5 Jours Trial du Verdon 2001

Heaven is a half pipe? Nah mate - get a load of this........
5 Jours Trial du Verdon 2001

After a bad start to the year - it seemed every interesting event was cancelled due to the foot & mouth outbreak , even in France - at last here was a big event going ahead. And what an event it was.
An amazing feat of outstanding organisation in truly spectacular countryside. Starting at Digne-Les-Bains the trial finishes at a different town each evening, finishing at Allos 1400 5 days & 381 km later. A coach takes you back to get your van. Every lunchtime you stop for at least an hour and all sit down to a three course meal, with wine - if you like. Civilised trials riding, eh? Start & finish areas are manned by a DJ/MC who has a chat with each rider. Every evening the top ten riders also ride in a floodlit arena trial - put on to entertain the locals. Nothing was too much trouble for the organisers - marshalls held up the traffic - waving flags & blowing whistles - as riders passed. Every day we received a gift from the local village - sweets, meat, drink, honey etc and a free photo at the finish. Prize money too - for top 3 in each class, i.e not us! All this & riding with the stars: Graham Jarvis, Big Bruno Camozzi, Jordi Pasquet from World trials, Thierry Michaud - ex world champ in the 80s & Jean-Michel Bayle (JMB) MX, SX & GP rider, a true superstar in France.

The 6 potential Horsham Riders got whittled down to a select 3 in the last week, Steve Farrell, John Penfold & myself. We were riding the easier of the two routes - as veteran (over 35) class. First hassles were scrutineering where lights & bar pads were compulsory, causing much flaffing around.

The second surprise was the first day - "only 37km to the fuel stop - won't take long" some bright spark spouted. Little did I know, that was 37ks of rocky mountain goat track - up "in yer face" climbs & down similar. Now & again a little sign is pinned to a tree - "DANGER" - announces a juicy cambered hillside with scree slopes falling hundreds of feet into the valley. My Sherco only just makes the refill point , on reserve. I'd already missed a section (20 marks) but it was too far back to return, glad I didn't as many were pushing empty bikes by now. 6 sections and it had taken 3 hours! This set the style for the day - a tough ride up and down mountainsides, along wide white rock river beds, onto barren mountain crests (just like Scottish moorland, only dry & 30 degrees warmer...) and visiting the trial's creators trail park - 700 acres - for lunch.

Funny thing is, its the sheer scale of the hills that are knackering us - up for a mile, no rest, just up! And worse the downhills, killing the forearms/wrists. All this would be tough on the real randonneurs.
Of course, being France, all this takes place in perfect blue skies & circa 30 degs of Alpine sun.
The Sections? Oh yes. 25 a day. A good variety - many cleans and a few 5s. At the penultimate section, on a rocky river bank, my bike dies. I rode though a deep part of the river and took some with me. Back at the finish, the bike has oil & water on the sump plate & luckily for me, Sherco have sent their Factory truck. I blag a service & the factory mechanic fits new pump seals & shortens the gearbox breather tube while I empty the air box & clean the carb. Steve's Gas Gas develops a slow leak from the rad. Jarvis' works bike has a change of cylinder head - He'd found the power a bit sharp so a lower compression head is fitted, from a selection!

As the trial moves up the valley each day, three hotels are required & day 2 brings us to the French Fawlty Towers! "Dinner is at 7.30 sharp - late and no dinner" our less than genial host announces. Our starts are too early for hotel breakfasts and we have to pay for missed dinners too! We did eat there on our next evening, but wished we hadn't. The ride round gets a little easier - more forest fire break tracks...........................

05/08/03
I found this half completed report from 01 lurking on my computer. I started writing this on 01 & ran out of time, as usual. So I thought I'd add a little & publish some of the 01 pics too. I had loads of bike troubles - mainly from overheating due to a faulty waterpump. Unfortunately it took all week to sort out - I was using the Sherco factory mechanics every evening. So I lost lots on time, stopping to refill the rad from my waterback - which helped the bike but not the rider. However it was such a stunning ride round that I was just happy to be there & get to the finish anyway. Its worth noting that Sherco paid for the parts under warranty sometime later. As you may be able to tell from the pics, it was much better weather in 2001 - perfect blue skys and enough heat to worry Englishmen.

Graham Jarvis

Some course work - follow that riverbed. It was dry in 01 and and flowing a torrent of filthy water in a thunderstorm one year later

A section from day 1 (?) hill climb in the silty foothills

Liam Walker

Henry Moorhouse tackling the same dusty section

Sometimes you just have to stop and play the tourist.......

Approaching the highest point on the course we join a GR (footpath) that runs along this ridge

One of the arena sections under construction - Steve Farrell ponders the gap. This was a demo section just for the real Aces.

Your reporter, Mike H, wobbling through an early morning zone

John Penfold having a trois

Section 15 was a bit over the top..........

Steve F. fettling at the highest Allos village

Halfway up the ride to the highest point. It was here I spent many a happy hour dousing my boiling
Sherco with water from a spring. Fortunately 15 mins later I could freewheel all the way down the
mountain to the afternoons drinks stop and..............water!

As always images are compressed & larger files are available, but not much larger

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