Pre 65 European Cup Trials Rounds 8 & 9 - 24/25 Sep 2005
See what happened the next year
Report by Ian Hannam. photo by Ian Hannam
Hannam Tours took Neil & I, John Pearson/Dave Evans & Pete Pesterfield/Keith Laker for a trip across the water to Arnhem, Holland for rounds 8 & 9 of the pre 65 European cup.
After an early Thursday morning boat to Dunkirk we were met with thick fog, I think that this was section 1 as a trip around a housing estate and then through a car wash was dealt with before finding somewhere to park for a couple of hours kip. The fog had burnt off when we arose so we made our way to Holland to find the campsite at the national gliding centre 8 miles north of Arnhem & 1 mile from the trial. While we checked in we sampled an ale and after feeding time we had an evening in the clubhouse. You can already see how this weekend was going to turn out!
On Friday, Pearson taxis ferried us all to Oosterbeek & the Hartenstien Hotel where the 1st airborne division had their headquarters during the battle of Arnhem (A Bridge Too Far). It is now a museum and a good 2 hours was spent amongst the displays and extensive items on show of another British cock-up.
Into Arnhem in the later afternoon, (after a beer,) to visit the bridge but taxi driver Pearson, with Neil on the map, felt that 5 laps of the town and an altercation with the police (we were going out of the bus station in the IN lane!) was enough to get the rest of us dizzy before finding somewhere to park.
Ale was sampled in the town square and we found out why Dutch women have such long legs…..You should see the size of their push bikes.
A meal was had by the bridge alongside the river Rhine which put us over the 2 hours parking - if you are keeping up you are already there, if not, we had a ticket! - so back to the clubhouse which was now very busy with other riders that had come to ride the trial. Ah!... knew we were doing something tomorrow.
We lined up with 9 other crews on Saturday afternoon from Belgium, Holland and Germany for 3 laps of 8 sections. The trial is set around a scramble course and is deep deep sand and bomb holes from where they dug the sand for the scramble jumps. Although we felt that it was on the easy side Pete was clean, John on 5 and we dropped 11. I was more than happy with this as I have never ridden on sand and Neil is out of practice by 3 years and not ridden this bike before.
Guess what?... An evening in the clubhouse and a sniff of the barmaid's apron.
Sunday morning was a 10.30am start and Hinz Franke, the German champion, had arrived and a harder route had been set which we were INVITED to ride as we had cleaned up the day before. Pete and Keith were expected to give Hinz a run for his money after their clean ride but it was all falling apart on the first lap as they dropped 15, John on 16, Hinz was clean and we were on 3, 'Eh up' what's going on here then?
After 3 laps Hinz was still clean, Pete on 28, John 32 and wait for it Hannam's 10. So a second and third and a loss of 21 over the weekend made us The Best Of British. There was no Mickey taking of course and they say "every dog has his day". We had a great experience and a tremendous weekend rounded off with a night in Brugges and home on Monday.
Want to go again…. YOU BET.
(Hannam Sidecar Trials Team)