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Gate Trial Rules - Variations?


mcman56
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Are there any documented gate trial rules?  Are there variations?  I have seen one type where the first footing means the rider has failed the section.  This seems a bit harsh and would encourage very conservative riding.     

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3 hours ago, mcman56 said:

Are there any documented gate trial rules?  Are there variations?  I have seen one type where the first footing means the rider has failed the section.  This seems a bit harsh and would encourage very conservative riding.     

The first footing being a fail for the section is what I'm familiar with and seems to work well. Instead of the usual scenario of the best rider winning, it becomes a scenario of the rider who best knows their own ability who wins. Riding very conservatively won't win, but riding just conservatively enough to avoid footing gives the rider the best chance of winning.

We run our gate trials with only one Observer and all riders completing the one section before moving to the next section. This makes it a very social event with lots of coaching and support for riders from the other riders. I love the mental challenge involved in deciding which gates to leave out.

It can be quite a challenge for some riders to accept that rider skill is not the main factor in winning the trial.

I don't know of any written rules, but with ours:

Highest total points wins.

Points are gained for riding gates. Either 1, 2 or 3 points per gate.

Footing is a fail (zero points for the section).

There are a total of eleven (I think) points available in each section.

The most difficult gates tend to be worth only 1 point and the easiest gates tend to be worth 3 points.

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5 hours ago, arthritic said:

Never come across this before. Modern or Classic bikes? Where are these type of events run and at what level are the sections?  

Any trials bike.

All over the world.

The degree of difficulty is the same as what the riders would normally ride in conventional trials comps. There are three levels of difficulty and you choose your level of difficulty all the way through the section by choosing which gates you go through.

In my local area, there are two clubs and a total of twelve trials per year, one of which is usually a gate trial.

Gate trials are great for getting people thinking outside the box.

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Here is a set of Gate Trials rules stolen from the Supp Regs for a Trials Club of Canberra Gate Trial. Their rules are slightly different to ours:

This Trial will be a Gate Trial.
These are the TCC Gate Trial Rules.
Highest score wins
Blue arrow / gate = 1 point
Yellow arrow / gate = 2 points
Red arrow / gate = 3 points
Maximum score per section is 7 points
If you put your foot down (dab) you score 0 points for that section
Only ride the arrows / gates you are comfortable with
It’s very easy to get greedy and end up with 0 points

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In our club we have been running the Summer Practice Series as Gate Trials. No rewards in this format. We set each section with a possible 11 points on offer. This is because our scorecards have 0,1,2,3 and 5 on the cards. 11 all up. It is a fun Trial as it is oppo.site to what you normally do. The most points at the end of the day wins!

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Most Gate Trials seem to be as  soon as there is any footing it equals zero points. We did have a club that had you keep your points that you had before the footing as long as you didn't have a standard 5 then that was a zero. They also gave an extra point at the finish gate that you received as long as you had no footing in the section. I think I liked this best because I could push myself a bit and not end up with a zero

 

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8 hours ago, bullylover said:

In our club we have been running the Summer Practice Series as Gate Trials. No rewards in this format. We set each section with a possible 11 points on offer. This is because our scorecards have 0,1,2,3 and 5 on the cards. 11 all up. It is a fun Trial as it is oppo.site to what you normally do. The most points at the end of the day wins!

Exactly, we do the 5 as easiest and the 1 gate the hardest. This makes it equal for riders across the board. We do this about twice a year.

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4 hours ago, trapezeartist said:

Not this part of the world! I've never come across such a thing, though I think I saw  YouTube video of a gate trial once.

I'd fancy having a go one time, though I don't think I'd want to do it often.

It's meant for a fun day for everybody. If we did it all the time it might not be fun!

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