Stephen Morris Posted January 10, 2005 Report Share Posted January 10, 2005 Over the final few months of 2004 I had a lot of riders asking me about doing competitions next year (2005). For a street rider who has never ridden natural before, competing in your first comp is not only a bit nerve-racking, but it's also a very different experience from say, going on a big London ride. No matter how many photos you see of competitions, nothing can really prepare you for the comp itself. That's why I've put together some information about the EBTC in particular, which should serve useful for riders interested in competing this season. I apologise if this seems a little condescending, but I know that many riders are completely in the dark as to how competitions work, so I may as well include all the information I can. Street vs Natural - The differences Riding over natural terrain is completely different to street, I would presume you know that already. The obstacles you come across in an urban environment are all pretty much "straight". By that, I mean, the brick wall is straight, it has corners, as things go it's pretty easy to ride. The same goes for benches and rails which compared to a rotton tree trunk that could fall apart when you land on it, are pretty easy to ride. Street riders begin to take this easy terrain for granted. We come to expect every obstacle to have a long, flat concrete run up, but in natural trials this is isn't the case. At a competition don't expect any run up, and if there is one it will probably be muddy and covered in small roots and rocks. Due to the lack of a run up, you'll find yourself hopping a lot more even just trying to get along a flat slightly bumpy section of ground. "Hang on a minute, all this hopping is tiring me out" I hear you say. Yep, that's why trials events are such a change from riding street, because you suddenly realise that to ride without putting your feet on the floor (see the rules section) requires a lot more energy than most people realise. The main differences between street and natural are the following.: Stability - Lets face it, apart from a bench with a slight bit of flex, or a lose brick here or there, when riding street everything is pretty much solid. At a comp this wont necessarily be the case. Logs may be really wobbly, plus they may even snap after 100 bashguards have ploughed through it. The obstacles - Concrete is really grippy, mud isn't. If it's rained then everything will be wet, and logs, rocks and the ground will be slippery. This means that you should be weary of just throwing youself at obstacles expecting them to be nice and grippy because you'll probably slip off them very quickly. The route - At competitions you can't ride whatever you fancy I'm afraid, you need to enter at a certain level, and ride the route that they set out. Say for example you're riding novice (white route), you need to ride the section set out for you, riding between the white "gates" which are essentially white stakes in the ground, or white bits of paper stapled to a tree. You are allowed to walk through your section before you attempt to ride it, so ask the observer if you're not sure on what lines to take, and try and work out how you will negotiate the section as opposed to getting to the big log, and then deciding what you're going to do. The atmosphere - Whether you're used to riding on your own or with 30 other people every week, the atmosphere at a trials competition is very different from the set of rails in the Tesco car park. For a start, expect at least 40 - 50 riders to turn up. Some of these riders will be wearing lycra body suits. There's nothing wrong with that, but it does come as a little bit of a shock at your first comp. Most people are very friendly, they'll come up to you and ask how well you're doing, Andy Chai may even offer you one of his flapjacks if you're lucky. One important thing to consider is that even if you don't care where you finish, other people will take the competition very seriously. There's nothing wrong with that at all, but what does annoy me, and it probably always will, are the pushy dads who "help" their kids by shouting at them when they fall off. Of course it's nice to have somebody to talk to and help you whilst you're riding, but as far as I'm concerned, the last thing you need when you've fallen off a log into a pile of stinging nettles, is your dad telling you "that's the last time you'll fall over today Simon, you fool!". How competitions work At EBTC, you arrive between 9 and 10am in the competition car park to see about 50 Montys and lots of lycra body suits. These competitions can be all over the place, most are in Essex, but there are also comps in Suffolk, Kent and Surrey in Darsham, Penshurst and Hook Wods respectively. Once you've paid the £9 comp entry fee (different clubs may have different prices) you get given your scorecard, your rider number and some string. The string is to tie your rider number to your bars, NOT to make a nifty bracelet. At 10am, once everybody has arrived trophys will be given out for those who came 1st, 2nd and 3rd at the last comp and the clerk of the course will say a few words regarding where the sections are and how you must behave at this location - it may be somebody's farm, scout camp etc. The sections will all be numbered, and they'll all follow on from one another. If your rider number is 52, then you start at section 2, likewise, if your number is 97, you start on section 7. The last number, decides your starting course, and it spreads all the riders around the competition, and not all on one section. There'll usually be either 2 laps of 10 sections or 3 laps of 8, meaning that you'll ride either 20 or 24 sections in a day. Each section has an observer who watches you ride the sections and scores you on your scorecard. When you get to the section, give the observer your scorecard and they'll call out the rider's name or numbers when it's their turn to ride. Whilst you're waiting for your turn, walk through the section working out what you need to be doing, and checking just how slippery that log is. Once you've completed all the sections, hand in your scorecard and rider number, where you signed in. You may now go home. The results should appear on Biketrialuk.co.uk within a few days, and within a few weeks the results will come through the post along with information on the next competition. What membership/licences do I need To ride a competition you'll need an ACU licence and EBTC membership. They cost £10 each for a year so that's £20 altogether. To get one speak to Brian Matthews on 01277 210284. He'll send you the forms for both the ACU and the EBTC memberships. Fill them out including all the checks and photos that are required and send them back to Brian. These memberships expire on 31st December 2005 and therefore allow you to compete for an entire year. Each competition costs £9 which I presume covers the hiring of the venue as well as insurance and the likes. The money also pays for the exciting trophies that YOU could be winning soon! The ACU licence may take a while to arrive, but so long as they know you've applied for it and you have your EBTC licence then you should be able to ride. Verify this with Brain Metthews though. The rules - In a trials competition, the winner is the person who finishes with the least amount of dabs, a bit like golf when the winner is the player with the least shots. A dab is the name for the penalty point given to you when you put your foot on the floor, or lean against something. Getting through a section without dabs is known as "cleaning" the section and doing so means you will receive no penalty points. The most dabs you can get in a section is 5. When you have 5 dabs then you have failed the section. If you put both feet down, or fall off you will be given an instant fail, and therefore 5 dabs. You will given a very in depth version of these rules when you reply. Biketrialukshould also have a comprehensive guide to the rules there. What level shall I ride at - At club competitions there are 4 different levels: novice (white), inter (blue), expert (red) and elite (yellow). The novice category is only open to 20" riders, the rest can be ridden on a mod or a stock. If you're a novice rider on a stock, you may enter "out of class" which means you get to ride the courses and get marked, but you're not essentially competing. If your a beginner then of course ride novice. One thing to consider is the difference between street and natural. I'm pretty proficient when it comes to street. If there was a street comp then I might enter as expert, or I would certainly expect to do well in the intermediete level. I've been riding for 5 years, but I still compete at inter level at comps, because I'm shit at natural. It may also interest you to know that I usually finish very badly too. Speak to people you know who do comps and ask them what level you think you should ride at. If you do your first comp in novice and win, then you can move up to inter for the next one. But if you do inter and lose, then you can't move down. It's a good idea to enter one level below your street standards, because if you're brilliant at street but terrible at natural, you don't want to be in the same class as people who are great at natural. Stephen, please tell us more... Okay then, as you ask so nicely. Take a bag with you. Fill the bag with food, drink, tools, spare bits and pieces. Bring your helmet, gloves and a jacket incase it rains. For an essex comp your bike doesn't have to have gears, it just needs to be a stock or a mod. If it's been raining, or it rains then the course will be wet. This could mean that the course is harder, or it could mean that the comp is now practically unridable, depending on how much it has rained. I personally hate it when it's been raining, each competition becomes a contest of who has the best brakes, rather than who is the best rider. This season I'll be entering all the Hampshire and Essex comps, but only in the Summer. Some people may think that's against the point, but I believe trials is all about having fun, and if you don't like comps in the Winter, then don't go to them. I hope this helps. If you feel I've missed any major topics, or you'd like to ask a question or add to this post then go for it. Stephen. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
delusional Posted January 10, 2005 Report Share Posted January 10, 2005 Nice one Stephen, to me the most interesting thing is the differences in organisation to a motorbike trial. All this faffing with pre-ride talks, designated starting sections and observers calling out peoples names seems very organised compared to the "shove a number on your front and just ride" type anarchy I remember from my yoof! I'm intending to head along to one or two comps sometime soon without my bike, just to get a better impression of the type of thing I can expect to ride and the kind of level of riding I'll be up against (not really important, just nice to know). All I need to do then is get my driving license so I don't have to squelch home on the train :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Janson Posted January 10, 2005 Report Share Posted January 10, 2005 I'm intending to head along to one or two comps sometime soon without my bike, just to get a better impression of the type of thing I can expect to ride and the kind of level of riding I'll be up against (not really important, just nice to know). ← BRING THE BIKE. Even if you don't want to ride the comp. The section builders prefer places that have been ridden before, which means that you can ride natural out of section. Nice natural which is cleaned out etc. Also, you can ride the sections afterwards, to see in which class you belong. There have been times I've just looked at a section, thinking "No problem here, I'll just do blah blah" and the minute I get on my bike I get the 'LineVision™', and realize that it's not doable in the way I wanted to. So bring the bike, you'll thank me later. ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt_Tupman Posted January 10, 2005 Report Share Posted January 10, 2005 BRING THE BIKE. Even if you don't want to ride the comp. The section builders prefer places that have been ridden before, which means that you can ride natural out of section. Nice natural which is cleaned out etc. Also, you can ride the sections afterwards, to see in which class you belong. There have been times I've just looked at a section, thinking "No problem here, I'll just do blah blah" and the minute I get on my bike I get the 'LineVision™', and realize that it's not doable in the way I wanted to. So bring the bike, you'll thank me later. ;) ← Good idea but if your spotted you could get in trouble due to you not being insured. But a good idea if you can get away with it ;) :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Janson Posted January 10, 2005 Report Share Posted January 10, 2005 Not insured, wtf? Shouldn't be a problem really, I've never heard anyone talk about insurance issues yet... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
F-Stop Junkie Posted January 10, 2005 Report Share Posted January 10, 2005 There were big problems at Hook Woods with non-competing riders mucking about. Didn't affect the competition, but if one of them had hurt themselves, the land owner was liable for injuries (I think) hence I got a nudge because it had come up on S7 I suggest, if you're not competing, don't take the bikes. Most comp sites are open for practise though for a few quid Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
011001000110010101110010 Posted January 10, 2005 Report Share Posted January 10, 2005 Also, you will get tired. Be sensible and take breaks rather than missioning it around the laps. As Stephen said drink lots of water many times i have beomce dehydrated and gone home with a massive headache. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt_Tupman Posted January 10, 2005 Report Share Posted January 10, 2005 There were big problems at Hook Woods with non-competing riders mucking about. Didn't affect the competition, but if one of them had hurt themselves, the land owner was liable for injuries (I think) hence I got a nudge because it had come up on S7 I suggest, if you're not competing, don't take the bikes. Most comp sites are open for practise though for a few quid ← Thats all correct. ;) And we don't want a farmer getting sewed because then they will stop us using their land. Janson i'm not sure about how the insurace works in Sweden but in the UK it's pretty strict. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Max Quinn Posted January 11, 2005 Report Share Posted January 11, 2005 How long would you have had to be riding to enter a competition as a mod rider at novice level? People have told me you should enter as soon as you have a bike but im not really sure. What kind of standard would you have to be? Thanks, Max. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt_Tupman Posted January 11, 2005 Report Share Posted January 11, 2005 Well the easy course is pretty easy but I ride red route so it would be to me. Baisically you'll be going over small rocks and most of it will be based on your balance. Just get out there and try one (Y) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bionic Balls Posted February 18, 2005 Report Share Posted February 18, 2005 Brian Matthews is taking a year out...so don't bother him about membership and shizniz. I think Dave Bradley would be the guy to talk to now, he's at: 41 Burlington Gdns, Hadleigh, Benfleet, Essex. SS7 2JJ (tel 01702 559137) This is for EBTC btw. adam Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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