Day One
I was relieved when my first lesson aboard the
Beta EVO Factory 200 involved both wheels
on the ground. What many people don't real-
ize from watching trials is that it is about more
than wheelying over rocks. It's about tight turns,
controlled maneuvering on the ground. Sure, you
noticed how that trials pro splattered his way
over that giant boulder, but keep watching, and
you'll see him (or her) set the front wheel down
already set up the tight turn right after it.
Our first drill was a figure-eight. Simple
enough, until Chris moved the rocks. "Now
turn here, and stay inside these rocks," he said.
Imagine trying to do figure-eights in a single-
car garage. Then try it in your living room.
It didn't even seem like a reasonable ask until
I watched Cole whipping his Beta 300 around
in turns so tight the rear wheel was hardly even
rotating. With some time, coaching and concen
-
tration, I found myself cranking through turns
P106
FEATURE I A SEASON WITH A BETA EVO FACTORY 200
(Left) Woah,
did I just do that?
Learning new
tricks like the
double-blip is
much easier on a
150-pound bike.
(Bottom) In only
a few attempts,
my moto-head
boyfriend was
annoyingly
talented on the
trials bike.
