Issue link: http://trailridermagazine.uberflip.com/i/1540850
October 2025 13 ber being repeatedly overwhelmed, almost to tears, with the beauty of the world. But even amidst such beauty, you must be careful. In the words of Canadi- an Women's Trophy Rider and my good friend Shelby Turner, "It is very easy to be up on the trail looking down at the scenery, then suddenly be down in the scenery looking up at the trail." Mosquitoes: Here, I refer to both the humming- bird-sized ones that circled us when walking the test that ran along and through a marshy creek, the decision of the promoters to charge for parking and paddock access*, and the fact that we lost out on the best land in the area due to scalping on the part of landowners. All hazards to be avoided as much as possible, even if it means packing bug spray and mov- ing a cone to drive around the li le parking meter arm! *(thanks to Abby Feltham for sugges ng the excellent analogy) Ge ng Lost: The arrowing on the road sec ons, put- ng it generously, was inconsistent. Two Bri sh wom- en's trophy team riders got lost and dropped four minutes apiece on Day One, so the team received an eight-minute penalty. Not the best way to start the week. On more than one occasion, I rode around the roundabouts like I was on a merry-go-round, desperately scanning for arrows. Best not to get in too much of a hurry. Mudholes: I got stuck this year. In a test. The rut looked okay coming around the corner, it had stopped raining, so the field had dried out… but said rut turned into a bike swallowing sinkhole a er you rounded the corner. I spent forty-five seconds stuck in it. One of the Aussie girls was there for four minutes. It's hard to race at full speed and s ll be careful… but if you can't see what you're barreling off towards, some mes it's smart to slow down. Don't (or do) Use Riders as Berms: "KORIE-KO- RIE-KORIE" I scream at the top of my lungs. I have come around a blind corner; she is sprawled across the hill. I dodge to the right and mostly avoid hi ng the important parts of her and her machine. The Australians and Canadians who came a er me were not nearly so kind… and being honest, if it hadn't been my own teammate, I would have used her for trac on too, and saved myself a few seconds.