An annual competition to determine which country has the right to call itself the sport’s undisputed number one for the next twelve months, the FIM Trial des Nations (TdN) – that takes place this coming weekend (20-21 September) at Tolmezzo in north-east Italy – is much more than just another date on the calendar, it is a global celebration of the sport we all share so much passion for.
Of course, the competition is deadly serious – we are, after all, talking about athletes whose lives revolve around performing at their very best – but the TdN enjoys a unique atmosphere. Partly due to its end-of-season position in the calendar, what really makes the event so special is the way riders who for the majority of the season are fierce rivals come together, forging incredible team spirits that permeate the entire paddock.
Take the Spanish men for example. The odds-on favourites to win the TdN this year for an incredible twenty-first consecutive time, the trio of Toni Bou (Montesa), Jaime Busto (GASGAS) and Gabriel Marcelli form an absolute powerhouse of a team comprising the top three performers for the last three years in the Hertz FIM Trial World Championship.
For seven rounds this season the riders have done their utmost to defeat each other – and the dynamic is further complicated by the fact Bou and Marcelli are also team-mates – yet this Sunday they will work together as a single unit, sharing lines, shouting encouragement and inspiring each other to perform at their very best.
The Spanish men’s team is also inter-generational and that adds yet another dimension to the event. The undisputed King of Trial, in 2007 when Bou won his first TrialGP title Marcelli was only seven years old and Busto was just nine and the thirty-eight-year-old – who this year could set a new record for being on the winning side for twenty consecutive TdNs – will share his wealth of experience with his younger team-mates. Although hugely-skilled, this edition will only be Busto’s sixth appearance in the event while Marcelli is competing for just the third time so having Bou as the senior member is a priceless advantage.
The same is true for the Spanish women where Berta Abellan (Scorpa) is representing her nation for the tenth consecutive time. A four-time winner, for the second year in a row the twenty-five-year-old will assume the ‘senior’ role and help guide her much less experienced team-mates Laia Pi (Beta) and Daniela Hernando (Beta) who are both making only their second appearances in the competition.
This ‘family’ feel is taken to a more literal level this season by Great Britain’s team of Jack Peace (Sherco) and brothers Harry and George Hemingway (Beta). Both nineteen-year-old Harry and seventeen-year-old George will be representing their country for the very first time while in the International Trophy competition brothers Alex and Will Myers are in action for the USA, but having siblings competing alongside each other is nothing new.
In fact, the inaugural TdN in 1984 was won by a French team that included Thierry Michaud – the current Director of the FIM Trial Commission – and his elder brother Fred and the following year Belgium went one better when they fielded brothers Eddy, Eric and Jean Marie Lejeune alongside Bernard Cordonnier.
The introduction of a women’s class in 2000 added yet another dimension to the event – strengthening the family spirit of each nation with the different genders all pulling together – and since the Challenge des Nations category was introduced in 2021, giving mixed-gender teams of young riders the opportunity to be part of the TdN, this has been taken to a whole new level by providing a fourth platform for countries to compete upon for national honour.
So whether you’re a long-time follower of the TdN or a completely new fan, whether you’re travelling to Tolmezzo or watching LIVE on FIM-MOTO.TV, enjoy the unique atmosphere as the world’s leading Trial nations come together on this very special occasion.
The points-scoring action at Tolmezzo gets under way at 08:30 (local time) on Sunday 21 September.
