Ventoux Trial
Classic 2015
10 & 11 octobre
Part 2 samedi
Team Red Honda: Mathieu Feidt, Edy Adam, Patrick Frei (webmaster)
After having got a fresh baguette form the
village and a coffee, I rushed down to the car park, sun just about to rise,
nice weather, but still cold.
We could only enter as team 5 minutes before the start. Then we started with the
boucle rouge (red), 5 zones, but very difficult ones, as I found out later. The
first in the wood near the camping had a nasty entry around trees and roots. I
managed a 3, was happy to tackle the last hill climb.
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| at the entry of the moto park fermé | all 330 motos in |
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| Edy is starting the Honda | in the rising morning sun: Team
Red Honda Mat got from Eric Lejeune his old Honda gears for the start (one can not believe, how slim Eric was...) |
Team Red Honda: Mathieu, Honda Pat, Edy Adam
The number 2 was under already sunny pine trees, with a nasty rock after a bend. 2 possibilities, narrow bend and straight climb or wider but inclined attack of the 2 meter step. I tried the narrow one but at acceleleration lost balance and hat do stop the attack. Merde! I was sure to master this. Then zone 3 had two very slippery rocks after narrow and disturbing trees. Many failed, some good riders found grip an passed the double rocks. As an alternative, you could go around the first rock, then right, one big dab and lift the front to position for the 2nd rock attack. I wanted to go directly, but no grip at rear, when accelerating, so emergengy to the discribed above and passed hardly with a 3. Puh.
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| Gilles Burgat inspecting zone 2, with the nasty 2 meter step in the background | an SWM at the entry of zone 2 |
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| Jordi Tarres and Steve Saunders | Hanna Vesterinen after zone 5 with zero |
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| Hanna's team mate Pauline on a TLR 250 | Mathieu e Olivier at the car park refill |
Zone 4 had a 1 meter slippery inclined rock, could hardly be attacked directly, but very slowly from a narrow bend and almost no acceleration. I was almost on top, but only almost and fell back. 5. I was then filming and watching. I only saw a handfull of ex champions passing the rock, amongst them Phil Berlatier, but he also slipped with the back wheel from the rock, but managed not to break the arrows.
Zone 5 was then a good tricky one. I lost 2 dabs but was happy to improve my riding. Then we were back at car park, full tank and eat a banana.
Boucle bleue. Number 7 after a long interzone with many stones (careful not to have a puncture) had a known exit over some sandy rocks. Seemed possible, but if you were not in perfect balance after the rooty 10 meter hill climb in front of the step, you got troubles, as I did, but I somehow could bring my Honda and rider up and had a 3.
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| Jordi Tarres in Zone 8 | |
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| not so spectacular, but I have clips later | his SWM seemed to go well, but Jordi is still an exeptional champion, dedicated to win |
Number 8 had some scarey 2m rocks to climb, but it was easier than at first sight, with zero, but the exit was again a nasty one, narrow bend uphill around trees and roots. I was really happy with my 1 dab. Number 9 was en easy one on sandy stones, nice scenerey, but I had to do 1 security dab.
Number 10 under pine trees and some spikey rocks. I mangaded a zero. Wow, the first one today. Number 11 was known, but easier than last year. I missed the entry and lost 3 points on the slippery sand rocks, but the rest with an impressive step was done with confidence and zero.
Now back to the car park. It was already 15h and the light getting lower. Hurry up. The zone 12 was as usual a rock in the wine yards. Some impressive steps and climbs (dont' want to loose grip and slide down 20 meter on the sandy rocks), with a tricky bend around a tree. 3 points, wanted to do less, but that is how it is. The 13 again on sandy stones, should be 1 dab, but I made 2, the last step was quite a delicate one.
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| Charles Coutard and Eric Lejeune waiting at zone 8 | François is happy after zero in zone 11 |
Number 15 after a long ride in the trees, almost same as last year, with an immense queue of riders.. everybody must be late. In the middle part were 3 possibilities, the direct 3 meter rock for the brave ones, after a bend a 2 meter rock or like me riding carfully around with zero, but then I was in a worse position for the rest, but managed 1 dab. Quite happy.
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| Number 15 was the Honda zone | |
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| Edy Adam in zone 15. Foto courtesy Jean Caillou | wow, it's me in zone 15. Foto courtesy Jean Caillou. |
Then we came down to the sandy rocks, impressive, with pine trees and sandy hill clims. Does it grip? Yes, I saw Gilles Burgat and others, and made a zero. Number 17 was the famous dry water fall, called les arrenies. Long study, on which line to attack the water fall. I decided the middle on, but if not enough speed, there was a big hole afterwards. Anyway, somehow I arrived with 3 points on top and exhausted. Edy Adam had a great 1 point and got big applause. It was already 17.45 and got dark in the woods.
Edy Adam with a big smile after only 1 dab lost in the waterfall zone 17. Bravo !
Happy to arrive at the last zone 18 at the car park, commented by Richard Kasperian. Many stones, with a narrow bend at the entry and then a fallen big tree. I first wanted to change for the tree trunk in to 2nd gear, but had troubles in the slippery bend before, so full throttle in the first gear, tap the front in the tree, jump up and I passed, still zero, then the last rocks and yes, I'm still clean. Wow, so I now really need a beer. After one or two, I suddenly remembered, that I should bring my Honda till 19h in the park fermé. So, no time for service or full up, can do it tomorrow.
After shower (nice!), I was invited to join my friends from Alsace a the Pizzeria down town Malaucene. My Swiss friends on the camping (Georges, Edy, René, Ralph, Fred) were grilling and didn't want to go to the village of Malaucene or they went early to bed. We were 15 people at our table, the youngest little Maxime, 10 month, Marie & Mat's son. A nice evening, which ended with some champagne to celebrate Oliviers birthday (50 +), accompaigned by troubadour Denis Folzer with songs on his guitar. At midnight I went back to sleep and dreamt about zones, trial and Provence.