August 2020 -- Vol 4 -- Issue 8 August 2020 | Page 65

On The Pegs VOL. 4 ISSUE 8 - August 2020 65
Sweeten stepping up to the serious sections for third at 57.
“It felt really good to get back into the rhythm and get the feel of what riding
competition is like [again],” Roper explained. “It was a good feeling and I was feeling
solid all day.
“I really just took this event step by step, section by section. I really decided to
break it down and try and do one obstacle at a time versus trying to overthink
everything.”
He added, “These sections were just so perfect—I absolutely loved them!”
This is kind of [suited to] my style of riding,” Forsley said. The winner of a similar
event called the Super Trial in Texas, she continued, “I could definitely be confident
with this [style event] because it’s very tight and [has] bigger stuff where you
have to be pretty exact, even with setting up [for the obstacle].”
Men’s Pro winner Davis revealed, “This is the first event that I’ve done other than
[one indoor event 12 years ago] that’s pure stadium style so it’s really entertaining
to be part of it.
“It’s not like we go out and practice real stadium sections; we practice a lot more
out in the natural terrain. Of course, every once in a while you’ll get maybe one
section at a trial that’s stadium and that’s the way you practice, but for the most
part it’s all natural terrain [we train on]—nothing really man-made setups.
“It definitely adds a little bit of a challenge to really learn how to ride this when
it’s so different.
“Honestly, I just tried to play it smart. I don’t think I rode to my best ability, but I
just tried to play it smart; I knew where each of my competitors were [points-wise]
and I went into each section knowing what I needed to do to stay ahead and try
to keep a good points gap [on them].”
As in other forms of racing that have resumed under the COVID cloud, the participants
expressed gratitude for being able to compete once again—for California
Trials Invitational riders, this might be their only big stage this year.
Despite being an inaugural, Davis noted, “This is a pretty prestigious event already.
I think this is probably my biggest win; everything behind it was so much,
so over the top. I think it’s exactly what trials needs.” n