Land's End Trial 2013

Probably just camp at Blue Hills, have a couple of beers and watch them up there. I know Les (Traveldri) likes to camp down there that weekend and it was a laugh the other year.

Lightweight

You could get Beggars, Crackington and Blue Hills in, if you got up early and got a move on:augie
 
Getting to Crackington as dawn breaks is one of the highlights in my view. It looks daunting from the start line because you can't see all of it. It attracts quite a few spectators with reason, though not that many for the bikes that go round first and therefore early, hence the requirement for an early start to see the two-wheelers.

The sight of Blue Hills 2 when you first see it is truly awesome, and worth a brief stop on the other side of the bay to watch other competitors climb it. It looks steep and it has a rocky surface. Blue Hills 1 on the flat just before is short but still catches out many a contender - my experience from past LEs dropping an award just two sections from the finish :blast
 
Looks fun

Im thinking of entering on my newly acquired triumph 750.

Though a little worried about the loudness of the pipes, how strict are they ?
 
Hi Bandit,

At the last couple of Land's Ends there's been a noise test, complete with meter, but just passing the test isn't really the point.

The MCC puts literally 100s of hours of effort into PR - all carried out by unpaid volunteers - for example door-by-door discussions with those who happen to live on the route in advance of the trial. This is to preserve the future of the trials and the use of sections some of which have been in use for decades, bearing in mind that the trial passes through often 'sensitive' residential areas in the early hours of the morning. The gargantuan amount of organisation and PR effort that goes into these events is generally invisible to the competitor, perhaps testament to its effectiveness.

Plenty of competitors enter on Triumph twins - see the entry list for previous MCC trials. I can't speak for the noise tester but if your Triumph has silencers as opposed to straight through pipes then it should be OK.

Cheers,

Ian.
 
I'm in. Registered at the weekend. I've just got to learn how to ride off road.

How hard can it be?








I'm a bit scared and am already not sleeping well.

:augie
 
I'm in. Registered at the weekend. I've just got to learn how to ride off road.

How hard can it be?








I'm a bit scared and am already not sleeping well.

:augie

Good man. Consider the not sleeping as practice for being up all night when you're doing the trial. :thumb
 
Hi chaps, just thought I'd pop in and say hello as I'm down to do this event on my old 600 tenere, starting at Popham. It'd be good to have some company!
Any ideas on what the route card consists of? Is it like a road book and in which case what road book solutions are folks using? What about maps? Are they a necessity?:blagblah
Regards
Nick
 
Hi chaps, just thought I'd pop in and say hello as I'm down to do this event on my old 600 tenere, starting at Popham. It'd be good to have some company!
Any ideas on what the route card consists of? Is it like a road book and in which case what road book solutions are folks using? What about maps? Are they a necessity?:blagblah
Regards
Nick

How do chap. I believe its a roadbook. I've gone for a sub £25 diy roadbook holder (which isn't quite finished yet). :D

8456547082_c7c1fd7f53_b.jpg
 
Road book

When I did it in 2005 the roadbook was all in text.Made it hard work if you need glasses for reading.Great event though,and I managed a silver medal too.
 
How do chap. I believe its a roadbook. I've gone for a sub £25 diy roadbook holder (which isn't quite finished yet). :D

8456547082_c7c1fd7f53_b.jpg

That's a work of art! Are you saying you made it? If so I'm impressed. Shame you didn't make a batch! Isn't also a trip meter essential? This is an old school event... What did they do back in the day?!
I think I may just follow someone who looks old and wise in such matters....
 
Hi chaps, just thought I'd pop in and say hello as I'm down to do this event on my old 600 tenere, starting at Popham. It'd be good to have some company!
Any ideas on what the route card consists of? Is it like a road book and in which case what road book solutions are folks using? What about maps? Are they a necessity?:blagblah
Regards
Nick

Hi Nick,

I used to use a 600 Tenere for the MCC events - that motor's as good on the hills as it is in the sand. Have fun.

Ian.
 
Hi All,

In a bid to help out first-timers I've written a few words that I'll be posting over the next couple of weeks or so. Thanks to Dansin for proof reading.

Health warning: My words are based on my own experience and (sometimes failing) memory of typical MCC trials. I accept no responsibility for anything. I certainly won't have covered it all and things change.

Cheers,

Ian.
 
The Before

You've sent your entry off, and a week or so before the event you'll receive an entry pack containing your numbers, a printed book containing the route, the programme showing your start time, and what I'll describe as a 'timecard'.

There are some parts of the 'timecard' you have to fill in before the event. Do not lose the card.

In recent years the club has made available a copy of the route in electronic form, to allow you to edit it into whatever format you prefer - for example increasing the font size. The availability of the route in electronic format is announced in the weekly MCC e-newsletter. You have to request your electronic copy by following the instructions in the newsletter.

Your bike should be fully road legal, with lights and horn etc. all working properly and with the right sort of tyres i.a.w the regs. It also needs to have a current tax disc and you'll need some means of reading the route in the dark, if you're not following a mate around. The numbers sent in your entry pack will also need to be mounted front and rear. As these are printed on plain paper, they need to be made waterproof somehow - perhaps by laminating them or mounting them in a purpose-built see-through holder.

Clothing wise, you need to be prepared for any weather. Many competitors wear a standard touring suit, trials/trail/enduro boots, and a full face lid. Some use an electric vest.

It's well worth spending some time reading the route book a few nights before the trial.

Some make time for a sleep before setting off to the start. If you're getting to the start by van remember to make sure everything you need is loaded up (I heard of tale of an entrant to a trial managing to forget their bike).

A good way of making the whole experience very stressful is by leaving everything to the last minute.
 
The Beginning

The 'big three' trials run by the MCC are the Exeter, the Land's End and the Edinburgh.

Typically, for all classes except class O, the Exeter and the Land's End have three starts with routes that converge on a 'main' start. The Edinburgh has only one start. Class O only has the 'main' start regardless of the event.

Don't forget to go to the start you specified when you entered.

You arrive at the start in plenty of time (my own rule of thumb is to arrive one hour before my start time).

You need to sign on - at this point you need your ACU card and your MCC membership card.

You get your bike scrutineered - here you'll need your tax disc, your MOT certificate, your time card, and your fully prepped bike.

You take a note of any published amendments to the route - there may be none. Very occasionally the route might be amended during the running of the trial - this will be made clear by the club's officials.

If you've allowed some time you can then relax whilst waiting for your start time to come round.

A few minutes before your start time, head over to the start marshal who will sign and note your start time on your timecard. The clock ticks round and the marshal will wave you away.

You head off into the dusk or darkness, perhaps stopping to wait for your mates at the next lay-by.

If it's the Exeter or the Land's End, you're now in the part of the trial known as the 'night run' - 100 miles or so leading to the main start. There may be a special test on this stage - this will be specified in the route book. There may also be a route check to make sure you're following the prescribed route. Typically in the Edinburgh, as there isn't a main start, you ride straight to the first of the observed sections.

You then arrive at the main start and pull into the second scrutineering. Because your bike is so well prepared you sail through this. Your timecard will be annotated again.

You then park your bike as directed and head to the time control, where you hand in your timecard and enjoy a mandatory 1 hour rest. Food will be available.

Again your start time comes up and when it does, you collect your timecard and off you go into the night to the observed sections and special tests.
 


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