Scotland. Part 3
Friday, May 3, 8.10pm
It’s fairly late on Friday evening following the first full day of the Pre 65 trial, so my first impressions.
The level of bike preparation is exemplary with very few old knackers being ridden and there is a very strong contingent off big four strokes, principally Triumph twins with far fewer AJS or Matchless machines but with the odd Royal Enfield, Velocette though there’ s also a good group Ariels.
Without any first day results to peruse until the morning, all I can confirm is the Northern Riders who I have physically seen ride a section include, Chris Myers Nathan Britton, Angus Jenkinson, Neil Buckley, Robert Dobson, Lewis Johnson, Michael Batty, Carl Batty who is claiming a clean sheet for the day, Paul Norman (dressed like Evel Knievel, so I guess he will be leaping over a couple of double decker buses at the finish), Will Brockbank, Martin Jackson and Peter Blowers and there will be a couple of others.
The problem is that the printed programme bears little resemblance to those actually riding as so many riders pulled their confirmed entry for various reasons and there has not been a revised rider sheet of those who were slotted in to replace them.
I have been able to visit five groups of sections today, close to a personal record and all by e-bike as off road bikes are really frowned upon. I started off with the opening group at Loch Eild Burn where the final section was quite tricky though there were plenty of cleans amongst those who lost marks..
Allte Claire Mhorair, a group off the pipeline road above the Pipeline sections was pretty easy but made for some good pictures, then I took a quick look at Pipeline from the bottom but having been there so many times it hardly seemed worth staggering up the hill to see the last few riders.
Cnoc a Linnie has always been a good group but has been spoilt in the flood that happened several months ago that also took out Garbh Bheinn. Four sections were plotted up it but it proved to be pretty easy then it was down to the very last group Camas Na Muic where the step seemed more awkward than it has been in the past.
The loop out to Rannoch Moor is still a tiring ride and many riders were showing signs of tiredness but the bulk finished the day. It was very warm through the day which is definitely better than it being wet and Saturday is looking good as well.
As I’ve said previously this is entirely a personal view but I have a confession. On Thursday night I successfully uploaded my few pictures to my iPad but for an unknown reason, I simply cannot get todays pictures (236 of them) to upload, so sorry and I will try to understand why.
The main image is of the destroyed Garbh Bheinn.