My girlfriend Kim Duess and I received a call from our good friend Bob Clark of Mountain Motorcycle just before the weekend. He was inviting us out to a trials competition and offered us some bikes for the event. How could we refuse?
This was an observed trials event where you ride in small groups and follow a marked trail. At an observed section you ride the route that is just a short section of obstacles, tight corners and slippery roots. The rest in your group watch and count your foot dabs as you go. You get a zero for doing the section clean, 1 point for a foot down, 2 points for two dabs and three points for three or more dabs. If you roll backwards, stall or go outside the course it is an automatic 5.
We tackled the junior course and as I tackled each different section I felt more comfortable on the bike. These machines are amazing and it feels so natural to hop them around and climb slick roots and rocks.
After 10 sections we followed the trail back to the start of the course for our second lap. We dialed in the loop much faster and I even ended up with three flawless sections. If you’re keen to give trials riding a try then check out www.trialsclub.org and www.trialsplus.ca for more info.
