TOP trials riders took to the Dales this weekend to battle it out in the 2019 Scott Trial.

The course, regarded as one of the toughest in the sport, had to be slightly altered this year due to the flash floods that wreaked havoc in parts of Swaledale and Arkengarthdale at the end of July.

The Northern Echo:

Riders take on the Scott Trial in Swaledale. Pictures: Neil Sturgeon / Northern Echo Camera Club

Thankfully the 150-plus riders taking part on Saturday were greeted with near-perfect conditions as they took on the challenging route at Markse, between Richmond and Reeth.

The overall winner was James Dabill and there was local success with Richard Sadler from Wensleydale finishing second and Dan Peace from near Whitby finishing in third place.

There were a couple of women tackling the course including six times world champion Emma Bristow and Chloe Richardson from Skeeby, along with several European competitors.

The Northern Echo:

Scott Trial organisers hailed the event a success, saying: “As always we would like to thank all those who made this year’s trial happen – too many to mention – but especially the landowners without whose permission we couldn’t run the greatest one day trial in the world especially after the flooding in July.

“Special thanks must also go to all the riders and supporters who make the trial such a great event and help us to raise so much money each year for the Scott charities.”

The event is organised by the Richmond Motor Club and has raised more than £180,000 for local charities and good causes over the years.

The Northern Echo:

It regularly attracts big names from the world of trial bike riding including Dougie Lampkin who won five consecutive World Indoor and seven consecutive World Outdoor Championships in the late 1990s and early 2000s, among many other achievements.

The event has a long and illustrious history, with the first trial taking place in 1914 when inventor and founder of the Scott Motorcycle Company, Alfred Scott, issued a challenge to his workers at the factory – to ride and navigate their way along a prescribed route from the factory in Shipley through the Yorkshire Dales to Burnsall.