Fred Rist Trial 16 August 2009
Results are on welshtrials.com
Full gallery at Mike Davies' Flickr site. You can get a full size shot of yourself by emailing the welshlensman direct.
Words by Ben Falconer and Photos by Tony Falconer
NEATH MCC's Fred Rist trial attracted a strong West Glos and Western Centre contingent, who headed to the start at Resolven on Sunday, August 16 yet again not knowing what the weather would do all day.
In fact it couldn't decide all day, so just like the Ivor Morkot LDT, it was hot and wet and jackets were on and off all day.
Previous reports will tell you how great this event is and it can be quite hard. Still, they softened up the entry of only around 70 with excellent value bacon butties beforehand, and halfway round when the route crosses over for a refuel before heading to the other side of the valley.
It was the halfway point that made a big difference too. I lost only 4 in the morning loop, but then it all fell apart in the afternoon, and I dropped 13. Six would have been more like it but that's the beauty of trials - you spend the whole year trying to get it right, and sometimes it does. Not very often though!
Anyway, many others rode not so great on the second lap, which saved my bacon and kept me in eighth. Congrats to Julian Page who had a belting ride for the win, and thanks to my dad for still coming along despite not riding.
Snippets
Roy Breakwell showed us all some good lines, including a "wall of death" up the grass bank out of a stream bed near the end...Stan Howitt got a few early morning lanes in before meeting Team Falconer for a 7am rendevous at Monmouth...Martin Worgan is looking forward to a bit of special tuition from a superstar rider (not that he's taking LDT's seriously of course)...Serow-mounted Alf Bendall rode with Pete Hughes, who was getting used to his new Pampera...Steve Venn's new Alp kept cutting out - halfway round he realised his heel was touching the sidestand, which has a cut-out on it...the special test was the same as last year and yours truly actually recorded a good time for a change by using a revolutionary new technique called "nailing it"...Chris Harvey's front brake was so weak that he bled it and used motor oil to top it up, and when it faded again, he found a local with all the brake bleeding kit and some lovely new brake fluid - job done!...And finally a massive thanks to the observers, many of whom officiated twice in the day.