Isle of Wight motorcycle trials riders Chris Stay and George Gosden were amongst the 280 competitors from around the world that lined up at the start of the International Scottish 6-day trial.
This is one of the hardest challenges in any sport, and just to get to the finish is something that most riders can only ever dream of. Each day riders have to travel over hundreds of miles across the mountains and moorland of the Highlands around Fort William. As if that isn’t hard enough, they have to ride around 30 special tests, or sections as they are known each day.
The week could not have started better for the Island pair, and, after the first 2 days, Chris was in 7th place with George just outside the top 20. The longest day was Friday with over 120 miles off-road. It was a tough day for Chris, who was going well until the last few miles when he slipped back to 16th place, while George had a good day and started to move up the placings.
The final day is always decisive when fatigue and fitness can often be the difference between a move up or down the order, and so both Island lads gave it everything they had. After some fantastic riding, they both moved up the order with Chris finishing in an outstanding 13th place, and George gaining a special 1st-class award for moving up to 24th place, a result they could never have imagined at the start of the week at such a prestigious event.
