Mud battle in Schorndorf – Trial course with Elmar Heuer

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Anyone can ride fast, but controlled slow riding is difficult. Trials is not about speed, but about riding over obstacles in a controlled and error-free manner. In just one day, Elmar Heuer taught me a great deal about the correct control of my two-wheeler.

The search for a trial course

My buddy Micha and I have often talked about trial riding. It always sounds like an extremely exciting challenge to me. I wonder what you learn there?

Let’s start the search! We would have easily driven 200 km for such a course and then we find a course in Schorndorf, which is less than 20 km from us. It doesn’t get any better than that! You can choose between a 1-day and a 2-day course. You could even spend the night there if you have a camper van or something similar. We pay €145 per person for the 1-day course with rental equipment. There is also rental equipment, so you don’t need any special equipment.

The basics – let’s get started with the trial course

On the morning of the course, I wake up to the sound of rain. My first thought: “damn, this is going to be a mud fight”. After breakfast, I pack all my rain gear into my bag. Better safe than sorry, or as the English say, better safe than sorry. So, off we go to Schorndorf. The race takes place at the MSC Schorndorf circuit.

After everyone was kitted out, the participants were divided into different groups. From complete beginners to advanced riders, there was something for everyone. We each shared a motorcycle in pairs. That was perfectly OK, because after a few minutes it gets exhausting and you can be relieved by your partner.

We start by getting to know the machines. In the beginners’ group, Elmar first adjusts the throttle so that we can barely accelerate – we don’t need to for the time being anyway. This is reminiscent of the old days when we rode around on throttled bikes as teenagers.

But the small Montesas really don’t need any throttle, even at idle speed uphill they hardly stall – incidentally, that was one of the first exercises, deliberately stalling on a slope and how to get out of this situation. What many beginners intuitively do wrong is to pull the clutch and brake using the front brake. It is better to brake via the rear wheel with the clutch. Let the clutch slip slightly, then roll backwards down the hill. When you are at the bottom, you can start the engine (kick-start) and climb the slope again.

Climbing obstacles or how the wheels are unloaded

Once we had mastered the basics quite well, Elmar approached us individually and asked each of us what we wanted to take away from the training and where we wanted to improve. I really liked that and I’ve never experienced it like that in other training sessions I’ve attended.

My personal goal was to climb obstacles. On my previous enduro tours, I reached the limit as soon as I could no longer ride over an obstacle by shifting my weight. In Australia, for example, I had to turn around at this obstacle (see picture). I would have got down, but certainly not back up.

Elmar explained to me and another member of our group, who also wanted to learn how to climb obstacles, how to take the weight off the wheels. Taking the weight off the front wheel works like a wheelie, a short push on the gas and pulling on the handlebars. This is extremely easy with the Montesa. Then we learn how to take the weight off the rear wheel, here you have to compress the rear spring correctly with the footrests and at the same time give a push on the throttle, and the rear wheel jumps over an obstacle. It sounds simple in theory. We practise on a small piece of wood first. Getting the timing right is really tricky!

After it works well with the wood, we practise on a small stone ledge. With Elmar’s support and tips, this worked very well after a short time. Afterwards, Elmar drove us around the course and we were able to put what we had learned directly into practice on the course.

Micha was in the advanced group, so he spent less time on the basics and more on the more advanced exercises. We both enjoyed the training immensely. Elmar is offering another training session in Schorndorf this year and we are currently considering whether we should sign up again. If you’re interested in trials or want to move more safely through rough terrain, I can highly recommend a trials course with Elmar Heuer.

The photos marked with “© Between Lights” were kindly provided by Carlos Valdivieso.