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Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/127823
OBSERVED TRIALS WORLD INDOOR TRIALS CHAMPIONSHIP England eiI Crosswaite, and the anxious youngster certainly didn't disappoint as he attacked his very first indoor event. In it was a baptism of fire for the yOlmg 'crosser as he was pitched straight in at the deep end to face the blast of airhoms and a wall of cheering from a crowd determined to make the most of tbe night, whatever it had in store. Facing the young Crosswaite were six individual sections (to be completed in a seven-minute time allowance) followed by the intimidating high jump before engaging in a final two "races" with the next rider on, which was fittingly a fellow youngster in the shape of Spaniard Gabriel Reyes. Gas Gas-mounted Crosswaite made a great start, taking just a cautionary dab on the sub, which featured a Caterpillar tractor and several earth-moving buckets. And he followed this by cleaning the giant cable dnrms of the second sub. The crowd seemed mesmerized by this perfonnance, but was jolted back into life as his clean ride was announced and a huge cheer echoed through the stadium. The third sub stopped the youngster, though - but as, subsequently, only Ahvala and Bilbao made it through "for less than five, this was c:ertainJy no disaster. As last year, the Eurotek-sponsored concrete pipes were to provide a very technical challenge made all the harder by the constant ticking of the dock. Also proving a stopper was the fourth hazard, a new one in the shape of several large metal arches, wide-spaced metal "shark's teeth" and a vertical jump with the aid of a small ramp which required a perfect "splat" technique - back wheel hammering into the vertical face. The penultimate section featured sev- By John Dicklnson SHEFFIElD, ENGLAND, JAN. 4 rilliant Brits Dougie Lampkin and Steve Colley absolutely whitewashed the illustrious Spanish invaders Marc Colomer and Amos Bilbao as they stonned to an emphatic 1-2 in the final of the Pace Micro Technologysponsored Sheffield '97 Indoor Trial in the Sheffield Arena. With a sellout crowd of 9,000 screaming for a home win, both Colley and Lampkin rose to the occasion as Bilbao, following an exciting run in his heat, totally gave up the struggle while Indoor (and outdoor) World Champion Colomer simply couldn't match the dominant home riders in the four-man final. The result W3$ very much deja va, as just as in last year's final, Lampkin eventually triumphed over Colley and Colomer. The original eight-man lineup for this, the second round of tne new World Indoor Trials Championship, induded Colomer, Lampkin, Colley, Bilbao, Frenchman Bruno Camozzi, Finn Tommi Ahvala, young Spaniard Gabriel Reyes and third Brit Graham Jarvis. But then Camozzi rang the organizers to say he was at home in deep snow and couldn't make it. Into the breach stepped 17-year-old Martin Crosswaite, son of joint-promoter (Above) England's Doug lampkin put in a strong shOWing in the final to sacure victory and then iced the cake with a crowd-pleaslng victory over fellow Brit Steve Colley to win the Sheffield Indoor Trial. (Right) Colley was the man in the qualifiers, turning in a score of six, but he faltered ever so lightly in the final, carding a nine to . Lampkin's four and thus settling for second. eral impressive stacks of railway sleepers, which Crosswaite conquered for a dab before stopping on the last sub, which was comprised of tree trunks and logs. His observed score for the six sections was a handy 17, which turned out to be none too shabby. Gabriel Reyes is not exactly a household name in Britain, but the Spanish youngter is the reigning European Champion, and he wa competing on the first production version of the exci ting new Montesa Cota 315. Relatively inexperienced at indoors, Reyes posted exactly the same score as Crosswaite in the sections, while Crosswaite had one time penal ty to add and Reyes had a couple. In the high jump, Crosswaite's -lack of experience showed as he wiped off an the marker poles while Reyes scored a two. The opening "race" was a tame but technical run over stacks of wooded stakes, but the finale was a real stunner. A huge man-made double couId be either ridden conventionally or jumped, and to his eternal credit, Crosswaite had the crowd jump to its feet as he went for it, soared through the air and landed perfectly to win the race over a stunned Reyes. "1 just loved that, it was brilliant," Crosswaite said. '1 was on a high all the time - to be honest, you get in a world of your own, and I was hardly aware of the noise when 1 was in the sections, but when you stop concentrating, it just hits you." The next pairing out pitted Jarvis on the latest Scarpa against Gas Gas-mounted Spanish favorite Bilbao. Jarvis, in a complete review of last year's fortunes, started out promisingly with two opening cleans, but fives in the four sections saw Yorkshire's adopted kent native take an early bath and the British number two was desperately disappointed not to make it to the final. "1 don't know what to say reaUy," Jarvis said. "1 just didn't get into the groove. That was awful, and I know it." Bilbao wa~ up for it, though, and he staked his p I ace in the fi na I with a.n observed score of 10, which included just one maximum on the metal arches. And the little Spaniard soared over the high jump, clearing it by feet rather than inches as the confidence-lacking Jarvis sadly plowed right through the section in a low arc. From here on in, though, it was all about to happen with the expected thrills and spills coming from an: unexpected quarter - amazingly. I was the eventual first and second British pairing of Lampkin and Colley who provided the heart-inmouth action. Colley was the first of the duo into the ring, and his riding partner was to be 1992 World Champ Tommi Ahvala who was mounted on a self-modified works Fantic that featured a fuel tank under the seat. To cut AhvaJa's misery to a minimum, the tall Finn was well off form, cleaning just the opening sub before flYing four of the five remaining sections. Yet he did ease over the concrete pipes wi th just a single dab, which was actually the best effort in the qualifiers. But this wasn't going to save AhvaJa from a drubbing at the hands of indoor master Colley, though, as the super Brit blasted on to center stage in a welter of crowd-pleasing wheelies and toppies. Colley breezed his Gas Gas through the opening hazards before arriving at the concrete pipes, where he had such a spectacular crash last year. Unbelievably, he made it an action replay after blasting up the opening climb too quickly before nosediving over the handlebars onto the floor in a mess of arm and legs. As he sorted his battered bike out, Colley said