Scotland Trials - Day 2

On Saturday my friends and I were at the bing quarry with the trials bikes. Al showed us how it was done... taking on some big steps...

Al conquering one of many giant step-ups

Sizing up the challenge...

Attack!

Boom! He's up!

Cutting about the bing

Sunset

Mike and Ant having a chuckle

Not a boys-only event... Anita getting in on some trials malarkey

Al jumping onto a boulder...

... unsuccessful first try.

Second attempt

Victory!

In the sunshine with bikes and friends... awesome!

Thanks for another fantastic Scots weekend guys!

Erzberg Training in Scotland - Day 2

Al, the trials pro joined us down the quarry on Sunday. Sporting a helmet he had only worn once (he normally rides with just a snoopy-hat), he said that it gave him more confidence. Bejeesus! As if he needed it!

Al showing off at the top of a big climb

 This is a 5 foot vertical boulder that Al managed to get up by just bouncing off a rock on the ground! Pure class!

Al and Mike taking a break for all that boulder-hopping

At first I just wasn't into it. Tired, stiff and sore from the day before I made many mistakes. but after an hour or so of crashing I got my shit together and started to ride properly. I spent the next four hours abusing my bike and body.

Mike getting up a gnarly boulder on the first attempt.

 Looks easy when others are doing it. I didn't have the nads to try this on the KTM... but now that I'm in comfort behind my PC I'm thinking 'I could have had that!'. Yeah... right!

It was another brilliant day in the quarry. There were some 4x4s there in the morning, so we kept out of their way and where they couldn't go. When they left, they set a pile of tyres on fire - bunch of wankers. This brought the old bill to the quarry... but they just asked if we knew who set the tyres on fire and then called the fire dept. No grief. If that was in England, we probably would have had our bikes confiscated and been chased off. Bonny Scotland!

All packed up and ready for another evening in front of the fire...

My body really felt the two days abuse. My tendons in my good wrist were inflamed that night and started pressing the nerves - it felt as if I had broken every bone in my hand! A handful of painkillers and muscle relaxants downed with beer and a good nights sleep helped. Now, 4 days after riding, I'm still feeling a bit stiff and sore. The worst being my hands, wrists and forearms from hauling the fallen bike around. The pain is all good training for Erzberg!

Erzberg Training in Scotland - Day 1

Last weekend was bank-holiday weekend. Perfect opportunity for a trip to Scotland for some Erzberg training. We drove up on Friday night to the brilliant hospitality of Mike's Mom. On Saturday, Mike, Jack and I  headed out the a nearby old bing quarry for some training.

Trials on!

Jack, practicing his wheelies

It was a bit chilly - only 6 degrees, but dry. This is the same quarry we rode in November 09, but I was on my trials bike then. Mike and Jack were on their trials bikes, but  this time around I needed to get more time on the four-fiddy in preparation for Erzberg.

This was a great climb we found. It was loose and steep, the last 4 feet of it was almost vertical. It just pops you up over the top... huge fun when you get it right. Mike was getting it right all day...

...I didn't get it right every time... the big KTM spent a lot of it's time getting turned upside-down. My forks were leaking oil... from the top! They obviously weren't designed to be used upside-down.

Mike getting some air

All smiles!

A huge, steep bank... my wee camera can only show very little of what was out there

Up the bank in a big arc - 'wall of death' style!

Some of the bits were steep and sharp!

On one of the gnarly sections I lost it on a steep bank and slid down to the boulders at the bottom of the pit with the bike. It was a mission to get it out - you get hardly any traction... the big knobbly just digs a hole in seconds and I wasn't good enough to Dougie Lampkin it out across the boulders!

After the ride.

We spent about 4 hours riding the quarry. It was fantastic! The best training for Erzberg I could ever do. Big climbs up loose shale. Lots of losing it on a 45 degree slope that just disappears from underneath you if you're going any slower than running pace. Brilliant practice for maneuvering a 125kg bike buried in the dirt around, getting it  back up on it's wheels and then down the loose, steep bank... only to try get up it again!

That night we had a fantastic home-cooked meal at Mike's Mom's and sat, knackered around the open fire having a few beers and sharing war stories form the day. Awesome!