SCOTLAND PART 1
TUESDAY, APRIL 30
Well, I never expected to be writing something as early as this about Scotland, but here goes.
I was having a Monday afternoon brew with my local Carnforth pal Neil Buckley, who was on the Reserve List for the two day trial, but a long way down, somewhere about the last 4 or 5 of the list, and I suggested, why not go up to Scotland on the off-chance that you will get a ride at the weigh-in. That went down like a lead balloon, but in my opinion, any event that has 200 riders pre-entered has virtually no chance of all 200 turning up.
He went back to his engineering, I went home to tackle Barbon hill climb Sport 80 entries when Neil rang me during the evening to say he had been offered a ride in the Pre 65 Scottish. Secretary Anne Gordon had e-mailed him at 5.20pm and needed a reply by 8pm, which Neil just managed. So now, like a dog with two tails, he’s up for a ride at Kinlochleven which is some consolation as last year his van broke down on the way to Scotland and he was unable to take his allocated ride.
So for much of today Neil has been checking over his Bantam (though he rode it last Sunday so there’s not much wrong with it) and getting himself psyched up for two days of the Pre 65 trial.
Here’s a question, if a rider withdraws, does he get replaced by a rider who is in the same capacity group or does the ride go to the next rider on the Reserve List?