Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1970's

.i6' '". l1. .... '" ~ RICH 8LEDSLOE WINS STATESIDE SCOTTISH .. > ::< ~ w Z W ...J U >- U By Ron Schneiders RAMONA, CAL., May 2, 1971 - "This is going to be as much like a European trials as we can make it!" That was the intention of the San Diego Trials Riders and in the opinion of lots of people they succeeded admirably. Of course, by the time they got finished it didn't bear mu ch resemblance to the normal observed trials event that's held every Sunday in the L.A. area. What has come to be the "normal" trials event is a sport that itself bears Jittle resemblance to anything else in motorcycling. Already somewhat ritual bound, it is to the rough and tumble sport of bike riding as croquet is to golf. The riders go over an easy 4 to 8 mile loop and ride something in the neighborhood of 18 traps two or three times each. A great amount of skill is required but it is a skill so refined, executed on such specialized machines that one is tempted to say, "Yeah, but could these guys actually use a motorcycle to go to the store and buy a loaf of bread or get into a good fishing hole?" The motorcycle as means of getting from place to place seems to have been lost in refinement. On a normal Sunday the trials riders are using their skill over less than two miles of actual riding. But this was not a normal Sunday. A course almost 20 miles long was marked. It was not an easy course. Most of the course was as difficult as the traps themselves. The riders were given 2~ hours to complete the twenty miles the first time and 2 h ours to complete it a second time. Thereafter, it cost them I point per minute late. Suddenly, the bike was a means of transportation again and several riders who haven't gone more than ten miles an hour in years found themselves on the ground as they tried to broadslide turns to make up time. Fatigue was evident in the rider's performances, particularly on the second round. John Walters surprised himself by footing in a relatively easy section and commented to the checker "I guess I must be getting tired." It was a new experience for a lot of riders. Some of the amateurs weren't even making any attempt to ride the pegs in round two. They just dog-paddled through one section after another. Even though the speeds were still very low .(average for the whole course was only 8.9 mph) some fellows were banged up and limping and there was evidence of much machine breakage. The course had quite a variety of terrain. The early part was dry and the sections were often steep hills with some feature that had to be circumnavigated about halfway up. Section two was particularly bad. No one cleaned that one and most of the scores were fives. Section 11 was Rich Bledsloe - man on a winning streak. eliminated because the checker couldn't find it. Section 12 included a water crossing and every section from there on was wet up to and including 19. On line, the water was seldom more than crankcase deep, but off line, it was snorkle time.. Section 20 was right near the start and seemed to h old a particular fascination for many of the riders who came back after the event was over to try it again and again. It looked deceptively simple. Go up a moderately steep grade, make a full-lock left turn and ride over a springy branch that was about a foot in the air. Objective No. I: Don't get trapped by the branch. Next make another full-lock left and go down the hill Objective No.2: Don't get out of bounds making the left. Ne'l't, swing very wide so you can take as straigh t a shot as possible at the 15-inch diameter log lying in your path. Objective No.3: Don't get hung up on the log. Once over the log, make a very sharp right hand tum off-camber, in soft sand, and go back up the hill, bounce It wasn't the best line but he made it. over a small shelf and you're home free. A neat section. Usually when there is some innovation in a sport, opinion about it is mixed and you can expect to hear cries of "F oull" but not today. Everyone seemed to approve of the course and the traps. Kevin Walker was very enthusiastic, saying it was "the most like a European course that he has ridden over here." Naturally the Masters were more enthusiastic than anybody else, but nobody had any real complaints. Nobody that I talked to that is. None of the novices finished the course and I couldn't find any of them afterwards to ask them what they thought. Which leads inevitably to the overwhelming question, Did they survive!? Kidding of course, but it was a very tough event, even for experienced riders. . This was the second annual Scottish trials and it was held in the same area as last year's event, but some weeks earlier. Last year's trials was the hottest thing anybody could remember. The temperatures got up to 112 degrees and the memory of that miserable day was still fresh in many minds. At least ten people that 1 talked to made some sort of reference to it. That hot memory probably kept a lot of riders from showing up this year, which is a shame because this trials will undoubtedly be one of the classics and the subject of innumeral bench racing sessions in the coming months. The weather on this Sunday was beautiful. Hero of this event was earnest young Rich Bledsloe who won his class (Masters) and had the lowest score of the day (44). Bob Nickelsen, holder of the Number One plate in the A.T.A. took second with 48 and Mark Eggars took third with 50. Many neat prizes were awarded those who finished, including a Bell Helmet, lots of cans of Tarco oil, a jacket, and some subscriptions to Cycle News and This was typical of the area between the observed sections I MCW. These prizes were all donated by dealers and distributors in the area who appreciate the business of the trialers. I think everyone who finished got some prize. The next major event of the A.T.A. is the two day trials at Big Bear. It will be tWo rounds of 18 sections on two successive days, but the loops will be short and not difficult. (Results on page 28)

• Cover