Girls on the Go & Back

Trials Coaching in Oz

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Gabby Gundry and Lisa Shilton (pictured at left and below) have returned from Australia completely inspired by their 3 day coaching weekend led by world trials number 1, Laia Sanz from Spain.

“It was amazing”, says Lisa. “They had four different groups of 6-7 riders according to our levels. Each coach was expert in a different area so, as we rotated round, we got picked up on everything.  There were different lines for the different levels”.

“It was full on”, adds Gaby. “There were two sessions in the morning and two in the afternoon. It was pretty big stuff.  The coaches were really pushing us to get the most out of the sessions, making us practice and improve but there was a good combination of skills and variety”.

They had a slight disadvantage as far as bikes were concerned.  They rode borrowed or hired bikes which of course weren’t the machines they were used to and tended to be heavier.

But they both agree it was fun too and not without its laughs. Gabby has a lasting memory of the final day when she went over a log and over the bars of her bike, all in slow motion and with an arrow painted on her helmet to remind her to keep her head up. Lisa also remembers tenting it in the cold and the great camaraderie and atmosphere of the weekend.

For them, it was fantastic to be doing it with other girls and women. In New Zealand, they are 2 of a very small quartet of female trials riders.

Gabby left a week before Lisa so that she could compete in the Australian Women’s Trials Cup in Canberra.  She came second behind Adina Reed (whom she beat last year). Normally Gabby rides a Beta Evo but unfortunately, she had no time to practice on her hired Gasgas before the event, so her second placing is very creditable indeed.

Both Gabby and Lisa are keen to put their skills to the test in the New Zealand Trials Champiionships which are coming up shortly.

Below is the offial report form the Australian training day.

AUSTRALIA - SANZ TEACHES DOWN UNDER

Following on from the success of the FIM Women's Trial training camp held in Germany earlier in the year, reigning FIM Women's Trial World Champion Laia Sanz recently co-ordinated and tutored the second edition of the school in Australia. Located just over an hour north of Sydney, the three-day dedicated training course took place at the Pacific Park Ski Gardens, which has hosted Trial events for the past thirty years.

Riders travelled from across Australia, plus two even came from New Zealand to take part in this unique event. As expected the school attracted riders of all ages and abilities, with the youngest rider being eleven years of age through to some of the more experienced participants who were over fifty years old.

With five experienced teachers on hand, the class was split into groups of six to eight riders based on ability, to make sure that each individual rider was given maximum tuition. The first two days were divided into four individual hour-long training sessions, with two taking place before lunch and two afterwards. Different areas of land were used each day, ensuring that the students experienced riding on varied terrain.

The third and final day of the training camp was used to put the girl's newfound skills and confidence into practice, with all thirty riders competing in a specifically designed Trial. Passing on some of her vast knowledge Laia walked each of the sections with the four groups, offering useful advice about what to look out for within the different hazards.

In order to reinforce what they had been taught throughout the three day's, the coaches closed the final session with a demonstration of techniques and skills. The training camp consisted of both practical and theory lessons, taking time to identify and explain key riding techniques to the riders and parents, ensuring that they can continue to practice after leaving the training school.

Ex FIM Women's Trial World champion Iris Kramer who is a member of the FIM Women's commission was pleased to see such a positive reaction to this latest training camp. "We have seen great responses for both of the training schools this year. At the first camp in Germany we had thirty-one riders and now in Australia we had thirty, which has been brilliant."

"We originally talked to the female riders about the camps at last year's Trial des Nations in Poland and we had lots of positive comments. The Australian girls were particularly interested and asked their federation to organise some training. We were really pleased when Laia agreed that she would teach. She is a great rider and everyone wants to listen to her advice."

"In the future I would like to see more female training camps take place in different countries. The two camps this year have been extremely successful and we will look to build on them next year."

 

 
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