A motorcycle rider in spandex revs his sport bike’s engine at the bottom of a dusty, wooded hill in rural Marion County.
Dirt spins from the tires seconds before the lightweight machine shoots up the hill’s 50-degree incline, leaping on top of a five-foot rock.
“The trick is to maintain your balance while negotiating obstacles. You’ve got to keep a forward momentum and keep your feet on the pegs,” said Catherine Bedley, event manager for the World Trials Championship of the Federation Internationale de Motocyclisme, a Switzerland-based organization.
Forty-two riders from around the world are in the competition in Sequatchie, Tenn., about 30 miles from downtown Chattanooga. Friday was a practice day, and the competition for the world championship, called the Wagner Cup, gets under way this morning and continues Sunday.
The Tennessee site is one stage in a 10-nation competition for the 2008 world championship series. Before arriving in Sequatchie at the Trials Training Center, the competitors were in Bangor, Ireland. Between 7,000 and 10,000 spectators are expected to turn out for the competition this weekend, Ms. Bedley estimated.
The course features large boulders, steep mountain terrain and even a 50-foot waterfall that the cyclists ride around. There is a time limit for each section of the competition, but the event is not a race. The championship is awarded to the rider who loses his balance or falls off his machine the fewest times, Ms. Bedley said. Like golf, the lowest score wins.
The spectators’ area is just a few feet from where the actual competition occurs, Ms. Bedley said. That gives fans an up-close view of what’s happening and puts them right in the event, she said.
“The best thing is that this is a very nice place,” said Jean-Marc Cruméire, the competition president, who is from France. “We are in the nature. Some of the other world championships are held in places where there aren’t trees.”
The competition is divided into three age divisions, with two youth divisions and a pro class. Mr. Cruméire said the oldest competitors, most in their early to mid 20s, have been preparing for this level of competition for more than 10 years, practicing every day while being paid by corporate sponsors.
Takahisa Fujinami of Japan, who won the contest in 2004 and has placed second seven times since 1999, said the Sequatchie track is a challenge.
“It’s dry today, but it could rain, so the course could be a wet one,” Mr. Fujinami said through a translator. “The first stage of the competition was in Luxembourg, and that was wet, and it was difficult.”
Going into the tournament, defending world champion Tony Bou is tied with former champ Adam Raga, organizers said.
Adam Crisp covers education issues for the Times Free Press. He joined the paper's staff in 2007 and initially covered crime, public safety, courts and general assignment topics. Prior to Chattanooga, Crisp was a crime reporter at the Savannah Morning News and has been a reporter and editor at community newspapers in southeast Georgia. In college, he led his student paper to a first-place general excellence award from the Georgia College Press Association. He earned ...
Or login with:
New Account