With home advantage, a huge talent pool to choose from and an unbroken win-streak that goes all the way back to 2004, the Spanish men start as overwhelming favourites for victory in the 2024 FIM Trial des Nations (TdN) this coming weekend (21-22 September), but it is much less clear cut in the women’s class as well as both the International Trophy and Challenge des Nations categories.
- Spain start favourites for twentieth consecutive TdN victory
- Great Britain defend TdN Women crown at Pobladura de las Regueras
- International Trophy and Challenge des Nations titles up for grabs
Staged at Pobladura de las Regueras in north-west Spain, the venue was last used for top-flight competition when a round of the Hertz FIM Trial World Championship was held there in 2021 so many competitors should be familiar with the purpose-built Circuito Permanente de Trial’s mix of man-made and natural sections.
The Spanish have selected the now eighteen-time TrialGP champion Toni Bou (Montesa) to lead them into battle with back-up from vice-champion Gabriel Marcelli (Montesa) and fourth-placed Adam Raga (GASGAS).
While it would be unwise to bet on anything other than a twentieth consecutive Spanish victory, the remaining men’s medals are very much up for grabs with last year’s runners-up France, Italy and Great Britain all, on paper at least, looking very evenly matched.
Returning to the three-man line-up that won bronze in 2022, French hopes rest on the shoulders of Benoit Bincaz (Sherco) and Hugo Dufrese (GASGAS) – ninth and tenth in TrialGP this year – along with Gaël Chatagno (Electric Motion) who won the final day of this season’s Trial2 competition on his way to sixth in the championship.
In contrast, Italy field an unchanged team from the trio that won bronze last year with fifth-ranked TrialGP rider Matteo Grattarola (Beta) lining up alongside Luca Petrella (GASGAS) and Lorenzo Gandola (Beta), who ended 2024 in twelfth and thirteenth in the premier division, while Great Britain opt for Toby Martyn (Montesa) who was eleventh in TrialGP alongside Jack Peace (Sherco) and Billy Green (Scorpa) who were first and third in Trial2.
The entry is completed by Norway with Sondre Haga (GASGAS), Mats Nilsen (TRRS) and Jarand-Matias Vold Gunvaldsen (TRRS) who were seventh, eleventh and seventeenth in Trial2 this season.
Since 2006 the battle for supremacy in the women’s category has been between two nations with Great Britain winning nine times and Spain eight out of the last seventeen editions.
Great Britain will start the day as defending champions after their dramatic four-mark victory over Spain at Auron in France in 2023 with the unchanged line-up of Emma Bristow (Sherco), Alice Minta and Kaytlyn Adshead (Scorpa). With Bristow – who last weekend clinched her tenth TrialGP Women title – retiring from top-flight competition this season, victory would be a fitting flourish to an incredible career and with this season’s sixth and seventh-ranked riders in the premier women’s class as back-up it is a very strong team.
Spain, by contrast, have just Berta Abellan (Scorpa) from their 2023 team with this year’s TrialGP Women vice-champion joined by Laia Pi (Beta) and Daniela Hernando (Beta) – ranked second and fifth in Trial2 Women – who are making their first appearances in the competition.
Just three marks separated third-placed Norway from France and Italy in fourth and fifth in 2023 and it is all-change for the Norwegians this year with Wilde Moi (Beta), eleventh in Trial2 Women, stepping up alongside Maria Ersland (Vertigo) and Kristiane Blesvik (GASGAS) who have not competed on the world stage this season.
France will again field Naomi Monnier (Montesa) and Alycia Soyer (TRRS) – fourth and eleventh in TrialGP Women this year – who will be joined by Margaux Pena (Electric Motion) who was eighth in Trial2 Women, while Italy is represented by Andrea Sofia Rabino (Beta), Alessia Bacchetta (GASGAS) and Martina Gallieni (Scorpa) who ended this season’s TrialGP Women campaign placed third, eighth and twelfth.
Germany, the USA, Australia, Canada and the Czech Republic will also field teams in a truly international class.
A very healthy entry of eighteen countries from four continents will contest the second-tier International Trophy, headed by last year’s top three of Japan, Germany and the Czech Republic who will face strong opposition from nations including the USA, Australia, Finland and Andorra.
Now in its third year, the Challenge des Nation category is for two-rider, mixed-gender teams and Norway have put the defence of the title in the hands of Jonas Jørgensen (Beta) and Seline Meling (Beta) with strong opposition likely to come from 2022 winners Italy with Germany, Sweden, Portugal and the USA among the other nations competing.
The competition at Pobladura de las Regueras is due to get under way at 09:00 local time on Sunday (22 September) and will be streamed LIVE on FIM-MOTO-TV with a season pass – that also covers all seven rounds of the Hertz FIM Trial World Championship – priced at €34.90. For more information click here.
