Bank Holiday Monday saw another healthy entry of 69 riders contest the latest in the series of Manchester 17 MCC Dead Easy trials. This time the venue was Wheston House Farm, high in the glorious Peak District. The club is fortunate in running it's trials in some of the best trialing and picturesque venues in the country.
The sections at Wheston House are set on old limestone rakes, hillocks and gulleys with a few rocks thrown in, and are ideal for a Dead Easy trial. With the weather so unpredictable and with a poor forecast for Monday, the sections were set even easier. Good job as it turns out. Most riders completed the first two laps in dry, breezy weather. How it changed! For over an hour, there was a deluge, completely altering the nature of some of the sections and concentration levels had to be spot on.
This still didn't stop five riders going clean on the Harder route, Garry Shaw, who had dashed back from Scotland to compete, John Wilson, making a welcome return to the event, Scott Hipwell, in the absence of Dad Kev in Scotland, Young Harry Bowyer, who again Dad Rob had dashed from the Highlands to bring him, and Ashley Wall. Well done to all, no mean feat on the day.
No clean rides on the Easier Route but Ant Harris lost just a dab. On his heels, another of the Bowyer clan, this time young George who lost two marks, followed by Jonathan Bown, Sam Slack and Simon Ithell all on five marks lost.
There were more retirements and riders missing sections than normal but no doubt the extreme weather half way through contributed to this. A huge thanks to the Observers who stuck to their posts in really atrocious conditions.
REPORT : Roger Townsend