nitsua Posted May 16, 2012 Report Share Posted May 16, 2012 as a long time supporter and watcher of the ssdt I think it has now become to predictable for to many years now we have not had the top continental riders after over thirty years with hardly a break I would like to see our top domestic riders put under the pressure that Michaud Vestrinan Shrieber Burgat etc brought to the Highland Classic. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eddie_lejeune Posted May 16, 2012 Report Share Posted May 16, 2012 Burgat was there and didnt put much pressure on the front runners lol as another question how much does it take to do this trial? ballpark figure Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jordi Posted May 16, 2012 Report Share Posted May 16, 2012 I would have thought that last year Albert Cabestany qualified as a "top continental rider" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nigel dabster Posted May 16, 2012 Report Share Posted May 16, 2012 Pasquet didnt put pressure on? The continental riders find the concept of no-stop difficult to fathom so 6 days riding up to 100miles is not on their bucket list, is my guess. Also as the wtc has started most would not want to loose nearly two weeks practice I would guess. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gizza5 Posted May 16, 2012 Report Share Posted May 16, 2012 Yes No Stop does not suit them, however, it has been documented many times that moving to No Stop saved the SSDT and increased the entries? In reality the SSDT sections are easy for them so no real benefit, yes its the moors and distance that are hard to cope with, but as Dabster says more benefit in practicing for the WTC? If the manufacturers thought it was good for their riders to ride then I am sure it would be in their contracts to do so? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chewy Posted May 16, 2012 Report Share Posted May 16, 2012 Even the top riders who want and need to win (if they could make the time) know that a good riding number for your "team" is one of the things that need to be in place to have a chance of winning; those are already taken it seems. There is of course what everyone who has never ridden the SSDT underestimates; the formality of 6 tough days (on trials bikes which even with works specification and support arn't made for reliability trials) with a pleathora of observing "standards " to understand. In a nutshell .there's a lot of things in the SSDT which if you play the game are subject to chance a thing professionals in motor sport generally don't like. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
big john Posted May 16, 2012 Report Share Posted May 16, 2012 Cabestany got a big shock when he didn't win in 2010, this year, Jack Challoner did not adapt well to no-stop either, a lacklustre performance in the SSDT from an otherwise very talented rider. Big John Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
breagh Posted May 16, 2012 Report Share Posted May 16, 2012 The continentals don't come because they would get cuffed. No "continental" would have beat Lampkin or Dabill last week. They might be ok riding there rules on some nice grippy Spanish boulders. Suffering mild exposure, no stop rules a long way from home? Probably not as good as some seem to think they are. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnnyboxer Posted May 16, 2012 Report Share Posted May 16, 2012 The continentals don't come because they would get cuffed. No "continental" would have beat Lampkin or Dabill last week. They might be ok riding there rules on some nice grippy Spanish boulders. Suffering mild exposure, no stop rules a long way from home? Probably not as good as some seem to think they are. +1 500 miles on the road, 176 sections and 6 days of competition, in Scottish weather would finish them off Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
02-apr Posted May 16, 2012 Report Share Posted May 16, 2012 (edited) I think it was principally the weather that caused the Spaniards, always the biggest foreign contingent, to disappear many years ago (before there was such a great difference between SSDT and World stuff), with tales of aces in vans while minions did the roadwork, but happily they returned in later years. Those "World" continentals who have done the SSDT after their peak and hence not committed elsewhere seem to have enjoyed it. Edited May 16, 2012 by 2/4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cabby Posted May 16, 2012 Report Share Posted May 16, 2012 The ssdt is no stop ??? Not last week it wasn't anyway Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
totalshell Posted May 17, 2012 Report Share Posted May 17, 2012 the spanish seem to turn out in droves for the pre65 so it isnt distance or weather that is the decider.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dabber Posted May 17, 2012 Report Share Posted May 17, 2012 According to the rider numbers, 30 Spanish and 31 Scottish (and 5 Welsh). We need more Welsh! Not sure it needs the WTC runners, plenty of atmosphere without and no shortage of riders both British and overseas. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andat Posted May 18, 2012 Report Share Posted May 18, 2012 (edited) Burgat was there and didnt put much pressure on the front runners lol as another question how much does it take to do this trial? ballpark figure £440 entry fee plus bed & breakfast accommodation, plus bike prep (I spent a grand on this but the bike was 18 moths old), plus extra riding gear (goretex essential), plus diesel (there and back plus support crew dashing round), plus food and drink.....£2,500 should just about cover it if you do it on the cheap. If you insist on Hotel accoomodation, add another £1,000 for two people.... Edited May 18, 2012 by andat Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
petejohn Posted May 18, 2012 Report Share Posted May 18, 2012 Great event. But in reality why would you ride this if you want to get into the top 5 in the world. 500 miles, 176 sections against 5 plus hours a day on bike quality sections pushing the limits. The top british riders ride it because they want to, and the other top riders have not been sitting doing nothing. Pete Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.