times is that he's back on the bike. I used to be, I have all his books and all the eulogies to his greatness by John Wilcockson, Dan Boyle etc etc etc. I also have Rough Ride by Paul Kimmage (one of my favourite journalists), Bad Blood, by Jeremy Whittle, LA Confidential by David Walsh and Pierre Ballester and the new one, Laurent Fignon's book is on order. I can't support the lie that he's perpetrated, there's a world of difference between being clean and never failing a drugs test, have a look at the linky below as an example. Clicky As you said before, different eras, different sports basically, there will always be the urge to pick the greatest.

New plates time mate, no point scrimping on something like that, you don't have to go to Beta UK. Try some of the site sponsors, Trials UK, Moto Merlin, stripping and reassembling will be a very temporary measure

Certainly.... Your original statement was "Armstrong is the best rider the t d f has ever seen. " looking at Eddy's stats it's certain that he's had a better TDF career than Armstrong even though Armstromng has won the GC more often. I didn't mention Indurain, (which is probably a disservice) but for similar reasons I wouldn't put him near Merckx. Bartali in particular would have won numerous tours had the second world war not intervened. Coppi similarlyhad the war not intervened certainly in his early career they would have set the benchmarks. Don't get me wrong I'm not saying Armstrong is a bad rider just people need to look beyond 7 wins.