to adhere to my gates and do not have to actively avoid other classes gates ; it took some adjusting . On reflection , this makes reading ( and possibly settings sections ) a little more difficult .
Little things like coloured loop cards which help identify whose running slow which is very helpful .
The length of an average event is shorter . Back home we would typically do 40-45 sections in a day , whereas the average is more like 30 here from what I can gather .
Riders seemed much more patient to queue for a section than I am used to . I ended up basically doing 2 laps of the course for every single completed card . This allowed me to skip sections where there were queues and move onto ones where
it was quiet . Despite this extra riding between sections I still was one of the earlier finishers on the Sunday . I think this is how we managed to get in 40 sections on an average trial back home .
Overall , it was fantastic experience and one I can ’ t wait to do again . Special thanks to Gabby Caperon who was crazy enough to invite a random stranger from the other side of the world and put in a monumental effort ( along with the rest of the SCTA and clubs ) in the running and organising of the 50th EtDE , and Bill Merritt and Lewisport USA who gave me a wonderful Vertigo Nitro to ride when I was over here and gave a club rider the chance to feel like a pro with full service .
Until next time !!
CLICK TO WATCH ! El Trial de España - Saturday AM
ON THE PEGS // PAGE 68