By Michael Friddell
As some of you may already know, what used to be the 24 Hours of Snowshoe (and even before that, the 24 Hours of Canaan) by Laird Knight of Granny Gear Productions, moved to Big Bear Lake near Hazelton, WV, for 2005. Laird has been a supporter and enthusiast of trials since the mid to late ’80s so there was never a question whether or not he would continue to have trials alongside his event.
When the NATS organizers starting putting together our 2005 schedule, we made sure to include the 24 Hours. It is regrettable that it happened to be the same weekend as the Test of Metal but, as we have explained before, it was unavoidable. Now that both events have passed, it is easy to see that they were both well worth the effort.
The main thing I have to say about the event at the 24 Hours is that it definitely turned out a lot better than I thought it would just a few days prior. When we got there on Thursday afternoon, it was pouring down the rain and there were very few rocks to be seen. I must say I was quite non-plussed to arrive to a giant, FLAT, gravel parking lot. But, I soon caught up to the ever-busy, multi-tasking Laird and got a better idea of what we had to work with. It seems that just a few yards into the wooded areas on either side of the parking lot/campgrounds were a number of nicely sized rocks. My Mother and I worked all the rest of Thursday and from dawn till dusk on Friday clearing and setting sections. It was a lot of work but I think it turned out well.
In the end, the rain cleared for Saturday’s competition and the riders and spectators came out to enjoy themselves. I was a little disappointed to only get sixteen riders but they did at least represent an even distribution of skill levels. I really like having the combined bike categories because it made every class competitive, especially Pro, which normally has the lowest numbers. As you can see from the below results, the scores for most of the classes, especially Pro, ended up very close. Ryan, Brian and Andy were all within four points of one another all the way up to the last section. If not for Andy’s unfortunate slip, their final scores would have been even closer.
I wish I could have seen more of the Experts riding. There are some serious up-and-comers in Expert right now. Their scores weren’t as close as the Pros but they definitely had some strong competition going on. I look forward to seeing more of these guys at the Trials Training Center next month.
I also saw some very impressive riding in the Sport and Beginner classes. You guys might not pull the big, scary moves of the Pros but you definitely impressed the spectators and XC weenies (joking) from the 24 Hours. Keep up the great riding and good times and you all will be awesome.
Thank you so much to Laird and Granny Gear Productions for their continuing support and appreciation of BikeTrials. We look forward to working with you again. I also have to give a huge thanks to my Mother for all the hard work and support. I, literally, could not have done this event without you. Finally, all the riders, especially those who helped check and cleanup, deserve a thank you. You guys make my efforts worthwhile.
Results
| Pro | ||||
| Place | Name | Sponsor | Dabs | Cleans |
| 1 | Ryan Cecil | 2 | 10 | |
| 2 | Brian Yezierski | 6 | 6 | |
| 3 | Andy Listes | 10 | 7 | |
| 4 | Vaughn Micciche | 30 | 0 | |
| 5 | Kurt Mason | 32 | 1 | |
| Expert | ||||
| Place | Name | Sponsor | Dabs | Cleans |
| 1 | Brandon Maynard | 13 | 4 | |
| 2 | Dave Campbell | 22 | 5 | |
| 3 | Stuart Laswell | 30 | 4 | |
| 4 | Ben Brinneman | 38 | 1 | |
| 5 | Chuck Sherman | 47 | 0 | |
| Sport | ||||
| Place | Name | Sponsor | Dabs | Cleans |
| 1 | Logan Piepmeier | 25 | 0 | |
| 2 | Gary Culbert | 31 | 1 | |
| 3 | Chris Slydel | 35 | 1 | |
| 4 | Jeremy Danz | 44 | 0 | |
| Beginner | ||||
| Place | Name | Sponsor | Dabs | Cleans |
| 1 | Mikey Rosenberg | 9 | 5 | |
| 2 | Angelina Capaccio | 27 | 1 |