I started the year thinking I'd go to a few events but as it turns out I got hooked and haven't missed one. I will miss my first this weekend. I rode the first event of the year on the 4 (easiest) line and moved up to the 3 line at the following event. I've been riding that line all season and doing well. I recently rode a clean day (no points all day) and decided it was time to move up again to the 2 line. This past Sunday's event was my first on the 2 line - and it was held in pouring rain in already very soggy conditions in central PA. I won, but only one other competitor in my class showed up and he's not a usual front runner. I'm certain I would not have won if the "regulars" were there. That said, comparing my score to other riders of the same line (different classes use the same line), I feel like I'm ready for this class. It's going to be fun going from competing for a win to competing for not last.
Results so far:
Round 1: (4 line) 1st
Round 2: (3 line) 2nd
Round 3: (3 line) 1st
Round 4: (3 line) 3rd
Round 5: (3 line) 3rd
Round 6: (3 line) 1st (only rider in my class, but scored a 1 for the day)
Round 7: (3 line) 1st
Round 8: (3 line) 1st
Round 9: (3 line) 1st
Round 10: (3 line) 2nd (rode a clean day, but still didn't win! details below)
Round 11: (2 line) 1st (only 2 in the class as mentioned above)
I'll miss round 12 due to a scheduling conflict. Round 13 is October 9 and is in New Windsor, MD. Your last chance of the year to catch a local event. The last round is October 23 in Granogue, DE.
If there is a tie in points, number of cleans for the day is the tie-breaker. If there is still a tie, the win goes to the older rider. Somewhat arbitrary, but you have to decide somehow (other clubs do a ride-off which I think would be neat). At round 10, a 1 line rider who'd broken his leg a couple of months earlier rode down a couple of classes as he rehabbed his leg. He also rode a clean day and is a few years older than me.
Oh yeah, I was doing a ride report!
It was a 4 hour drive to the event and I was considering skipping it due to distance. A fellow rider in Lancaster offered to carpool if I met him at his house. It was on the way and meant only and hour of driving each way for me, so I was in. On the way up we drove along the Susquehanna River and saw lots of flood damage from the week before. The river was still very high. We saw one town secured by military vehicles - I assume to prevent looting as it looked like no one had been allowed back in yet.
We got there at ~ 10:30, got signed up and headed out to check out the loop. Conditions were slick and soggy. Several of the log crossings and uphills looked very slippery. You can ride the loop and walk the sections beforehand but you cannot ride in the sections. I was slipping trying to walk in a couple of places. For the most part, the stuff on the 2 line looked doable - or at least not scary. There were 3 exceptions that stuck out in my head. One was the very first climb at the start of section 1. It was short, but very steep and required immediate control at the top for a tight turn. The next was a good sized angled log. In dry conditions it was well within my ability but it was as slick as ice. The third was a downhill and immediate uphill in a ravine. Both the down and up were very steep and the downhill made me nervous.
As I arrived at section 1, it started raining. I watched a group of 1 and 2 line riders and was able to duplicate their method for the first climb which turned out to be a non-issue. I ended up getting a 5 (bad) though, due to a slippery off camber turn and rooty uphill climb. I did not see anyone (and I watched the 1 line riders almost all day - the 1 and 2 lines both used this portion of the section) make that turn/climb combo all day. It was a success just to get out of the section with a 3. I got two 5s and two 3s in that section for the day.
By the time I got to section 2 it was pouring rain. Section 2 was one of my favorites for the day with tight turns and lots of up and down. I would score 2, 3, 0, 0 for the day.
Section 3 was another tricky one. It was a series of uphill tight turns around tree roots. I was able to do the lower portion fine all day, but never the top. I watched one line riders struggle in the last right/left combo before my turn. On the first loop I managed a 1 but as conditions got worse it was 3s for the rest of the day. That was the case for everyone I saw ride that section.
Section 4 had a tricky log at the entrance but was otherwise easy. I managed the log with varying degrees of success but cleaned that section all day.
Section 5 was locked in battle with section 1 for hardest of the day. It was so slick and muddy that just moving forward in places was difficult. The big angled log mentioned earlier was in this section but considering that I could barely carry enough momentum to get the front wheel up on it, a big crash wasn't likely. I would go 5,3,5,3 due to this log.
Section 6 had the steep down/up that I was worried about earlier. Now that it was pouring and super muddy, it got into my head. I flubbed it and had my first real crash on a trials bike. I hate crashes where you have time to think about the impact. :shock: No injuries to me and the bike. I fumbled a little there on the next loop but figured it out to go 5,2,0,0. This was another one of my favorite sections.
Section 7 was another easier one. It had one big log, but that log closely mimicked one I have for practice in the backyard so it was very doable. I cleaned this section all day too.
Total score for the day was 54 which equals my worst score of the year - from the mudder earlier in the year at Ijamsville/Monrovia. I scored high at the first two Ohio events (52,47) and the rest of the events were 10 points or less. There is obviously quite a bit of variance in section difficulty between clubs and of course the weather impacts difficulty. The other rider in my class scored 64 points. The best score of the day on the 2 line was a 46.
This trials stuff is fun. I've been able to ride a lot at home this year - for a while I was riding every week. That has dropped off a little lately, but not much. I've never had a year where I've been able to ride my dirt bike so much.
I'm never good at pictures, but here's one that I stole from the club website:
