Monty Don

I think part of the problem here in the East this year is that the twin shock championships have been joined by the novices. So, twin shock ‘A’ riders ride intermediate Red/blue, twin shock ‘B’ riders ride 50/50 (red/blue and white) and novices ride white. This means they are all championship routes and therefore more challenging than a normal club trial. There are only 8 rounds however. There is a proposal for next year to drop the twin shock ‘B’ riders down to the white route as the 50/50 option can be quite daunting at some venues. ‘Not Ron’ mentioned the forum in November where this subject is on the agenda for discussion so it might be worth attending. Riders are graded in the Eastern centre and the gradings can be found on the centre website under the useful info tab. Intermediate riders always have the option (out of championship) to ride a lesser route but only compete against other intermediates doing the same thing. The new Acorns club is a great idea with the white sections set a little easier for those wishing to have a fun ride round and it also allows aspiring novices to step up a route without scaring themselves s***less. Other clubs should perhaps follow suit for non championship events. An interesting debate, seemingly less easy to sort out than Brexit!