Too Hard?

[overthehill]

I know a lot of riders and spectators read these forums but dont like to post comments - please if you attended the scottish fill in this survey - it will be good to see the results and it can influence next years event.

thanks

mark

[Andy]

Guys (and girls) - As Mark says - many readers of these forums merely lurk and don't like to make comments, but you have the man who is in overall charge of the world's most famous Trial asking you for input so they can shape the event. Take this unique opportunity to have your say. It's never happened before and, if nobody says anything about how they feel, it may never happen again.

[ishy]

My opinion, Monday, Tue, Wed, too hard, weather partly to blame for Monday, instead of the normal steady first day, it was tough and the deep water didn't help, this took the edge off the so called club rider, and tough sections on Tue, and Wed, finished them off, Thur, Fri, Sat, seemed very close to previous years.

A rider of my ability for the most part is going to five the sections that are set out to take points off the top riders, that is a given! and all part of the event, the killer is when they are double sub's, I did notice when the sections were a little shorter and single sub's I rode better due to the fact I could get my wind back before each ride.

My final result for the week was about 45 point's over last years final result, not a great difference 7.5 dab's extra per day, but! I noticed good center riders were finding it a bit harder too, with daily scores up a bit from previous rides.

It has always been a struggle to both get round in time and have a steady ride, that is the whole concept of the SSDT, we must keep in mind that the sections used are the same ones that are always used with the odd new one, it did look to me that some point since the 06 event a lot of water had gone down some of the burns and washed out some tasty big holes, that made the sections more difficult to ride, even though they were flagged same as the previous year.

Hard to get it spot-on, but if tough sections are needed to sort the top riders and a winner, I would make the sections used for that purpose even harder, and ease up more on a few others so the club rider can record a few more cleans.

I'm glad to have completed the event, and at my age, don't expect my results to improve from prior years, was the event too hard ? I saw Wriggy, Drac, and Bobble struggling more than I have done in the past, so I think it was plenty tough enough, and eased a little would be enjoyed more by a rider of my ability.

That said, thank's another great trial, I just don't know how you can do it year after year, I did notice a few sections missing out on the moor this year, probably due to the fact not enough people available to get out to those remote locations, might be time for me to start looking at that option.

[atomant]

Great post Ishy

[spud]

I didn't ride and this i think makes me unbiased when i say. Ishy has made some very valid points and to over view (correct me if i'm wrong) the riders of this trial (the majority) are not teenages, nor are they top professionals. For me this is key for the CofC to note who the majority are and what they are capable of! Secondly, and this is equally important, the young and talented riders need to be tested to find the winner and the course should increase in difficulty year in year out. This a very difficult situation to solve and one perhaps the Openfree marking system (YOU HAVE USED WORDS OR A PHRASE WHICH ARE NOT PERMITTED ON THIS WEBSITE. PLEASE DELETE YOUR POST/TOPIC. DO NOT TRY TO CIRCUMVENT THE FILTERS IN PLACE ON THIS WEBSITE p15, issue 2) maybe able to answer.

Edited May 15, 2007 by spud

[perce]

I didn't ride and this i think makes me unbiased when i say. Ishy has made some very valid points and to over view (correct me if i'm wrong) the riders of this trial (the majority) are not teenages, nor are they top professionals. For me this is key for the CofC to note who the majority are and what they are capable of! Secondly, and this is equally important, the young and talented riders need to be tested to find the winner and the course should increase in difficulty year in year out. This a very difficult situation to solve and one perhaps the Open Free marking system (YOU HAVE USED WORDS OR A PHRASE WHICH ARE NOT PERMITTED ON THIS WEBSITE. PLEASE DELETE YOUR POST/TOPIC. DO NOT TRY TO CIRCUMVENT THE FILTERS IN PLACE ON THIS WEBSITE) maybe able to answer.

Have you ever been to the Scottish? or a simpler question, have you ever attended planet earth?

[doogle]

I have never ridden the Scottish, it is something that I have previously fancied doing but never had the belief that I would get round, and it is a lot of money to enter, prep and accomodation to go and not finish.

I have been up there to spectate on 4 occasions now 02,03,04 and 07. The first 3 years I went to spectate it was still always in the back of my mind that I could have a decent attempt at it, but after spectating this year I think I will accept that it is something I will never do (which is why when comments in a certainly weekly publication that you are not a proper trials rider unless you have ridden the scottish wind me right up)

On the Monday the weather was horrendous, and it was taking it's toll on the top riders let alone the clubman. I saw around 7 sections in total on Monday and in my opinion they looked harder than in previous years.

What does amaze me is the amount of average everyday riders that enter and complete it. When I saw a lot of the riders coming into Lagnaha they looked ready to pack up, and that was day one. The determination that it takes for the clubmen to finish is imense. I read all the reports by the riders on the front page and in Katy Sunters she comments about her face being numb from the rain riding to Lagnaha. I have had that on many occasions in road trials, but I haven't had another 5 days riding ahead of me. Everyone who attempts it gets my respect, and everyone who finishes even more so.

It is a fantastic event and I will continue to go and support the event, and would like to think that I would be able to go and observe some of the remote sections when I am a bit older.

In answer to the question on the original topic IMHO from an outsiders point of view, what I saw this year for the clubmen looked to hard. I am sure though when the time comes for the entries to re open they will be well over subscribed again, and could probably fill the whole trial with people wanting to return from the previous year.

[spud]

I didn't ride and this i think makes me unbiased when i say. Ishy has made some very valid points and to over view (correct me if i'm wrong) the riders of this trial (the majority) are not teenages, nor are they top professionals. For me this is key for the CofC to note who the majority are and what they are capable of! Secondly, and this is equally important, the young and talented riders need to be tested to find the winner and the course should increase in difficulty year in year out. This a very difficult situation to solve and one perhaps the Open Free marking system (YOU HAVE USED WORDS OR A PHRASE WHICH ARE NOT PERMITTED ON THIS WEBSITE. PLEASE DELETE YOUR POST/TOPIC. DO NOT TRY TO CIRCUMVENT THE FILTERS IN PLACE ON THIS WEBSITE) maybe able to answer.

Have you ever been to the Scottish? or a simpler question, have you ever attended planet earth?

I do apologise for my ideal your obviously very offended and something i never meant to do. The answer to your first questions is Yes 2003.

[gizza5]

Think from the 'Poll' it may show that the spectators want them harder after all it would be pretty boring watching 270+ riders making the specator groups look easy with many cleans, they want to see the top boys make the 'what looks impossible' look easy!

The riders on the other hand may have a different view? The poll at the moment is showing that it is mainly riders that are voting and it is showing that more people think it is fine as it is!! however this year was tough in the sections.

Agree with ishy first part of the week was hard, Monday due to the weather, it would have been murder if it had stayed like that all week, but we were blessed with reasonable weather and the moor crossings were relitavely dry so made the going fairly easy. After several years up there it is still hard to explain to a spectator just what those moors are like, unless you have been there, but they are energy sapping to say the least. This is not saying that we need less moors, the SSDT is unique and we as riders have the privilage to ride across the best terrain in the world, if us clubbys could drive our vans to the bottom of a group I am sure we could do better, but I am not advicating that! the challenge of these moors combined with increasingly tough sections is in my opinion not a good recipie?

The history of the SSDT back in the 90's when all the top factory riders used to ride and S**t it was tough then and under the stop and hop rule, they used to struggle to fill the enrty 160ish one year, ''some silly old sod'' (Not bad sections you found there WD, God Bless Him) decided to cater for the majority and not the minority, made the bold decission to make it ''No Stop'' the rest is as we know it now. The bulk of the entry is clubman riders and in all fairness how many riders were capable of winning it from the entry list, maybe thats another debate.........

So that is my two pennath, maybe make the spectator groups tough thats what they want to see and that will sort the winner out lets not forget the reason the winner stands on the podium is not only because he has had a good ride , but managed to keep his concerntration going for 6 days they can easily have a slack 1 or 2 on easy sections that will loose them the trial, and a few more rideable sections for the majority. Garbage Bin is maybe an example, nowt wrong with the original, good ride for a clubby if you manage to stand on the bike but in a whole load of trouble if not, so the new bit at the top would have been fine if the rest of the day wasn't so tough, just an opinion!!

Mark has asked for feed back which he is getting and I am sure he will take it on board, the trial needs to stay in the same format and with a few tweaks will make what is the best trial in the world even better!!

Just how do you then Ballot 600+ entries

[slapshot 3]

A spectators view....

I'm not qualified to speak as a rider, Ive never ridden, I've only tackled bits of them moors on occasions but I can comment as a spectator after my 37th or 38th Scottish (lost count and I've more on my mind right now).

Monday was vicious, Leanachan looked about spot on for openers but Lagnaha ( ) was horrific and would have been in the dry never mind the torrent flowing down it, it was horrible.

Tuesday, decided to go and see the whole entry through Forest Gate, real tough sections but from seeing the entry through they were definately rideable by the whole cross section of the riders.

Wednesday: Rubha Ruadh was the same as always straightforward if you got them right, hard if you didn't. First step is rideable by nearly everyone these days but as that slot wears away the second step catches many riders out. Saw a couple of other groups from the roadside but definately tough.

Thursday our off day so didn't see anything

Friday: WD's very rideable and Trotters is Trotters

Saturday, I didn't see anything apart from half a dozen riders on the Town Hall Brae.

On the whole this year appeared harder in the early part of the week predominantly, as already aluded too, the feedback from riders and mates outlined that. When you see riders keeping going on stubborness, lucozade and adrenaline by lunchtime on Wednesday, you know it's tough. I've seen other years much harder and others more straightforward in many variable weather conditions so maybe the balance was nearly right.

My only real negative comment would be that I was surprised to see the THB so tough, that was a bit of a shock, many look forward to that section as their clean at the end of the week and maybe the toughness of that sums the week up for many. All in all I think it was a great week trials wise, it always is.