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Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/127746
OBSERVED TRIALS . AllAMATC NalionaI Championship Trials series Final rounds: Tillamook, Oregon (Left) Defending NatIonal Champion Geoff Aaron pulled a pair of wine out of hla bag of trlc:ka and wrappacl uphlasecond conaecutlve title In Oregon. (Below) Ryan Young f1nlahed second overall on boIh daya, and was second In the MrIea alao. Young hinted that he may retire. By AI Malmquist TILLAMOOK, OR, SEPT. 2-3 ne sign of a true champion is his ability to perform under pressure. Defending' National Champion Geoff Aaron entered the final two rounds of the AMA/NATC National Championship Trials Series under incredible pressure, and some expected him to lose his hard-earned number-one plate to six-time National Champion Ryan Young. O 18 Young had by far been the more consistent of the two, and, entering the final rounds, had a rather secure grip on the series point lead. In order to win his second championship, Aaron needed to sweep both days of competition in the sHppery Oregon conditions and take full. advantage of the best-six-out-of-ll-finishes rule. Young and Aaron each had four wins entering the weekend, but Young had finished no worse than second. Aaron, on the other hand, had scored as low as fourth. Throw in the fact that throughout the previous nine rounds, no rider had succeeded in win- ning both days, and things weren't looking very bright for Mr. Aaron. All of that reasoning, however, went straight out the door when the action got underway. Aaron was visibly more focused than he had been all season long, and rode without fault as he turned in a pair of rna terful rides and did exactly what he needed to do. The 22-year-old Beta Techno pilot emerged victorious on both days of competition and ended the season with six wins - a perfect score. "I let it all hang out," said Connecticut's Aaron. "I knew that I had to win on both days, and 1 had nothing to lose. I did exactly what I came here to do. I went out and kicked butt." For Young, it was a bittersweet end to what was arguably one of his best seasons of late. After winning his first National Championship in 1988, it became harder and harder for the likable Kentucky native to stay motivated. A lack of serious competition saw him slack off a bit in the last two years of his six-year reign, and Aaron surprised him in '94 when he wrestled the title away. Young returned with a vengeance in '95, rejuvenated and eager to regain his title. Though many agree that Young rode as well as ever, it just wasn't enough to dethrone the younger rider. "This is about the first time that I've failed to meet my goals in trials," said Young, a 49-time National winner. '1've always set realistic goals for myself, and one of them this year was to get my seventh title and 50th win. ! ended up one short in both counts. Geoff rode well this weekend and 1 made too many Httle mistakes."