Classic series round 3, Bowley. 24th June 2007
report by Chris Gardiner
Results
Round three of the Classic series took place at Bowley Court Bodenham Sunday.
A huge herd of cows and a large bull had to be removed from the parking field before activities commenced, leaving huge green "presents" all over the place. To think our not too distant ancestors used to mix it with straw and slap it on the walls. Lovely! Sorry I've digressed already and its only the second sentence. Back to the show. Despite the weather forecast and the Bonanza there was a good turnout on the day, neither the threat of rain or the Cartwright family managing to stop nearly forty showing up. Bowley has always been popular, a fair mix of sections is guaranteed to pull a crowd. If you are no good on the grass banks you can pick up marks on the rocky stream sections and visa versa. Three routes this time and about an equal number contested each one .The third route was specially created as an experiment for those wishing to sustain the minimum of knocks and bruises and just have a good day out, and it worked! Open to any adult rider on any trials bike it proved popular with the greenhorn and veteran alike. Popular enough to include it again next time as an easy enjoyable option!
So, away to the woods and a brief tour of the sections and the people in charge. Not too many problems on section one and a good percentage of cleans throughout the field. Our thanks to Mrs. Watkins for officiating, who more than capably looked after her two children and thirty eight more on motorbikes. Oh and a special thanks to the Watkins juniors for helping to clear up the markers.
Section two looked straightforward enough but a harmless looking log next to a tree root caught a few out on the alternative route, much to the amusement of Simon Oliver observing. Thank you for your services Simon.
Three and four, double sub'd was the longest in the trial, two good rocky climbs for the standard route with a snotty ditch in the middle. Most coped well, one or two on the alt route fived in the ditch,.All was witnessed by observer Dan Sanders who is more than qualified for the job. Thanks Dan.
A bit of green laning now all the way to section five in the river. Flowing well today, the Humber, that's the brook -not the river-, was set to catch a few out , and it did! Thanks to observer/coast guard John Sanders, the tallest man we could find for the section in case someone fell in the water.
Section six was a stones throw away and in general was ridden reasonably well by most. Only the standard route had to contend with a sharp drop off the bank back in to the stream, the rest content with a comparatively easy drop in and away to go. Top marks to observer Merv Powell ably assisted by his four legged friend whose name unfortunately doesn't appear on the observers sheet. Give the dog a bone Merv, and accept a pat on the back from us for yourself!
A glance at the results sheet showed once again that one section in particular would create mixed fortune, lucky seven this time being the culprit. Overnight rain made the conditions a little testing for all, but those that could master the off camber climb were quids in from the start and as the tree roots gradually became exposed throughout the day so the points tally varied accordingly. Our commiserations to Jono Phillips observing. I think Jono would have ridden the trial if he hadn't knackered himself pony treckking the day before. Still "you've got to keep the girlfriend happy"…..(his words not mine!)
On to Section eight, up and down the bank a few times and a horrible (for a twinshock) rock at the end. Malcolm Herbert was holding the clipboard. Little known fact; there are two Malcolm Herberts. Both live in Herefordshire, both ride trials, both are WVAC members. Thanks for helping Malc,(whichever one of you did!)
Through the ferns now and across the track to sections nine and ten. Not too many problems with section ten but for some reason because section nine was so deceptively easy for the whites and yellows people lost more marks through going the wrong way than they did dabbing or footing! You can always ask the observers advice if you are not sure of the route! That's if you can trust a bloke who has lived in Hong Kong and plays the trumpet. Thanks for observing Stu. Good job you weren't included in the deal when we gave Hong Kong back to China!
Well there you have it. A run down of the sections and a mention by name of all the observers for a change. These are the real heroes of the day. Many thanks to all of you. Your help is very much appreciated.
Thanks to all those that took part, hope you enjoyed it. Results should also be in TMX. Only two retirements this time, Hard luck Emily, hope to see you again. The other one was me, the reason is on the results sheet!
The final round of the Classic series is on October 28th. See you there or at our new event the Classic Twinshock Trial on sept 23rd.