Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1990's

problems for a few riders, as the multicla s s sp li t ca rd s ca used so me to take fives for mi ssin g mark er s. " I m is s ed a coup le s p li ts," sai d M o ore . " Yo u co u ld n't see them to o good ." The first ex h ibi tion se ct ion opened w ith a 12-foot w all an d en de d w ith an intimidatin g quadruple step-down that w as equa lly as overw helm ing. Bell was the first to clean the section, but Aaron , Youn g and Kempkes matched h is feat. Moore made it through with a tw o, Cla- (Right) A healthy crowd s howed up to spectate dur ing the afternoo n exhibition sections . Here, second-placed Olivier Clamagirand of Belgium nego tiates exhibition section two. (Left) Raymond Peters was one of two riders to compete In the Championsh ip class aboard the new Scorp a Easy. Peters was adm ittedly a bit rusty In California, but stili had his moments . (Below) Colorado 's Mark M iko was a welcome ann s ight at the EITrial de Espana. The popu lar 26year-old came out of retirement and will contest the entire 1996 AMAINATC National Champ ions hip Series. Manniko Is a four-time ETdE winner. m agirand w ith a th ree, while the rest five d the opener. "Tha t wall looked a lot steep er th an it was," said Moore, who ap peared to be intimi d ated befor e he entered th e start cards. "Bu t the exit w as stee per than it ' looked!" "It w as way easier than it lo ok ed," said Kempke s, who ac tua lly pulled a nose wheelie d own the stee p exit drop offs. " It wasn't nothing. I see n the rock. I destroyed the rock. I cleaned the rock." Section two was a super-tricky uphill clim b that no one was ab le to mast er. In fact, evervone b u t Aaron and Peters failed to complete the section. Aaron put his long legs to good use by taking the world's largest and longest dab as he lifted his Beta up the one particularly troublesome step, and smart-guy Peters was quick to follow suit. Clamagirand ca m e the closest of the riders wh o attempted to blitz their way up the hill, and he thrilled the cr owd even more when he flipped a U-turn after realizing that he wasn't going to make it. Clamagirand blasted down the rock-strewn hill faster than he had ridden up it. "I should have stop ped for the big step and tried to do it slowly," said Oamagirand. "Th is is a tricky section. I h a v e n e ver practicedIn this area .of Lucerne before." The third section featu red a large rock climb, and most ride rs scaled the obstacle at a mod er ate speed, makin g a left tum at the top . Young, meanwhile, clicked it u p a gear, flew stra igh t up the mountain and jumped over the top, nea rly givi ng the section checker a heart attack in the process. The number-one Gas Gas USA rider exited the section wi th a huge nose wheelie and a smile on his face. "Man, that w as fun," he said . "Everyone else was goi ng up so slow. I figured I would go fast and try to catch some air for the crowd." The m ajorit y of the riders made it through the third section with no trouble, th e exception s being Manniko and Moore, both of whom received fives . " I ju st spun th e tire a little," sai d Manniko. "The sections are definitely a bit more extreme th an the last time I rode an EI Trial eve nt, but I like it." Section four and five were described a s the tri cki e st b y the r id ers, e ven though s e ctio n two w a s the real stu rnper. Th e fina l trap began with a lar ge splatter and ro u te d riders over seve ral more steps before exiting with a difficult triple-ga p exit. Clamag ir and's stranglehold on th e lead went up in a puff of smo ke when he fell off the tricky exit rocks and landed outside the tapes for a five. "I do not know what happened," he said. "I knew that I needed a clean or a one to win, but when I fell off the rock I tried to ke ep it go ing on a one . The checker said that I landed outside the tapes." Kempkes cleaned the section with his usu al high-speed riding sty le that often m a k e s him look o u t o f co n tro l, but nonetheless, he w rappe d up thir d with his crow d-pleas ing ride. Aa ron' s eve n t-win ni ng clean came after mo st of the others had either fived or th reed the sectio n, and at one point, it looked as if it wasn't going to happen for the reigning National Cha m pion. Aaro n lost his momentum on the triple-gap exit and was forced to bo unce an d thr ow his legs around for balance. When h is con' trol finally 'return ed, however, he blasted up through the end cards for the win. "I wanted to rid e all the wa y up and ou t, but I got screwed up and had to pause," said Aaron. '1 really had to fight 0' for that one." EI Trial de Espana Lucerne , California Results: March 24, 1996 CHAMPIONSHIP: I. Geoff Aaron (Bet) 10 po ints / IS cleans; 2 Olivier Oamagirand (G-G) 14/15; 3. Jess Kem pke> (G-G) 14 /14 ;'" Ryan Young (G-G ) 18/13 ; 5, Ryon Bell (G-G) 24/12; 6. Mike Guns (500) 26/11; 7. Raymond Peters (Sco) 31 /10; 8. Mark Manniko (G-G) 32/11 ; 9. Matt Moore (G-G ) 34/ 8. EX: 1. Dennis Sweeten (7 points /25 deans); 2. Ron Commo (10/23 ); 3. Kip Webb (12/21) . ADV A: 1. Kenny Mosteller (0 points /2B cleans); 2. B. Row lan d (1 /27) ; 3. Howard Galbreath (3 /25) . ADV B: 1. Ted Cansberger (15 points /22 cleans) ; 2. Brian Longbons (21119); 3. B. Davis (23118). INT A: 1. J. McGregor (5 points /22 cleans); 2. Mike " Redrr" Kras un (JO /22); 3, Rod Kempk es (10/20) . INT B: 1. M. Candellone (8 points /23 cleans) ; 2. M. Miller (18117); 3, Ha wley Slayton (28/ 16), SPTSMN A: 1. B. Shives (3 points / 26 cleans); 2. P. Paddoc k (4 /25);3. R. Miller (7/25), SPTSMN B: 1. Keith Oak ley (l poin t /27 cleans); 2. Justin Oakley (2 /2 6); 3. Sonny su (3 /26) . SPTSMN C: J. J. Collins (12 points 122 cleans); 2. G. Balletore (12/ 20); 3. D. Fulto n (13/21). N O V A: 1. J. Johnson (2 poi nt s / 27 clea ns); 2. R. H umble (2 /26); 3. J. Spa rks (3/25) , NOV B: 1. T. Materna (1 point / 27 clea ns); 2. M. Bledsoe (2/26); 3. Joann Gal breath (4 /24) . PRESS A: 1. Donn Maeda (12 points /21 cleans); 2. Mark Kariya (13/20) . . PRESS B: 1. C a m e ro n Coa tney (Sa points /10 cleans). YOUTH: J. M. McGregor (14 poin" /22 c1eans~ 2. C. Baillie (19/ 21)•. T RAIL BIKE: 1. S. Jord an (0 po ints /28 cleans}.

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