TrialGP 2023 🏆 Portugal, Gouveia Day 1

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Just a week after the start in Spain, the Trial World Championship reached its second round in the municipality of Gouiveia, in Portugal.
An event that was completely different from the one in Arteixo, given the conditions of the terrain and the weather. Seven of the sections were marked on a river and the other five on large stone blocks, which together with the heavy rain on Friday meant that water and mud were the protagonists on this first day. It was a very classic style trial with really beautiful and technical sections where riders loose high scores due to the lack of grip.
The event was organised by Talentos Objetivos Club with the main advisor being the Spanish Nano Ferro, and it shone for its excellent organisation as well as for the beautiful sections.
Toni Bou began the day with a clear lead over his rivals, only leaving a maximun in the triple step of section 5, which no one managed to overcome in all day, to complete the first lap as outstanding leader with 9 marks, half that of his closest rivals.
The winner of the first round of the year in La Coruña, Jaime Busto, was eager to repeat his victory but things did not start well at all. He did not score his first clean until section 8, which shows how complicated the sections were, without big steps or impossible flights, but extremely slippery, reminiscent of those trials of the 70s, 80s and 90s in countries such as Great Britain, Ireland, Sweden or Finland.
Loosing 27 marks in the first lap, the GasGas rider was third, but his second lap would be much more productive.
Gabriel Marcelli was aiming to get back on the podium after having done it seven days earlier in his homeland, but he also had a complicated start with four maximuns and one dab in the first 5 sections.
Marcelli's 26 marks in the first lap placed him second and everything suggested that the fight for the second step of the podium would be intense, but Busto scored the best score in the second lap loosing 12 marks.
Bou was worse in the second pass through the sections but thanks to the advantage he had managed to accumulate previously, he finally took his second victory with a total of 26 marks against Busto's 39 and Marcelli's 44.
The penalties for the rest of the riders were even higher.
"I feel incredible after an amazing first lap. It's a very good feeling and after some mistakes in the start of the second lap, after I recovered again and I am super-happy with this victory".
In the Women's class Emma Bristow showed her determination after a tough first round in Spain, where she was third and second. The defending champion is aiming for her ninth world crown, and this season she is riding her new Sherco 300 with electronic fuel injection, to which she has adapted perfectly.
That was clearly seen when she tooks the lead at the halfway point of the race loosing 13 marks, the terrain was certainly more similar to British conditions, so Emma was more comfortable than in Spain. Despite a 3 in the first section and one dab in the third, Bristow did not fail again and completed the second lap with only 4 points, the best score of the day.
Scorpa's Spanish rider Berta Abellan arrived as leader in the general standings after two victories in Arteixo, so her intention was to continue in that line.
Although the river sections are not her favourite, she managed to finish the first lap in 16 marks, only 3 points behind the British rider, so the fight was again really dramatic.
French GasGas rider Naomi Monnier, who was on the podium the previous Sunday, was having a magnificent riding. After the first lap to the 12 sections she was in second place, just one point behind Bristow and two ahead of Abellan. In the second lap she kept the pace and repeated the same score.
In the end Emma Bristow took her first victory of the year with a 17 marks lost in the day points. Berta lost 8 in the second lap that allowed her to overtake the Frenchwoman and finish the day in second place in 24 points, 4 less than Monnier.
The Trial2 podium went to Billy Green, Jack Peace and Sondre Haga. The Trial3 podium went to George Hemingway, Jamie Galloway and Jone Sandvik.
"It's good to be back on the top. Much better riding today especially in the second lap. We have been training all the week here in Spain and Portugal, yeah much better feeling and I can smile tonight".
"Well, quite happy, I started the first lap very bad, I was not mentally inside the race, but I saved it a little bit in the second lap, a big mistake made me lose the victory but, well, happy to save the race."