The best way to take part in this sport is to find your nearest club and join. As yet there aren't that many BikeTrial clubs in the country, and riders often have a lot of travelling to do - but it really is the best way to meet other riders, make new friends, and learn from them. If you rely on parents for transport - reassure them that it's very friendly, and they'll enjoy it themselves. If it's your first comp, then you'll be nervous which is only natural - but really not necessary.

Forms  
If the forms you need aren't linked to this website, give the club secretary a call to ask for the appropriate forms that you need to fill in for that event. Most events have a closing date, so check that you're still ok to enter. Different clubs may need different forms, but make sure that they're all filled in and signed (also by your parent/guardian if you're under 18). Send them all back to the adresss on the entry form to arrive before the closing date, don't forget to put in a cheque for payment! (New riders often wonder which class to enter - only you can decide that. But don't worry, if you find that you've entered a class that's too hard or too easy, at club competitions the organiser will usually let you change class. If you've ridden up to three sections and want to change, just go back to the control desk and they'll usually change your punchcard for you. We want you to enjoy yourself!) You can now assume that you will be riding in the competition. Don't expect to hear anything to confirm your entry - it would be impossible for the organiser to ring everyone up!

Arriving at the event
  Try to be early to the venue. The entry form will have said "Competition start at 10.30am or 11.00am" "Signing on from 9.00am or 9.30am", so make sure you get there around the signing on time. It'll mean hanging around a little, but it'll give you a chance to look at the sections, warm up, and assess the conditions.

Parking is sometimes difficult if there is only a small area to get lots of cars. Try not to park on the road unless instructed to do so, and always try to park sensibly so as many cars as possible can fit in. Dogs can be a difficult one - none of us like to leave them at home, but don't forget that you are/may be going on to farmland where animals may be roaming. Some venues specifically say 'no dogs allowed', others that dogs must be kept on a lead. You're going to be away from your car for several hours and dogs can die in a car on a hot day. If possible, try not to bring them with you - if in doubt, check with the organiser.

Signing on
  As soon as you've got the car settled, the first thing that you mustdo is to sign on that you've arrived. If you're under 18, then your guardian must go with you to sign. A note for the under 18's, whoever signs on with you must stay at the venue during the event. I'm afraid that they can't drop you off and then go shopping! This isn't being awkward - it's more a case of who's going to take you to hospital in the very unlikely event that you have an accident. The organiser can't, he's busy with everyone else! You'll be asked to sign a form - this is (a) to say you've arrived, (b) to say that you've read and understand the rules, and (c) to say that should any accident occur, that you don't hold the organiser responsible. After you've signed you'll be given a punchcard - check that it has your name correctly written on it, also the correct class that you want to ride. Carry this punchcard with you throughout the event, handing it back to control as soon as you've finished riding. If for any reason you decide to retire from the competition, give it back to control don'ttake it home with you. This is the only way that the organiser has of knowing you've actually finished and not laid injured in the woods or the quarry!

Waiting to start and practicing
  After you've signed on and whilst waiting for the event to start is the time to have a look at the sections - but don't forget - you must not take your bike to the sections, you could be disqualified! You must not change anything within a section or you will be disqualified! Simply walk through them and work out how you're going to ride them. Now is also the time to get the bike out, check it over and warm up. Make sure your brakes are working OK, tyres are at the right pressure, and then warm yourself up so you can ride your best from the first section onwards. - just don't take the bike into any section! Please don't ride your bike without your helmet.

Pre-trial briefing
  Most events will give a pre-trial briefing immediately before the competition starts. Make sure you stay and listen! The briefing will tell you of any details specific to this competition. There may be special safety instructions from the land-owner or similar, but it will certainly tell you which section each rider must start at, and what the finishing time will be, and permission to start the competition. If you still have any unanswered questions, now's probably a good time to ask as the organiser will now have time to talk with you.

Food and drink
  At British Championship events there will always be food and drink there to buy, also at some club events. Although it's often a good idea to carry a small rucksack/bag with you with a bottle of water and some high-energy foods. During the competition, you won't feel hungry but your muscles will use up a lot of energy, so you must take on fluids and energy. Remembering to sip water whilst you're waiting for the next section or while you're walking a section will make sure you stave off dehydration, which has a hugely detrimental affect on both your physical and mental states, and make sure you consume food during the day. You won't feel hungry, but you'll be using a lot of energy which will need to be replaced. Bananas, fig rolls, and other sugary, high-energy foods will give you a boost of energy that'll help tide you over if you're starting to feel tired. Make sure you get more "real" food though, such as sandwiches so that you take on "real" energy as well as just energy you'll burn off quickly. Ideally, make sure you eat a high carbohydrate meal before the trial (eg pasta) to make sure you're well energised to begin with.

Sections
  A trial is usually made up of either 3 laps of 7 sections, or 2 laps of 10 sections. This will depend on (a) the obstacles available, (b) the number of entries, and/or (c) the number of observers who have volunteered (more about that later).

At club competitions, the organisers traditionally use the same colour markings. White for Novice (easiest); Blue for Intermediate (middle); Red for Expert (hardest). In addition, some clubs add a Yellow route (extra hard), and some run a Green route (very easy). It will have said on the entry form which routes are being run at that event.

Some clubs tape the sections, others don't. Where the section is untaped, you should use an 'imaginery line' between markers. If you're unsure of how much space you can use, just check with the observer.

Unless the organiser says otherwise, make sure you ride the sections in numerical order, and don't miss any. The correct score for each missed section is 10 points, so it pays to check that you get it right!

When you arrive at a section the first thing is to hand your punchcard to the observer, he/she will put it to the bottom of the pile, and call out your name when your's works its way to the top and it's your turn to go. Whilst you're waiting, it's always a good idea to walk through each section before you ride it, making note of the markers for your route, and working out how you might tackle the obstacles. It's often a good idea to watch a couple of other riders go through, you might spot something that you hadn't noticed before, such as a slippy rock or tricky roots that could be better avoided!

Try and ride in a relaxed manner - forget that it's a competition, just enjoy it and do your best.

You have two minutes in the section; the observer should tell you when "1 minute gone"; "30 seconds left"; "15 seconds left"; "10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1" and then the timer will buzz. If you're out before then, you get marked with only the 'dabs' you've taken; if you're still in the section when the buzzer goes, it's a "5".

People
  You can be sure that the majority of riders at club trials are there to have fun as well as to see how well they can do. Just be open and friendly - other riders won't bite your head off if you talk to them, and it's a great place to make new friends. It's one of the few situations you'll have where you're totally surrounded by like minded people. Just remember that you're there to have fun, so just relax.

Observers
  The most difficult part of organising a competition is getting enough observers. The sections we can build for you - but you've got to bring the people with you to observe. Parents, friends, girlfriends - anyone will do - we can soon teach them, they won't just be thrown in at the deep end!

People new to the sport can be frightened of observing. "What if I get it wrong?" They're often very concerned about being intimidated by the riders!

At club competitions, the most important thing about observing is to be consistent and mark everyone in exactly the same way. If you get it wrong, someone will soon help you out and put you right. It's a task that is rewarding and enjoyable. The riders really do appreciate it - don't you!

Never argue with the observer - they're doing this job voluntarily. They might get it wrong occasionally, but the observer's decision is final!

If there's a queue at a section, hand in your punchcard, look the section over, then volunteer to help out until your turn comes up. Simply by someone punching the cards with the score the observer gives can halve the queuing time at a section. It passes the time quickly while you're waiting too!

Remember to always thank the observers to show your appreciation. It can feel like a thankless task, so just say "Thanks for observing" on your last lap - without the observers the trial couldn't go ahead.

Results
  Don't forget to hand your punchcard in, even if you haven't finished and are leaving early, so that the organiser knows that you've left and aren't injured somewhere out on the course! Different clubs do their results differently. Some clubs do the results on the day, and hand out the awards on the day. Other clubs do the results later, and hand out awards at the start of their next event. Either way, the clubs tend to post out paper copies of the results with their next entry form, and sends them to be added onto this website's results page as soon as possible - sometimes the same day - so just keep watching!

Before you leave
  Does the organiser need any help? There are always little tasks that you could help with. The observers have to pull up the sections; the coloured flags have to be sorted and put away; someone has to pick up all of the litter. Don't just drive off - stay and help to leave the venue in a condition that the land-owner will be pleased to let you use it again!
 

The main thing to remember - everyone is there to ride their bike and have a good day out.
Be friendly, chat to people and you'll soon make loads of new friends.

Enjoy yourself!