WOMEN’S TRIAL DES NATIONS

Great Britain

Riders: Emma Bristow, Alice Minta, Kaytlyn Adshead

Team Manager: Michael Owen

2023 FIM WOMEN’S TRIAL DES NATIONS

BRITISH LIONESSES ROAR!

Since 2016 the FIM Women’s Trial des Nations (WTdN) has gone one of two ways – Great Britain on top followed by Spain, or Spain on top followed by Great Britain.

This dual-nation domination continued in 2023 with the Spanish trio of Berta Abellan – Scorpa, Alba Villegas – Scorpa and Sandra Gomez – TRRS remaining unchanged from last year’s team that took a third consecutive victory.

Great Britain fielded Emma Bristow – Sherco, Alice Minta – Scorpa and Kaytlyn Adshead – TRRS and while the three riders had prior WTdN experience, it was the first time they had all competed together.

The scene was set in Auron in the French Alps in early September for a titanic battle for supremacy and the opening lap was incredibly tense. With a nation’s best two scores in each of the fifteen sections to count, Great Britain took an early advantage by staying clean compared to Spain’s two marks.

With everything resting on the second lap, Great Britain looked to have victory secured until they incurred three marks on an eleventh section where both nations had recorded clean scores on at the first attempt. However, with the deficit reduced to a single mark the Spanish women also faltered here and added a further three to their total which gave Great Britain victory by four marks.

The result was Great Britain’s first win since 2018 and Bristow’s seventh since her 2009 debut in the competition, but Spain still leads on the list of all-time winners with a total of ten since 2000 when the class for feet-up females was first introduced.

It was also the fifteenth consecutive time both nations have finished on the podium.

PALMARES

FIM Women's des Nations Champions: 2023, 2018, 2016

Past Editions

2018  2016

2018 FIM WOMEN’S TRIAL DES NATIONS

LIONESSES BITE BACK

The FIM Women’s Trial des Nations proved to be another epic battle between Great Britain and last year’s champions Spain in soaking conditions at the Sokolov venue in the Czech Republic. Competing alongside the men for the first time in the competition's rich and illustrious history, individual World Champion Emma Bristow (Sherco) remained unbeaten in 2018 as she led Donna Fox (Montesa) and Jess Brown (Scorpa) to revenge over their Spanish counterparts, regaining the title they last won in 2016 and making it eight successes in total since since the Women’s team event was first introduced back in 2000.

With the best two scores through each section counting towards a country's result, riders from twenty-three nations faced a mixture of man-made hazards featuring huge boulders and more natural terrain in nearby woods where grip was at a minimum. Day-long torrential rain and plunging temperatures added to the drama and forced organisers to modify the sections as the event became a war of attrition. 

With the defending champions fielding Sandra Gomez (Gas Gas), Berta Abellan (Vertigo) and Neus Murcia (Beta) it was always going to be a fierce contest with the British Lionesses leading by just five marks at the halfway stage before pulling clear on lap two to record a hard-earned twelve-mark victory. 

Meanwhile, Theresa Bauml (Montesa), Vivian Wachs (Gas Gas) and Ina Wilde (Gas Gas) came home in a comfortable third position for Germany, ahead of Norway and Italy. 

2016 FIM WOMEN’S TRIAL DES NATIONS

GB WOMEN SET NEW WIN RECORD

Great Britain’s Women extended their winning run in the FIM Women’s Trial des Nations, the formidable trio of Emma Bristow - Sherco, Rebekah Cook -TRS and Donna Fox – Sherco stretching their record to four wins in a row and seven in total to become the outright leaders in terms of victories since the event was first introduced back in 2000. Against the stunning backdrop of the French mountains at the ski resort of Isola 2000, the Spanish line up of Sandra Gomez - Gas Gas, Berta Abellan - Beta and Mireia Conde - Beta put up a strong challenge as they fought to win back the title their country last held in 2012.

However, after two tense laps of fifteen sections just five marks split the two nations, with the best two scores from each hazard counting towards the final team total. As Great Britain successfully defended the title the runner-up spot was anything but a formality for Spain, who had to hold off a strong challenge from Germany. Sarah Bauer -Sherco, Theresa Bauml - Beta and Ina Wilde - Gas Gas did their absolute best to match the second place they recorded twelve months ago, but eventually ended the day six marks back from the Spaniards, with the top three countries finishing the Trial well ahead of the other chasing nations.