words STEPH VETTERLY photos FUTURE7MEDIA
ANDORRA LA VELLA November 6 , 2021
Repsol Honda ’ s Toni Bou kicked off the 2021 X-Trial season with a “ rip-roaring ” triumph at the season opener in Andorra .
After 20 long months off , the FIM X-Trial series returns for the shortest season the series has ever seen . With an ever-changing schedule that started off as nine rounds as of November 2020 , the series was shortened to five rounds earlier this year , finally culminating in only two rounds in the month of November .
Starting in Andorra la Vella , nine riders lined up to compete at the 180th edition of the biggest indoor trials . For those not familiar with the competition format , the first ride of the day seeks to limit the field to only six riders through a series of man-made sections . Each rider has a limit of six minutes to complete all sections . In the second ride of the day , the top six riders are broken into two heats . The top rider from each heat moves on to the grand final to compete for first and second place . The second-place rider in each of the heats move to the runners-up final to compete for third place overall .
ON THE PEGS // PAGE 66