well firstly can't beleive no one has made a comment about the sad retirement of joanne coles which to me was a bit of a shock to loose what i thought was maybe our best future chance of a world title.knowing a couple of the top girls quite well i know there's little if any money to be earn't ,but done the right way they must be able to make a reasonable living,i can't beleive that after success at the tdn that none of the magazines targeted at the younger male audience approached them ,you would think young women on motorbikes would be a pr companys dream and with that would come bigger sponsers and money.just look at jessica ennis or victoria pendleton both now must have a good career from there chosen sports.

what does any one else think?

a young person may make a 'living' at trials, i suppose in the uk perhaps 5 riders might earn thier living riding trials, Dougie, Dibs, Brownie certainly anyone else who can support themselves 100% from riding? and if those hieghts are reached how long will that earning capacity last? 3,5 10 years? so if my son or daughter at 18 was in Joannas position i'd say ride if you want but you must continue the education .. difficult though it might have been she has made a sensible decsion

How I have read it means that she is throwing the towel in completely which to me means that she isn't enjoying it. I remember seeing Joanne at trials regularly in the past but over the last couple of years I cant remember the last club trial where I saw her. I genuinely thought she could push Laia this year and would improve moving to a bigger bike. I have seen excellent riders come and go during my time riding and they all expect to be world champ overnight and its not quite that simple. It is like an apprenticeship and at 18 surely is just the beginning. I'm sure there are sponsors out there who would jump at the chance of sponsoring a young lady riding a motorbike who is top 3 in the world but I could be wrong. They do cover the ladies trials on eurosport now which can only be positive for the sport.

well firstly can't beleive no one has made a comment about the sad retirement of joanne coles

There was a topic posted about this when it was first announced on TC last Saturday...

trials is a sport of passion, I have seen too many top riders walk away from the sport beceause they could make money at another sport, some of them just burn out, to me trials is a very personal thing, it's just me against the terrain, for me it just doesn't get any better than that, it takes a lot of work to be at the top in trials, I can see why some of the top rider's burn out, it has to be fun if they are going to stay with the sport, it always perplexes me when a rider with double my skills walks away from the sport, for me I hope to always keep striving to be a better trials rider, It's still fun after 33 years. I hope my health stays good enought to do another 33 years.

Maybe there are other reasons...Certainly there is no living in it, but it could be burn out through being pushed too hard or expecting too much... Whatever reason if its because the enjoyment has gone then its time to jack it in. Lets face it plenty have gone by the wayside... its only more obvious as she was riding at a high level and there is a press release.

Trials will still be there (in some guise) for any 'retiree'to come back to... as long as they have health and a bit of cash..

Some of us, and this includes me, loose sight of the fact that there is more to life than just motorbikes.

Just because someone is very good at trials doesn't mean that they want to keep doing it.

Good luck to Joanne, what ever her reason for retiring.

just read on another site that she is going to go on a plumbing course as she thinks she will have a more secure future.when even womens darts can get sponsorship can't help but think a good sports agent could work wonders with a top female rider ,even in tough economic times we are currently facing.

publicity=sponsorship=bigger wages.

Now then, Joanne Coles has a very good reason for quitting riding trials at this point in time. She is training to follow her chosen career as a plumber and will no doubt be involved in the family business run by her father.

Lets face it, the girl is far from being irresponsible, she is thinking ahead and like most teenagers wants to make a living on her own.

She stands to make a hell of a lot more money from her chosen trade than riding motorcycles for a living...won't she?

Big John

She stands to make a hell of a lot more money from her chosen trade than riding motorcycles for a living...won't she?

Big John

Good question Big John.

I wonder what sort of money the WTC riders make? Lets not think about the regular round winners, but what about the lower orders. How many are making the average UK wage of around

Good question Big John.

I wonder what sort of money the WTC riders make? Lets not think about the regular round winners, but what about the lower orders. How many are making the average UK wage of around

I would be willing to bet, after she is done her apprenticeship in plumbing and entrenched in the family business, trials will become part of her life again. Perhpas not to the level of committment it was, but for fun again!

i remember seeing a steve colley vid and he said he could only make money out of doing his shows

It's a game kids. That's all. As I've always told the beginners who get too intense on winning, "I won't tell you not to want to win, some people are driven and that's how champions are made but, if I see you ten years from now in a supermarket and you have a baby on one hip and a few in tow and everyone is happy and healthy you've won."

She'll always be a trials rider. It's not something you can just get out of your blood but it does point out the weakness of the sport when top competitors have to quit just to make a living.