JD's Blog: 2014 SSDT Wednesday
By John Dickinson on 8th May 14
Wednesday was the day that blew the field apart in the 2014 Scottish Six Days Trial.
A combination of a new daily route, continual heavy rain, wet moors, deep rivers and, as a result of all that, a tight time schedule saw the majority of scores rocket. No clean daily performance on Wednesday as only four riders kept their scores in single figures.
No prizes for naming Dougie Lampkin as one with the lowest daily total of just six marks for the 30 sections but the surprise score of the day was a matching six by Gas Gas UK teamster Sam Haslam with a superb effort in difficult conditions.
Sherco's James Fry put in a superb effort to make it back to Fort William on just eight while Dan Thorpe was just one mark behind on nine. Fittingly both riders share sixth place overall on 17 marks.
For James Dabill, Sam Connor and Michael Brown there were daily totals of 12, 12 and 11 respectively, thanks to an expensive five mark penalty each, B Rowny's coming in the very last section of the day, in Lagnaha where he also dropped a dab on Monday when it was again the final section.
Sam Connor's was dropped at Grey Mare's Tail in Kinlochleven where Dougie was also in trouble but escaped with a three. James Dabill fived a relatively simple opening sub at Clachaig, just outside Glencoe village when he was unlucky to catch a large loose rock which wouldn't let go.
The real fun of the day though came after lunch when the route entered previously uncharted territory down remote Glen Etive. This involved a double river crossing to reach at tough pair of sections at Glen Stockdale. It was possible to jump over the water on the way in, launching from a high bank to a low one but on the return this was not possible and riders grouped together to carry their machines through the raging torrent.
For tall riders like Ian Weatherill and Steve Peat this is no problem but Top Trial Team man Michelle Bosai carried diminutive Sara Trenini across as it would have been over her head!
After the 80-plus mile route many riders were very tired and nobody had much time to spare for maintenance at the end of the day and many just had to rush their machines into parc ferme to avoid time faults, including Lampkin who headed for a session with a sports physio to keep his 38-year-old body in top condition with three days to go.
So as the trial enters its fifth day Doug holds the lead on six marks from Haslam on nine with Dabill, Connor and Brown now slightly detached on 14 apiece.
Gary Macfonald holds a comfortable lead in the Best Scot category on 22 overall while in the First Timers Richmond clubman James Stones now holds a narrow lead on 41 from Welsh ace Iwan Roberts 44 and Swede Eddie Karlsson 54.
Emma Bristow leads the Ladies on a respectable 95 marks from Becky Cook on 124 while Jordi Pasquet has stretched his lead in large Over 40 class from Adam Norris, John Shirt and Richard Gaskell.
