Double, Double Toil and Trouble
Double, Double Toil and Trouble at Kairos Resort
Words by Rick Schill
Photos by Rob Fox and Rick Schill
My typical post-event write-up covers the who, what, where and when of the competition. After sitting down and reflecting on the very appropriate name of the event “Double, Double Toil and Trouble” (DDTT) it occurred to me the real story for this event might be on the Why.
Clubs evolve. Even though we enjoy the same sport of Observed Trials, over the decades the two sponsoring clubs have found themselves in slightly different places. Southeastern Trials Riders Association (STRA) is a large club, mature and well organized. Carolina Virginia Observed Trials Club (CVOTC) is half the size and a bit more informal. Over the years, riders from the two clubs have participated in each other’s events. Mostly CVOTC riders heading west to ride STRA events and further develop their skills in more advanced sections, sometimes with the end goal of readying themselves for NATC championship events. You might consider the event a family reunion of sorts where you gather with folks you’ve not seen for a while or possibly put a face to a name for the first time. Many encounters with competitors and their families were probably for the first time. Our ambition was to bring the trials community closer together while doing what we love to do, ride trials motorcycles in a friendly competition.
Three years prior to DDTT, in July of 2020, during the first CVOTC Observed Trials event at Kairos, the idea was floated for a joint event with our trials riding brethren from STRA who were well represented at that event. So why not join forces, work together on a joint event and credit riders for Championship Points in their respective clubs. Leadership of the two clubs identified roles, responsibilities and areas of focus to seam the clubs’ ways of working.
Summer time weather in the Piedmont of North Carolina and throughout the southeast can be oppressive and physical exertion can be hard on one’s body. In a sport already designed to challenge one’s physical fitness, oppressive heat can be a show stopper. A mid-summer retreat to the mountains on the border of VA and WV, specifically Kairos Resort in Glen Lyn, VA, seemed like a pretty good idea.
A week out from the event the forecast was for lows in the upper 50’s and a high of just 80 degrees. No rain was in the forecast however mountain weather can change quickly. Saturday morning prior to the start of the event, we had what I called “condensing fog” which cleared before the start of the day. Sunday late afternoon after most riders were on the road heading home the sky opened for a brief time and then yielded to a pretty mountain sunset to complete the weekend. Whew on the weather!
From the riders’ perspective, Kairos is a bit northwest of CVOTC venues and a bit northeast of STRA events. Turnout was just about 50/50 and with overall turnout of 49-riders on Saturday, this was a large turnout for CVOTC and a modest turnout for STRA. Some riders were heading to the nationals in Exeter, RI the following weekend and made good use of the challenging mountain environment to get ready for the rocks of Exeter.
Kairos resort), a 1,500-acre property, caters to off road vehicles, two and four wheels alike. They host hare scrambles, hard enduros and now trials. The inherent challenge of mountain terrain should not be underestimated. One of our aims was to ensure lower class riders could navigate the 2.5-mile loop and be presented with reasonable challenges within sections. The same loop, with more than 500’ elevation change, was used Saturday and Sunday with 9-new sections each day. Rider fitness was an important factor. Just walking some sections with a steep slope can wear you out quickly. The three Trialsmasters, Mike Dalmaso, Berndie Lunsford and me, knew this all too well. Yes, there were three Trialsmasters representing both clubs and aiming to provide the appropriate level of challenge on each of the 6-lines, Novice through Champ. This is the STRA norm and for the CVOTC riders it was true to its name, Double, Double Toil and Trouble.
Sections 1-3 were close to the parking area and spectator friendly if you don’t mind a moderately steep loop trail. Sections 4-9 continued at the bottom of a steep portion of the loop which was made “Novice Friendly” with pick and shovel and several hours of much appreciated manual labor. Upon reaching the bottom of the loop trail a mountain stream provided both loop and sections. There was not a lot of time for Novice and Intermediate riders to relax on the loop, although everyone appreciated the cool mountain air down by the stream.
Ash Harrison
The two Novice and numerous Intermediate riders fared well. Jim Ellis, a CVOTC fixture, Trialsmaster with many decades of experience and now Vintage Intermediate rider explained, “I enjoyed the rider-motorcycle interaction for the entire loop, it put the trials bike to work in its native environment. So many different approaches to section 3, I’d love to have one just like it in my back yard. Maybe a bit more speed to smooth out the rocks.” When asked “Have you ever punched out of a section to save energy for the rest of the sections?” Jim responded with, “I did punch-out on Section 3 and it paid off when I cleaned the rest of the loop.”
Jim Ellis in Section 6 Saturday
On the other end of the rider spectrum, finding sufficiently challenging section terrain for Mika Lonsdale, Alex Niederer and Josh Roper, three Champ class riders heading to Exeter was not difficult. STRA is known for putting on first class National level events so the knowledge and guidance was there. What was a challenge was getting up some on the hills to clear the sections and place gate cards and boundary ribbon. Proper mountain climbing gear will be on my packing list for next time.
Section 1 featured some large rocks that provided the Champ line Kodak moments as seen with Mika Lonsdale on Saturday. The talented Rob Fox captured the moment.
Sportsman scores were about what we expected. Advanced and Expert Class scores were generally high however, no triple digit scores were earned. Serious commitment was required to complete the course. According to Abigail Buzzelli, an STRA Advanced-Sportsman rider, “This was a great confidence boost before the Rhode Island National, ready to go!” An Advanced rider’s experience might have been a bit different with one sharing, “…incredible venue, so different, possibly overwhelming. Tough, challenging and big. Section 3, work you tail off for a 3. Scottish-like rocks that’ll take time to settle. Easy to lose your cool (and waste energy).” An interesting insight provided by Pat Smage after his winning performance at the Exeter National event hit the mark for me when it comes to just how difficult should a premier event be, “I managed to clean every section each day at least once which felt great with how tough some of them were…Cleaning very hard sections exactly how I wanted to is an awesome feeling that makes me want to keep pushing for more. It was a nice reminder of why I do this and will hopefully help motivation to be stronger next year.” It’s clear to me that we need to focus a bit more on Advanced riders’ enjoyment and offer them more opportunities to enjoy at least one clean ride in most sections.
Investigations continue into unauthorized challenges added to the Advanced line.
No different than your average club event, many thanks are due to the volunteers that made the event possible. A particularly challenging aspect was the 4+ hour drive for most workers and the multiple weekends required. A small local workforce did an incredible job of promoting the event, clearing sections, grooming the loop and assuring the readiness of the Kairos venue. Will we go back and do this again? There’s already some talk however time will tell.
Saturday Results:
Champ
Josh Roper
Alex Niederer
Mika Lonsdale
Expert
Ray Peters
Talon Smith
Chris Buzzelli
Advanced
Tim Cone
Erik Salmela
Martin Sturla
Laura Peters
Mike Mazak
Advanced Sportsman
Paul Fueling
Abigail Buzzelli
Larry Smith
Michael Dalmaso
Sportsman
Don Mealor
Kevin Gwyn
Jimmy Garmon
Pawel Bistram
Tyler Bankston
Robert Poetzsch
Bryce Lunsford
Bernd Koper
Robert Fox
Alex Koper
John Hendricks
Berndie Lunsford
Chris Bankson
Vintage Sportsman
Paul Thistle
Rick Schill
Intermediate
Ash Harrison
Brad Evans
Robin Burst
Thomas Justice
Bumper McKee
Jeremy Wiles
Robert McKee
Frank Wolff
Ken Gelbach
Kevin Hobbs
Gregory Roberts
Vintage Intermediate
Jim Ellis
Scott Porter
Novice
Bobby Gravely
Sunday Results:
Champ
Josh Roper
Alex Niederer
Mika Lonsdale
Expert
Ray Peters
Erik Salmela
Talon Smith
Chris Buzzelli
Advanced
Tim Cone
Martin Sturla
Mike Mazak
Laura Peters
Advanced Sportsman
Abigail Buzzelli
Larry Smith
Michael Dalmaso
Sportsman
Kevin Gwyn
Robert Poetzsch
Jimmy Garmon
Don Mealor
Pawel Bistram
Tyler Bankston
Alex Koper
Keith Bell
Chris Bankson
Leslie Matheson
Robert Fox
Vintage Sportsman
Paul Thistle
Intermediate
Ash Harrison
Bumper McKee
Brad Evans
Robin Burst
Brian Merritt
Robert McKee
Ken Gelbach
Jeremy Wiles
Gregory Roberts
Vintage Intermediate
Scott Porter
