Sunday 1st July Andrew Clements, Opunake
I stayed at Andrew Clements Saturday night. (Vivian’s kitten was so cute!)
Sunday’s trial was on his farm so I got more of a sleep in than I normally do, which is always a very major bonus.
When I went out for a practice ride in the morning there was light rain and quite a strong wind. Thankfully it mostly disappeared for the first lap.
The first lap was quite good, The sections had plenty of grip and, for the most part, I managed to stay on the bike in them. I even got some cleans.
The second and third laps were a completely different story.
The rain came back , a bit more than just light, and the wind was very strong andf gusty, especially on top of the hills. A lot of rain and a lot of riders combined to make the the sections very slippery. The only sections that were completely unchanged were one and two – because they were in the river.
I quite liked section one. On the first lap I was one of the few people to get a clean. On the second lap I stalled and got a five. On the last lap I managed to get through with a one. I was frustrated that I only cleaned it once.
On the upside, on section two, I did better as the day went on. My first lap was a very sketchy three. On the second lap I got a bit offline which, on rocks, is particularly undesirable but still managed to get through for a two. My third attempt was a bit bumpy but I kept my feet up and cleaned it.
Sadly, most of the sections went more in the direction of one for me – downhill!
I couldn’t quite get to grip with the slippery conditions and finished in the bottom half of the field.
Other people were also struggling in the bottom half of the field, literally. Namely John Lawton whose van had to be given a push at least four times. Mark Sidebotham won the contest for most spectacular exit from the carpark. The back wheels were spinning and, at one point, his vehicle was almost completely sideways.
Kevin and I got out of the paddock uneventfully. We then stopped by at Andrew’s house so that Kevin could have a shower before driving home.