This is the time of year when a young man’s thoughts turn to rutting, and I am no exception! Now there is just a chance that one or two of the more embryonic of you may not think of me as young, but I am so there! But I am sufficiently experienced in life so that the rutting I’m thinking of is that you find among the woods and hills where we triallers do our thing. The weather’s great as I write this just before Easter, but even if it isn’t quite so lovely when you read this, you should still get your bike out and get it to one of our club trials or ACU Star Group trials.

If you want to do a Star Group trial and haven’t done so before then contact one of the committee and we’ll put you in touch with someone who’s a regular. For those of you who are new to the club we get points for everyone who rides under our banner and even more if they win something! Actually, its not so many years ago that RRND won the annual Star Group Club competition.

Many of you must be on the edge of your seats wondering after last months article what Sue and I have decided about buying a trailer for the Harley. (Yes I am going to plunge on with this theme even if Mr.Editor treats it like Eric used to treat the short one with fat hairy legs). We have indeed decided to go ahead. I’ve had wiring spliced into the Harley’s rear end that terminates in a rather cute little 5 pin socket that is tucked away inside one of the shiny metal toolboxes. This will provide a discrete plug in point for the somewhat larger and less ornate trailer socket as I’m hoping to be able to take the tow bar and socket off the Harley when its not required during the winter months. (That’s from September to July in UK). I’m off work for a day to have the tow bar fitted and collect the trailer in mid-April so I’ll let you know next month how I get on.

While on the subject of road bikes do not miss the opportunity to ride behind Pete Jenkins on his next road run to the club night! Club nights have dropped off a bit recently and we’d like everyone to make the effort to be there next time. They are a good chance to sit around and chew the cud over what went right or wrong for you at the last trial, how you could have laid it out much better if only the committee would let you have the chance to do so. Oh, that reminds me, if you would like the chance to lay out a trial the committee would like to offer you the chance to do so! If you haven’t done it before then we’ll be quite happy for you to accompany more experienced layer-outers for a couple of trials so they can give you some pointers.

We do need more volunteers so this is your opportunity to give back a bit to the club. If we keep putting on the same people to lay out all the time they may get cheesed off and eventually say no – then no more trials!! Also new people with new ideas help keeps sections fresh and entertaining. Laying out will also help you to understand why it is that you lose the odd point here or there on what looked like an easy section. The art and mastery of the cunning and devious old bug... blighters who lay out is to take those odd points while leaving the impression that it should have been easy to clean. So step up the fresh volunteers, no one need be worried that they’ll be turned away!

Finally, as Chairman, I’d like to say a big thank you to everyone who turned up at the AGM last month and voted to re-elect the committee members. Every position is up for grabs every year, REALLY !! So we have to assume that you feel happy with how the club is being run and for that we are all pleased. We still have a couple of vacant positions to fill and we can invite people onto the committee to help run trials or arrange social events so please, PLEASE give me a call if you’d like to volunteer, (it can actually be fun!!).

Steve Whitmore