Today was 96 miles with a time limit of 7 hours and 47 minutes. The weather is sunny and dry. Yippee so far no rain. The sections were really tough today as there is not much water flowing down the creeks to wash the mud off the rocks. The rocks just get muddier and muddier from riders. This means they just get more and more slippery. If you got one rock out of line it was all over for that section. I saw Dougie get off line and really struggle to get it back a couple of times but great rider that he is he was able to.
The moors were easier today. Partly due to the moors starting to dry out with the sunny weather but also they were easier moor crossings. I had a big crash on a section just at the final step. Guess who was watching - Trevor Bennett. He had a laugh. The Hemingways are giving me a lot of encouragement even Dougie Lampkin pointed to where I should be riding. I find it amazing that the top guys are happy to help others.
I had another big fall on the second last group of sections. It was a big uphill climb up a creek. At the final step which was huge, a rock knocked the bike into neutral and I fell back in a heap. I had the bike on top of me and I was wedged inbetween two rocks. I hit my head so I wasn't feeling the greatest. A group of spectators lifted the bike off me and helped me up. They took the bike out of the section. The big difference between trials in Australia and the Scottish is that here you don't get much time to look at a section and you have a long ride to complete the lap. The pressure on you is enormous. In Aus you have all the time in the world to look at a section then a short ride to the next section.
In the last groups of sections there were huge queues, lots of spectators and really difficult riding just to get to the section. It took me close to 3 hours to ride the last three groups of sections which were all close together. There was a time check on the ferry then a long rode ride back to the finish. I had 10 minutes to spare to work on the bike. The pits are a madhouse. Everyone madly working on their bike, lots of action, lots of running and shouting. There are lots of guys riding the same bike as I am the Beta EVO Super Smooth 300 2T. Even some top riders like Dan Hemingway are on them. Fortunately the bike is still going like a dream.
Tomorrow is the last day. Only 57 miles in 7 hours and 10 minutes. My aim is just to finish on time and attempt every section. The body is getting sore now especially after todays big crashes.
Matt Hannaford