Experienced trials riders won't want to miss the chance to spend 3 days training with top Pro rider and TTC-sponsored Chris Florin on Dec. 28-30. This is a Tues-Wed-Thur class during the holiday week between Christmas and New Years, and would make a great Christmas gift for the trials enthusiast in the family!

The 3 day class costs $300, and class size is limited! Part of the proceeds will go to help sponsor Chris as he takes on the nationals in 2005 on the new 4 stroke Montesa. Accomodations are available in the TTC lodge, cabins, or campground. Contact us to reserve your spot.

Updated note: several people have asked about the term "experienced" which is meant to imply that the riders attending are beyond the beginner level. The training is NOT limited to Adv/Expert riders. We will have some beginner/novice riders at the TTC that week, and Charlie Roberts will be instructing them.

For more info about Chris Florin or the new 4 stroke Montesa, check out U.S. Montesa.

Minor changes to the web site this week:

• The events page has only 2005 events now, complete with logos, photos and links to the organizations involved.
  
  
• We've combined the New Bikes and Used Bike pages into one page: Bikes and Sales where the five manufacturers are listed w/ their logos. We've also renamed the bikes photo album where mostly used bikes are featured, but also the occasional new bike, too.
  
  
• There's now a Riding Activities page with its own navigation button (with four fly-out buttons -- mouse over it to see them) in the left nav bar, giving you a more direct link to the Learn to Ride, Dual Sport, Street, and Cross Training 101 pages.
  
  
• A new Links page
  
  
• A weblog archive by month (the links are on the home page, right under the email signup box).

More to come. Let us know via our Contact Us form if you see any glitches or have suggestions on how to improve the site.

The Events page has been updated with the 2005 schedule for TTC hosted events.

Note that trials classes are ongoing all the time for small groups; specific class dates are not listed other than for special classes like the Chris Florin Winter Training Session.

Contact Us to schedule a small class.

2005 Events are:

• March 19/20 Trials Training Days (signup online soon)
• April 16/17 AMA/NATC National Championship Rounds 3 & 4 (pre-enter via NATC)
• April 23/24 AHRMA Vintage Trials: National Rally and Competition
• May ??? Southern Woods Riders Dual Sport Ride (signup via SWR)
• June 26 - July 1 Summer Family Trials Camp (signup online soon)
• July 2-4 AMA/NATC Youth Trials National Championships and U.S. Women's Open (pre-entry online soon)
• July 9 NATs National Championship Bicycle Trial (tentative - signup via NATS)
• July 23/24 STRA Vintage Trial and CTC Fun Trial (date is tentative)
• Oct. 22/23 STRA Fall Trial, the 13th Annual 58k (date is tentative)

Legend:

• AHRMA: American Historic Racing Motorcycle Association
• AMA: American Motorcycle Association
• NATC: North American Trials Council
• NATS: North American Trials Series
• STRA: Southeastern Trials Riders Association
• CTC: Chattanooga Trials Club
• SWR: Southern Woods Rider

Looks to be a busy year at TTC in 2005!

I'm pleased to announce on behalf of TTC and Sherco USA that Bruce LeRiche will be riding the Sherco blue bikes in the 2005 AMA/NATC Motorcycle Trials National Championship series.

Bruce is a former national champion in South Africa and competed for the first time in America during 2004 with a 5th place finish overall in the championships. Bruce and his brother Brent (a.k.a, "the lads") impressed many American trials enthusiasts with their spectacular riding style as well as their polite and friendly personalities, and are a welcome addition to the North American trials scene.

When not competing at the nationals and southeastern (STRA) trials events, Bruce will serve as the local pro and full time riding instructor here at the TTC.


I would like to thank Ray Peters for his great work during his tenure as the resident Pro here at the Trials Training Center during the last year and a half. Although retiring from the Pro class in the nationals, Ray will still be actively riding and competing in the sport he loves as he moves on to a career outside of trials. He is planning to remain in the Chattanooga area and we hope to have Ray continue to help with instruction and activities at the TTC when his schedule permits. Use our Contact Us form if you'd like to contact Ray via email and we'll forward your note to him.

The new How to Ride area of the site is up. More to come from Dan Brown.

Our eSubscriptions signup (box on the upper right part of this home page) evidently has been broken for awhile. My apologies. It's now fixed.