The Clubs not been running long and the Venue was new but a great trial! Parking proved to be a problem as a lot of riders turned out but the event was well run and had the novelty of taped sections(a la "World and National" trials), this is a great idea and hopefully they can keep it up. The sections were in a wood with a small dry valley. This is a quick run thru of the "club" sections. Section 1 was a twist in and out of a small gulley with some small "bombholes" and humps to make it interesting before finishing by riding along the gulley and then up and out thru the exit gates. Two was a ride down in to a small valley then back up the bank across the top avoiding a couple of well placed trees then back down and out. Section three was a ride along the bottom thena right turn up the bank. Ride along a "ledge" to where the flags allowed a ride over a pair of rocks or along the lower leaf floor. Not a good idea to use the bottom it just went away, and the rocks needed to be dropped off just right to get the exit without the front wheel sliding away. Four to seven were climbs up the valley bank with twists and turns thru trees, roots and those "mini-quarries" you sometimes get on wooded ground. The ground was "loamey" but gripped well. Of note in these setions were sections 5(i think) and 7. 5 was a turn aoround a tree up the bank and turn under a tree to descend and then turn back up the bank before dropping down. The grip on the second ascent was there but needed a smooth throttle hand and weight back to avoid "paddling" out. A few couldn't make the descent turn as well and a few bikes went down the hill sans rider. Section 7 A flat entry with a left turn up the bank with a small step that had a very short run up followed by a quick turn right caught a lot of riders out. Any hesitation on the throttle on the bank and the step, although small stopped the bike. Section 8 was a niggly snake thru the trees descending before putting the riders over a small pattch of rocks to get back up to another turn round a tree beofre dropping again and exiting up another patch of rocks and out. Section 9 Probably took most marks thru the day. Set up just above the valley floor in a cut out, The entry was over a 8 inch high rock between trees. Then on to a short flat section with scattered rocks(and they got even more scattered), before a short turn climbing up the side of the hill over a flat 3 foot rock that looked to be just part of the pull up the climb. It turned lethal as there was no grip on it at all. Faill to get momemtum up this and the roots on the rest of the climb stopped the bike if it hadn't already gone on the rock itself. Once you got over that you u turned around a tree at the top dropping back to the cut's floor before left turning up a gentle slope and coming back along the floor of the cut and up the bank on the other side. The sting at the end being you had to u-turn and exit at the top of the cut. Section 10 was another 90 degree left up a bank with a sump grounding hump at the top dropping into a quick right turn followed by a left up a short bank before turning right again and slotting out of the section. Back to Section one and four laps later you had finished.
In all a good day out and a compact trial. I was told that the land has even more potential once a bit of clearing has taken place. Congratulations to The Barnsley club!!
