The mighty Spanish men’s team of Toni Bou (Montesa), Gabriel Marcelli (Montesa) and Adam Raga (Sherco) swept to a record-breaking twentieth consecutive victory at the FIM Trial des Nations (TdN) this afternoon on home ground at Pobladura de las Regueras as Great Britain retained the ladies’ title, Japan made it back-to-back wins in the International Trophy class and victory in the Challenge des Nations went to Italy.

  • Toni Bou, Gabriel Marcelli and Adam Raga in complete control for Spanish men
  • Emma Bristow, Kaytlyn Adshead and Alice Minta retain women’s title for Britain
  • Japan and Italy on top in International Trophy and Challenge des Nations categories

The annual contest to decide the world’s leading Trial nation has gone the Spaniards’ way every year it has been staged since 2004 and with a powerhouse team featuring three of this year’s four top-ranked TrialGP riders a different outcome never looked likely.

Rain yesterday gave way to a foggy, overcast morning and grip was in short supply in the early stages on the challenging Circuito Permanente de Trial course that combined a mix of made-made sections constructed from huge rocks and massive logs with natural hazards plotted in a riverbed that made full use of the steep surrounding bankings.

With each nations’ best two scores from each section to count, after seizing an immediate lead when they stayed clean through the opening section the Spanish trio never looked seriously troubled and their first lap total of thirteen on observation, even after eight time penalties were added, put them twenty-five marks clear of their nearest challengers Italy and thirty-two up on third-placed France.

Further tightening the screw, Spain added seventeen on observation and four on time on lap two, ending the day on a total of forty-two to hammer home their dominance and say an emotional goodbye to Raga who, at forty-two years old, has just announced his retirement from top-flight Trial.

Today has been fantastic,” said Raga. “It was my last TdN so to get the victory is amazing. I am very, very happy.”

Bronze medallists in 2023, the unchanged Italian team of Matteo Grattarola (Beta)Luca Petrella (GASGAS) and Lorenzo Gandola (Beta) were the only nation to avoid time penalties on their second lap and after scoring an additional forty marks to take their total to eighty-six they ended the day a clear second from France.

Fielding Benoit Bincaz (Sherco)Hugo Dufrese (GASGAS) and Gaël Chatagno (Electric Motion), the French were in definite contention for silver after the opening lap, but lost ground in the closing stages to finish on one-hundred-and-six.

This initially gave them third by two marks from the British team of Toby Martyn (Montesa)Jack Peace (Sherco) and Billy Green (Scorpa) before the British were disqualified for exceeding the event time limit which moved Norway – represented by Sondre Haga (GASGAS)Mats Nilsen (TRRS) and Jarand-Matias Vold Gunvaldsen (TRRS) – up a position on a total of one-hundred-and-seventy-three.

The British team travelled to Spain as reigning women’s champions and with ten-time TrialGP Women champion Emma Bristow (Sherco) leading from the front with support from Kaytlyn Adshead (TRRS) and Alice Minta (Scorpa) they barely put a wheel wrong.

Recording two laps of seven marks and with no time penalties, Britain’s total of fourteen saw them win by thirty from the Italian trio of Andrea Sofia Rabino (Beta), Alessia Bacchetta (GASGAS) and Martina Gallieni (Scorpa) whose score included six time penalties from the first lap.

The day has been very good and we all rode well,” said Adshead. “There were a few mistakes, but we worked well together as a team and finished out the day on top.

Women’s class winners of three of the previous four editions of the TdN, Spain gave their team an infusion of fresh blood this year with world number two Berta Abellan (Scorpa) joined by event debutantes Laia Pi (Beta) and Daniela Hernando (Beta). It was a bold move, but their inexperience showed and they ended the day one mark adrift of the Italians in third with five time penalties.

The Czech team of Denisa Pechackova (TRRS) and Petra Budinova (TRRS) ended the day in fourth on fifty-six with Germany’s Theresa Angst (Beta)Sophia Ter Jung (TRRS) and Vivian Wachs (TRRS) completing the top five on sixty-five with thirteen time penalties.

Competition is always fierce in the second-tier International Trophy class and for the second consecutive year it was Japan who ran out winners with their team of Tsuyoshi Ogawa (Beta)Shinya Hirohata (Montesa) and Jin Kuroyama (Sherco) establishing a strong advantage on the opening lap and then holding on to win on fifteen.

Represented by Josh Roper (GASGAS), Alex Myers (Scorpa) and Alex Niederer (Beta), the USA were just three behind in second with Germany’s Jonathan Heidel (Beta)Rodney Bereiter (Beta) and Hendrik Binder (Beta) completing the podium on nineteen.

Contested by two-rider, mixed-gender teams, the third edition of the Challenge des Nations was won by 2022 winners Italy represented by Fabio Mazzola (TRRS) and Martina Brandani (Sherco) on fifty-one, eleven ahead of defending champions Norway who fielded Jonas Jørgensen (Beta) and Seline Meling (Beta). Germany’s Ben Reumschuessel (TRRS) and Hannah Schneider (Beta) were third on ninety-two.

We are very, very happy with this victory,” said Mazzola. “The sections were really cool and we got the result we wanted.

The TdN concludes top-flight outdoor Trial competition for another year, but for regular news check out our social media platforms on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram – just search for TrialGP.

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