British Lionesses top Trial des Nations
By Team TMX on 11th Sep 23
News Trials Trial World Championship
Team GB’s Emma Bristow, Alice Minta and Kaytlyn Adshead sensationally topped the podium at the 2023 FIM Trials des Nations which was held at Auron in the French Alps. With imposing rocks and steep, loose climbs challenging the field over two laps of 15 sections, the heat and altitude – Auron is 1,700 metres above sea level – combined to test the skill and physical fitness of the best riders on the planet.
Defending champions Spain started as favourites as Berta Abellan (Scorpa), Alba Villegas (Scorpa) and Sandra Gomez (TRRS) were looking to make it four TdN wins in a row. The Brit battlers had other ideas though with Bristow (Sherco), Minta (Scorpa) and Adshead (TRRS) getting off to a perfect start with a clean opening lap giving them a two-mark advantage over Spain at the halfway stage.
Gradually easing clear, the British women then threw Spain a late lifeline with three marks lost on Section 11, but their rivals were unable to capitalise and also incurred three marks here and Britain’s eventual total of five gave them victory by a slender four points.
“We knew it was going to be low scoring so the aim was to keep our feet up and we performed well on the harder sections to keep the lead throughout the day,” said Bristow. “It was a great team effort – we had been training together all week and I think it showed.”
The podium was competed by Norway’s Mette Fidje (Sherco), Huldeborg Barkved (TRRS) and Seline Meling (Beta) whose score of 33 edged out the home team of Naomi Monnier (GASGAS), Alycia Soyer (TRRS) and Marine Aurieres (GASGAS) by two marks.
In the Men’s category, Spain swept to a 19th consecutive victory with Toni Bou (Montesa), Jaime Busto (GASGAS) and Gabriel Marcelli (Montesa) dominating at the 39th Trial des Nations.
With a team’s best two scores in each section counting, Spain’s biggest test on the opening lap came on the huge rock steps of Section 9 where they collected a 10-mark maximum, but every other nation also failed to reach the ends cards here so it did not affect positions.
At the halfway mark Spain led on a total of twelve from the host nation on 30 and Italy on 31 before a sizeable gap back to Great Britain and Norway.
On lap two focus shifted to the battle between the French trio of Benoit Bincaz (Sherco), Hugo Dufrese (GASGAS) and Teo Colairo (Beta) and the Italian team of Matteo Grattarola (Beta), Luca Petrella (GASGAS) and Gianluca Tournour (Sherco).
The two teams were incredibly evenly matched and while Spain cruised to victory on a total of twenty-three, France and Italy went head to head on the second lap and with the final result still in doubt until the last section of the Trial, the host nation’s score of 51 gave them second by two marks.
Great Britain was the last nation to defeat Spain in a TdN, but Toby Martyn (Montesa), Billy Green (Scorpa) and Jack Peace (Sherco) were never really in contention for a podium finish and their score of 84 placed them fourth, eight ahead of Norway’s Sondre Haga (GASGAS), Mats Nilsen (TRRS) and Jarand-matias vold Gunvaldsen (TRRS).
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