yeah, they had a test on this bike, well last year version, in one of the Mountain bike mags in the UK, Awesome was the word they used. Looks damned sexy, doesn't it.
Read this thread a wee while ago and have been getting more pi$$ed off about it since. Night shift and rather philosophical but bear with me.
In the last 30 years two landmark events have changed trials and the way the message gets out to us and the wider world about what we do and the kind of people we are or maybe should be.
The first was a paper, TMX, 15p in my sweaty mitt running to the local paper shop to get the first issue, I still have it. No more half a page in the MCN but a paper devoted to the off road game. Pages of trials reports & pictures, local stuff, wherever you lived, pictures & cuttings of my old man in the same scrapbook as pics of my trials messiah, his name is Lampkin too and he shouts a lot. Inspirational stuff to a kid.
Move on 27 years(roughly)and this thing called Trials Central appears on the Internet thingy. First few months of reading this brought some of that youthful excitment back. World Round scores on the day of the trial, didn't have to wait for TMX. Pictures, stories, your own results, your own pictures if you want. The TC Forum is the best thing that ever happened to our sport, we don't have to wait till a Sunday to talk trials with our mates just switch on the computer. We talk about the state of the sport, we see the up and coming riders punching their way into the world game like never before. It's inspirational stuff again, why, because our kids read this site. My daughter does, why, because she met the guy that makes it happen.
What Andy Grieg has done with this site is not just give us something to read while the wife watches Corrie or Deadenders, it has moved the evolution of sport of trials forward by light years. When ever before could we communicate with a rider down the road, or in Canada, America, or even Yorkshire. When have we ever had a truly GLOBAL trials community, that's what this has created.
This doesn't come cheap, web space is expensive, servers, domain names, security, Andy coming to your event to take some pics with his aging box brownie isn't cheap when you look at the places he travels to, the coverage of events around the UK are not all Andy I know, but the vast majority of it is. Andy and TC give more back to this sport than we could ever pay for. If Andy is able to help our young riders in any way then I'm quite sure they are more than grateful for any help they can get. If my
What Andy and Bikespace said and Ill take it further.
I'm heavily involved in Junior ice hockey, coaching at club, Scottish and GB levels, I'm also club Chairman of the local club. I've watched some of the most talented players around the country lose out on a potential professional career at the last minute because they could not afford a specific game or a specific training weekend or a trip abroad to a tournament. Parents have to dig deep, and like Bikespace said mortgage their souls to get their kids to that kind of level. Could I do more, not really all my budget is taken up with my costs, even coaches don't go free. Could our clubs and associations do more, maybe but don't forget that's already the parents' money that pays for the associations, our licenses and affiliations pay for the centres and ACU. There is no lottery funding because sports like Trials and Ice hockey cannot be 100% inclusive. How many sports do parents have to pay for their kids to represent their Country, bet the Kissballers don't.
What it all boils down to is someone who is lucky enough to be noticed, to have the talent and to get the support from a sponsor he or she makes it, others reach a level beyond which they will never progress. A kid Ive coached all the way up to GB level has been offered a scholarship in Canada next year but it'll still cost his parents
It'll never change, poor observers will always get grief generally by riders who think they are much better than they really are. A 5 is a 5, if they can';t hack it well they could always try kissball (sorrty football).....
Maybe we should have a proper rule stating that any abuse can be properly punished by exclusion, kick one rider out you won't find many at it after this
... just going through some photos i took... this one, although not technicaly very good as it is a bit out of focus etc, just begs the question..... how do you stay on at that angle!! ? An inch or two back and it would have hurt!!
This may be a world exclusive and strictly a one-off, but Big John has been caught on camera with his feet up (which is more times than he's been caught with his wallet out)
I HOPE YOU WERE PARKED WELL OFF THE ROAD WHEN YOU TOOK THE PHOTO ANDY THE BOBBIES WERE VERY KEEN THAT ALL FOUR WHEELS WERE NOT ON THE ROAD , ALTHOUGH TO GIVE THEM THERE DUES THE NEXT DAY AT MAMORE THEY HAD THIER JACKETS OFF AND WERE SUNBATHING BY THE SIDE OF THE SECTION
....It was just as much fun in Glen Nevis as well, spoken to work, the lightning lasted for over six and a half hours(in an area with a 50KM radius of the Fort), 2 inches of rain recorded at Aonach Mor, Cracking night.Got grief for going outside with my camera ...again
It's in the blood, my father has been riding Trials since he was about 15 though, growing up in Fort William as he did, maybe the Scottish was his motivation. Been going to trials as far back as I can remember and before, attended my first Scottish six months before I was born Didn't have a bike until I bought one myself, appreciated it much more that way.
Wasn't riding for about 15 years, too much involvement in other things, ice Hockey mostly, but dad had the honda lying around doing nothing and he always hoped I'd get back into it. One day out was enough to convince me of what I've missed on the riding front so bought it. I love it, I'm crap but I love it.
Why do you continue to ride?
The crack, the fun of a clean (every now and again ), nice long runs between sections, the crack, friends you've known since you were a kid are still the same people 30+ years later, getting into the over 40 class in November, someday, I might beat my old man (still fanticising).
What would get more people riding trials?
Probably the realisation of how much fun It is. My mate has been coming to a classic club trial/scramble with us for the last couple of years, an excuse for more beer, I can see him giving it a try at some point soon, introducing him to the Scottish next weekend, see what he makes of that. Awareness is everything I have that problem with hockey constantly, shows displays at other events anything,
Alan, this is a brilliant topic to pull up, not only does it make you think about yourself, but it also lets you see more about other riders
Come on then OTH, it's obviously a reference to James Bond and Ian Fleming, the creator of James Bond but can't think what scenes in a film shot there, From Russia with Love???
other than that:
Ancient Clan battle involving the Fleming's: don't think so
Reference to Alexander Fleming inventor of Penicilin: too tenuous and he was another Ayrshireman anyway.
Reference to Kenny Fleming ex Scottish Trials Champion ???
The pie company in the north east....
the things you do on a boring Saturday afternoon at work
Raga will bounce back hard this weekend, (though we can always hope he blows it )I suspect he left himself too much to do in Spain otherwise he'd have taken that as well. Doug will be there or there about's and like most I was very surprised to see Bou take the win
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)I suspect he left himself too much to do in Spain otherwise he'd have taken that as well. Doug will be there or there about's and like most I was very surprised to see Bou take the win
Blatant Gardening
in World Championship Chat
Posted
What previous thread are you lot on about anyway...
All trials riders, you, me, him and the good guys can all be excellent gardners if we can get the chance to get away with it.