Sad news ...

You may remember in April this year the TykeTrial Club organised a fund-raising "Easter Bunny Hop" with 9 year old cancer victim Ben Carlile as guest of honour.

We have received a call from Ben's dad to let us know that Ben passed away peacefully in his parent's arms at home on Sunday afternoon. He asked that we thank everyone for everything they did to help Ben, so many many thanks to everyone who came along that day, who contacted him and visited him, helped him out at trials when he first started, sent him presents, etc. You all know who you are, and Kev and Sam are very grateful.

Demo with Marc Vinco	TykeTrial at Brimham Rocks	Ben loves comps	The Easter Bunny Hop with Cesar, Ben and Wayne	A present from Ot Pi

Rest in peace Ben. A brilliant young trials riders.

A brilliant trials weekend is coming up in early October at the famous trials-heaven of Shipley Glen.

Saturday 4th October is the final round of the British UCI Trials Championship, followed on Sunday by the final round of the UK National Biketrial Championship and the Shipley Glen Cup.

A weekend not to be missed, there's plenty to practice on on the Saturday night, and a campsite just up the road!

If you're lucky enough to be on our mailing list your entry forms will be in the post next week - if you're not on the list then forms can be downloaded from the "Events" page. Alternatively, you can enter and pay on-line.

Hope to see you all there!

Well done to everyone attending and riding in the 2008 World Championship events over the last two weeks and good luck in the finals!

For information about the results visit www.biketrial-spain.com.

After a week of rain and appalling conditions for setting out the trial, the sun shone for everyone riding the fourth round of the UK Nationals at Addingham yesterday. The organisers would like to thank everyone for an excellent turnout, and particularly to the ten volunteer observers who did a fantastic job on the day.

Results are available from the "Events" page, they show that the sections were set at about the right level for all routes, although perhaps a little difficult for the Junior riders in the red routes they were spot on for the Senior riders. Overall a job well done for the section setters, many thanks to Andy Boyes, Brian Wright, John Peacock, Neil Raven, Fred Savage and Mick Scriven.

Pictures to follow, although it is a shame more people couldn't stay back for the awards presentation!

Poussin Class	Femina Class	Guest Green Class	Benjamin Class
Guest Blue Class	Over 30's Class	John's emotions at winning!!!	Minime Class
Junior 26" Class	Junior 20" Class	Senior 26" Class	Senior 20" Class
	<<< Elite 26"	Elite 20" >>>

The Addingham Biketrial Cup 2008 At each event this major award is presented to the rider, riding in his or her correct class, with the lowest scores of the day. 1st Place Jack Carthy Benjamin Class (Green) 12 dabs 2nd Place Callum Gammie Poussin Class (White) 15 dabs 3rd Place James Hyland Elite 26" (Yellow) 18 dabs Thank you everyone for a brilliant day.

The next UK trials event is on Sunday 20th July at the famous Addingham Moorside, the home of the 2005 BIU World Championship round. A very popular venue that has been used very little since the council closed it down early last year. After lobbying the local council and planning department, we were successful in helping to get it re-opened. Make the most of every opportuntity to ride here as they are now few and far between!

Entry forms were mailed two weeks ago so if you're on the mailing list you should have yours by now; if not then it can be downloaded from the events page. On-line entry will be available in the next couple of days.

After two very successfull rounds of this series earlier in the year to help British Cycling choose their team for the UCI World Trials Championship, we can now announce the date of the final event.

This will be held on Saturday 4th October at Shipley Glen. Entry forms will be mailed with the results from the Addingham event, and will be available to download soon from the "Events" page.

The organisers had hoped to run a stand-alone event for this final, but due to rising fuel costs it was decided to run as a two-day event alongside the final round of the UK National Championship.

Make sure you get your entry form off in plenty of time for this double-final weekend of trials, great atmosphere at a brilliant venue with not one but two Championship titles up for grabs!

The 3rd round of the UK National Biketrial Championship was held yesterday alongside the World Downhill and Cross Country Championships. The ideal spot to promote biketrial to the wider cycling community and to the general public. Spectators watched in amazement as the trials riders gave a brilliant display, attempting sections built from logs, from rocks, from concrete pipes and the river sections.

An excellent day, and many thanks go to those who made the long journey to Fort William, and to all the local Scottish riders. And of course to the observers who made it possible.

Results are now available on the events page.

See you all at the next round at the ever-popular Addingham Moorside on 20th July ... please send your entry forms off NOW!!!

Many thanks to everyone in all categories who made Blackpool such a brilliant weekend. The weather stayed warm and dry for us yet again, and with some excellent sections on the '"moon rocks" the 105 riders had a great time, ending with the awards presentations each day by the beautiful Miss Blackpool!

Photos of the event can be viewed, and purchased, from www.myeventphotographs.co.uk.

Results of both days are now available from the Events page. Well done to everyone!

In the aftermath of the charity fund-raising Easter Bunny Hop we've kept in touch with Ben and his parents (see thank-you letter 17/04/08 below). Since the Bunny Hop, Ben has had more treatment and we are delighted to have heard that he has been able to return to school for a couple of hours on three afternoons a week.

Unable to get out on his bike, dad Kevin has bought him an air-gun and target set so he can get into the garden ... mum Samantha says "it's a bit like the OK Corall at times"!!!

We're all so pleased to hear that you're feeling a bit better Ben - keep it up, we want to see you back at trials.

(See Mountain Biking UK magazine June issue for report on the Easter Bunny Hop event)

Money is still coming in from the event, but it is believed that the final figure will be in the region of £3,000 to be donated to the Charity!

Once again, the Biketrial Federation has been working alongside British Cycling to make trials part of the World Downhill Championship in Fort William on the weekend of 7th and 8th June. Please note that the previously advertised date for the trials event of Sunday 8th has had to be changed to SATURDAY 7th June.

A long way to travel for some people, but always an excellent venue and great event - well worth the journey!!! And of course, thousands of spectators to give an amazing atmosphere!

All pre-entries will receive a free entry pass to the main event, and a free pass for a minder. Riders under 18 years of age will also receive a free entry pass for a parent ... worth more than the trial entry fee!!!

Get your entry form off now - available to download from the "Events" page, or you can enter and pay on-line.

To everyone who has been involved in organising the charity event for our son Ben, there are no words that can express how grateful we are to you all, we totally understand how much time, effort and hard work went into the trial, and know how committed everyone has been in making the Easter Bunny Hop happen. Ben had a fantastic day even though he did struggle towards the end as he became very weak and tired but tried to put a brave face on because he knew how many people had been involved in organising this hugh event.

Unfortunately we don't know all the people on the committee and everyone in the club to thank them personally so please can you put this in your news letter on our behalf. We especially want to thank Richard Bell and his wife Nina for there kindness, as nothing was too much trouble on the day, also Massive thanks to Martin Rathmell and Barbara Wright for organising Cesar Canas.

I think everyone had a fantastic day, so please say a MASSIVE MASSIVE thank you to everyone who gave up their time to make such a special and memorable day for our family.

Sincere thanks from the Carlile's

PS. Ben especialy wanted to thank Wayne Mahamot, Ben Savage, John Peacock and Neil Raven for top entertainment, he really enjoyed their shows , also Dougie and Martin Lampkin for being there on the day.

THE EASTER BUNNY HOP 2008

This was an amazing event, a full report and photos will be placed here soon. For now...

Funds raised will be donated to "Candlelighters" - watch this space to find the final figure soon.

Couldn't make it to the event?

Donations to the cancer-related fund chosen by Ben's parents can be made direct to:-

Entry forms are now available on the Events page to either download, or to enter on-line with on-line payment. Both rounds of this British UCI Championship have been co-ordinated with UK National events in order to save riders travelling time and expense. Should be a couple of really good weekends, and if you enter on both the Saturday and Sunday, you can save yourself £10.00! The normal entry price for just one day is £20, enter both for £30 and make a weekend of it.

British Cycling have released their World UCI Team Selection Policy. This can be downloaded from the "Clubs" page.

Due to a technical hiccup the entry forms for this event were not mailed until late on Friday 29th February. If you haven't received yours yet, please download from the Events page and send off immediately. Alternatively, you can complete the on-line entry and on-line payment.

Closing date for entry is Friday 7th March - entries will not accepted on the day.

A further hiccup is that it was missed changing the heading - it still says Shipley Glen at the top, although the rest of the form clearly says "Cowling Pinnacle". The event is at Cowling Pinnacle. Apologies that this wasn't noticed until after copying!

Entry forms for the Easter Bunny Hop will be available on 1st March - watch this space!

Ben's parents have now decided that funds raised from the event should go to the "Candlelighters" charity. Information can be found on their website http://candlelighters.org.uk/

BIKETRIAL JAPAN UNION (BJU) put news about aid for Ben in their webpage. Now Chinese delegate and BJU put the information on their webpages. You can check them with following webpages.

News Dated 08/02/2008

A PLAN OF BIKETRIAL CHINA FOR BEN Jason, Biketrial China wrote to the BIU that "I have discussed with China riders about aid for Ben. We will hold a Biketrial Jam in Shanghai, all riders will sign for Ben and wish him healthy on a China Team T shirt. We will take a group photo and send it to Ben with the T shirt and a stamp. We will provide 3 more stamps of Jin Mao Tower climbing event to the organizer of the charity competition for auction and surport Ben. We will arrange these things recently" and also they will send special stamps. The BIU will collect these and send to the organizer before their event opening. Now BJU started some plans to participate the movement of aid for Ben.

The BIU is expecting more actions from more countries.

News Dated 08/02/2008

A FAST ACTION FROM CHINA The Chinese delegate Jason Dou put the news about the event "AID FOR BEN" in his webpage. Acoording to Jason "He wrote to the BIU that "I think maybe I could ask China Riders sign on a China Team Shirt for 2007 WBC last year and send to the boy,and provide some stamps of Jin Mao Tower climbing competition for Charity Auction". It ia a very good idea. Thanks Jason!!! They are welcome any help you made.

News Dated 07/02/2008

What a wet day for the final round of the 2007 TykeTrial Club Championship at Addingham Moorside - but what a great competition!

61 riders braved the rain to compete at this world-famous venue again for the last time this year, and with only 5 retiring against the cold and wet the majority finished the event with smiles on their faces. Well done to everyone!

The Championship results have now been collated and we congratulate not only the winners, but everyone who took part to make it a really good year for the club. (Note: now amended)

Your results will be mailed to you shortly, along with information about the Annual General Meeting. We do hope that plenty of people turn up as more help is needed to continue to run this series.

The Annual Meeting was held yesterday - thank you very much to all those who attended, it was good to receive everyone's ideas and involvement.

Key points for people to note for 2008 ...

Once again, we thank everyone for their help and participation in 2007 and look forward to another good year in 2008.

Congratulations to the 181 riders who took part in this 2007 National Championship - a massive WELL DONE to everyone. Everyone's riding showed amazing skill, and it has been satisfying to see you all progressing throughout the year. Your behaviour has been impeccable, and you are all a credit to the sport - thank you - it's been a real pleasure working with you all, and we're looking forward to 2008! With a total of 441 entries to the series, it's been a spectacular year for the sport. Check out the results from the Events page.

A quck reminder of events this year ... so many great venues ... so little time to use them all!

Round 1 - April - The Bracken Rocks Cup The rocky woods of Derbyshire hosted the first round of the BikeTrial Federation's National Championship. The sun shone down on us, with observers suffering from the ants that had woken up in the heat, and riders grateful for water provided at control. It was perfect weather for camping, but perhaps not for riding! Even so, riders from throughout England, Scotland, Wales and the Channel Islands turned out in force with 73 entries throughout the full range of BIU classes. The heat may have been a little to blame, but the sections were hard with some pretty high scores to be seen. An excellent event for the start of the 2007 series.
Round 2 - May - The Blackpool Tower Trophy The Lancashire seaside resort of Blackpool hosted this amazing second round of the series with the highest number of riders to be seen together at one time in the UK. 104 entries turned up from all over the British Isles. The venue was perfect for the hundreds of spectators who stopped to watch as they walked along the promenade, and provided a day's entertainment for a group of elderly ladies who just couldn't believe what they were watching! Having taken note of the high results from Bracken, the sections were somewhat easier on the Blackpool day so everyone just had a great time riding the moon rocks in the glorious sunshine. To finish off a perfect day, the beautiful Miss Blackpool had a kiss for those collecting their trophies! Roll on the 2008 event at this venue!
Round 3 - June - The Brimham Trophy Adjacent to the famous Brimham Rocks, this Yorkshire venue is a favourite for many riders and 64 turned up on the day. A note for next year is to avoid exam time so that more people can turn up! Even so, it was a really great day, with an excellent variety of sections, some easy, some hard, that everyone enjoyed. The sections were left in at the end of the competition ready to be used again for the TykeTrial competition the following week when World Champion motorcycle trials rider Dougie Lampkin was to present the awards.
Round 4 - July - The Fort Bill Cup The spectacular journey through the mountains to the Scottish coastal town of Fort William and the famous Nevis Range turned a trial into a family weekend away for many. It was a long drive that unfortunately limited the number of entries, but 37 riders made it up there, travelling from all over the UK. Unfortunately it was (as usual at Fort Bill) a little damp, but the riders spirits weren't, with sections including a river-bed with large round boulders, woodland areas, and man-made. Everyone had a great time with the journey well-worth it. Roll on Scotland 2008.
Round 5 - August - The Addingham Cup The venue of the 2005 World BikeTrial Championship, and the same organisers! Needless to say that some of the sections were re-used in this Yorkshire event. This was a real celebration for biketrial, as earlier in the year, the council had closed the venue - we fought the closure, and we won the right to continue organising biketrial events! Unfortunately, another organisation had also arranged an event on this day so numbers were lower than anticipated, but even so an excellent trial took place with 74 riders, again from throughout the UK.
Round 6 - November - The Shipley Glen Cup An unbelievable end to an amazing year! The perfect venue, perfect weather (particularly for November!) and a brilliant fun day with a fantastic atmosphere. Shipley Glen has traditionally been unavailable for cycling, but a bit of persuasion by the Biketrial Federation enabled us to secure this prime venue, with 89 riders signing on for this final round having travelled from all over England, Scotland, Wales and the Channel Islands.. The combination of woodland and rocks gave way to a really good variety of sections and everyone had a great time.

To summarise ... it couldn't have been better!

Representatives of the Federation meet next week to plan the 2008 calendar, we hope to secure new venues all over the country to help promote the biketrial sport even further in the future.

Thank you for taking part in the 2007 series, we hope to see you all again in 2008.

Now available on line from the events page. Entry forms will be mailed out within the next few days, but due to the current postage strikes you could be safest to enter and pay on-line!

Please note that because of a very successful year, we are able to offer entry to this event at £15 per rider instead of the usual £20. Please do send your entry forms off in advance to help with the preparations for this event.

Please note that due to recent foot and mouth outbreaks, we have been asked that all bikes are brought to the venue clean, and in the case of anyone from near affected areas, please disinfect wheels in advance.

We hope to see you all there!