Land's End Trial 2013

Mav has just this second left my place to ride home.

He arrived here late Sunday and looked totally utterly shattered. So the first thing I did was lead him around my enduro course, me on my KTM and him on his HP2. When we swapped bikes he was so knackered he couldn't manage to kick start the KTM.:)

I tried to claim that I'd lost the key to my workshop this morning and he'd have to leave the HP2 with me for a while to look after it.:) He was one step ahead of me and had already extracted it first thing this morning.

Hopefully, I'll be more organised next year and get to enter the Trial.
 
I've just arrived home.

Finished the trial and stayed in Newquay for the night, then up to Gloucester on Sunday and stayed another night there and back to Nottingham.

From Friday morning when I left Stevenage to go to Basingstoke, the trial and returning home, I've done exactly 800 miles.

I found myself surprisingly awake after 36 hours without sleep. Concentrating on the directions keeps you awake along with the clenching during the observed sections.

So, how do I think I did?

I'm in one piece. My bike has lost the indicator switch and has a broken hand guard (still just attached) and the bike didn't miss a beat all the way through the trial and all the way home.

My day with Skygod payed dividends as without it I'd have been too frightened to ride the tracks to some of the sections, let alone attempt the sections themselves.

The sections of the trial were far more difficult than I'd imagined and in hindsight I would never have attempted them on my R80 g/s. However, I cleaned a few, got up several, failed one staying seated, and one where I spectacularly hit a rock face and the bike and myself went our separate ways, with gusto.

At the end of the trial, I was glad I'd done it, but was thinking never again. After dinner and a couple of beers I was thinking of ways of getting up the sections I'd failed on a more suitable bike.

Whilst having these thoughts, my wife suggested I got a smaller bike to do this sort of thing on. Result!!!!

During the trial we met some great people who were very interesting and helpful. If you were thinking about doing it but are not sure, bite the bullet. I'm hooked.

Anyone doing the Edinburgh?
 
Great to read tales of enjoyment of the trial and talk of 'next time' :thumb

Pleasure riding round with Dansin, Jaseone, Mav and Wreford - sorry I took a wrong turn a few times :blast

The ride back yesterday wasn't easy :mad:, but it's all part of it.

There's the MCC Testing Trial coming up in the summer - a one day, single venue event, but the next overnight one is the Edinburgh in October - maybe a couple of UKGSer team entries.

Cheers,

Ian.
 
What a top event!!!

In hindsight, I really had no idea what I was letting myself in for when I signed up... or encouraged others to do the same! :D

Thanks so much to Dansin, Jaseone, Wreford and Ian640 for the support and help before and during the event, and particular thanks to Ian for leading us around the course. There were parts of the navigation that I really had no idea where we were going!!!

A few pics:

A couple of the vehicles at our start in Michaelwood Services
DSC01663-L.jpg


Proper old school:
DSC01668-L.jpg


All the bikes gathering at Bridgwater for the real start - some vehicles had already failed by this point!
DSC01669-L.jpg


This is Pavey's Dakar bike - he'd leant to the competitor... lucky bastard!
DSC01672-L.jpg


This is the team at one of the trials... check out the look in their eyes...
DSC01682-XL.jpg


And this is the start of what awaits us - you never get any guidance as what awaits you... all the more daunting in the dark!
DSC01683-XL.jpg


These were taken at first light... quite something when you started before the sun went down...
DSC01684-L.jpg


DSC01685-L.jpg


Getting nearer to the finish:
DSC01697-L.jpg


Some great bikes were entered - check out the DT50 behind this BSA
DSC01688-L.jpg


Jaseone in action - looks like he needs shorter legs or a different bike :D
DSC01706-L.jpg


Dan in action
DSC01703-L.jpg


3 very tired, and very happy riders :thumb2
DSC01711-L.jpg
 
Oh, and my brother has a whole bunch of video. So far, he's only posted this:

<iframe width="853" height="480" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/J9JJgCKB5cA" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
 
Great pics Mav.

The one of that dark section start brought back memories. We had to queue for a while before that one, building the fear inside my head.

Brings it back. Pity we only met up near the end when I was too tired for conversation.
 
tuftywhite said:
Great pics Mav.

The one of that dark section start brought back memories. We had to queue for a while before that one, building the fear inside my head.

Brings it back. Pity we only met up near the end when I was too tired for conversation.
Click to expand...

Thanks :thumb2

Did manage to get a picture of your (I think it's yours!):

DSC01686-L.jpg


You can access all the rest of the pics, including the high res here
 
Wreford Miles said:
Am I right in thinking the Edinburgh actually takes place in the Peak District...
Click to expand...

In recent years it's started at Tamworth but the route has quickly taken competitors into Derbyshire and the Peak District where the observed sections are, with the finish near Buxton. Recently it has run in one day with the standard time starting in the very early hours of the Saturday and finishing about lunchtime the same day.

It usually has a single start and is considerably shorter in distance (less than 200 miles) than the LE, but with a similar number of hills (one term for the sections). It's a great ride round - weather can be great but it can sometimes be wet. Entries will probably be available around June or July.
 
Mav said:
A few pics:
Click to expand...

Great pics and footage - someone making Bishops Path look easy on a big motorcycle. The photo at the finish with the three BMWs stood next to a relatively tiny machine (looks like a 1980s Honda trials bike) puts it all into context :thumb
 
Thanks for the link Wreford. :thumb

You can link to the photos which I've done below. They're available to buy from Dave Cooks Photobox gallery - pretty cheap starting at a quid each for a 6x4 print.

Mav

DSC_6235-M.jpg


Jaseone

D30_2546-M.jpg


Ian640

D30_2543-M.jpg


Tuftywhite

D30_2574-M.jpg


Me

D30_2548-M.jpg
 
Conditions

Hi
Looking at some footage and stills were the conditions of the sections mainly dry ?
Blue hills can be a bu--er when its wet , along with most of the others.
 
bighair said:
Firstly well done.:thumb
I did it in the past and your right about the sea first thing in the morning ( the first rays of sunshine really lift you after the night ride and with the expectations of getting warmer). I did it on a serow and enfield 500 and rode home to bedford an hour or two after finishing and its a knackering but you have a great sense of achievement. You sleep for hours once home then you have the task of red mud removal.
Click to expand...

I bet that was tough - riding home a few hours after on a Serow and an Enfield 500.

I expect that meant you riding late into Saturday night, I could not have done that.

The HP2 got me home in 4 1/4 hours inc 3 stops and one of those included time for hot food and drink - Amazing bike from that respect, the trouble on the sections was more about my skill than the bike and to then be able to blast home as fast as I'd want to do it on any bike makes it quite unique.
 
When we met up at the Texaco garage before Blue Hills, my friend (blue XT600) said that someone mentioned some event in Europe that you attended.

Do you remember, or have any details?
 
Nippy Normans supply Touratech, Wunderlich, Desert Fox and many other makes of accessories.
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

tuftywhite
Paul Blezard Rides a Royal Enfield Himalayan in the Land's End Trial
Replies
16
Views
10,360
peepingtom
peepingtom
tuftywhite
Land's End Trial 2018
Replies
8
Views
5,821
tuftywhite
tuftywhite
MCC Land's End Trial 2015
Replies
9
Views
5,051
tuftywhite
tuftywhite
dazcall
Land's End to John O' Groats in a day
Replies
1
Views
4,658
dazcall
dazcall
MCC Lands End Trial 2014
Replies
2
Views
1,830
Dansin
Dansin


Back
Top Bottom