Thirty of the finest female riders on the planet will descend on the small Swiss town of Tramelan this coming weekend as it hosts round two of the 2012 FIM Women’s Trial World Championship. Situated approximately one hundred kilometres south of the French city of Mulhouse and close to the border with France, the town’s usual population of just under five thousand Swiss inhabitants with be swelled considerably as the Trial tour rolls into the locality for two days of fierce competition.
Over two and a half months have passed since the opening round of the 2012 series was contested in Andorra, therefore the female competitors will be eager to regroup and to continue battle in the second and final two day event in the current calendar. The final round will be played out over a single day in Moutier, Switzerland the following week. Laia Sanz – Gas Gas will face one of the toughest fights of her career as she bids for a twelfth FIM Women’s Trial World Championship. Laia has spent most of the time during the break in proceedings sidelined by a nasty foot injury that she incurred as she attempts to add the 2012 FIM Women’s Enduro World Championship to her impressive list of honours.
With Sanz having lost important bike time over the summer period, her rivals will sense their opportunity to take advantage of the wounded champion. Laia’s young and emerging compatriot Sandra Gomez – Gas Gas is perfectly poised and will be ready to pounce should the reigning title holder show any signs of weakness over the two days of action. Gomez trails Sanz by just eight points at this vital stage of the season. Sandra is currently shadowed by Emma Bristow – Ossa, who is only two points adrift of the Spanish teenage sensation and will be keen to re-establish herself as Sanz’s main title rival having finished as runner-up to her in the 2011 series.
Britain’s Rebekah Cook – Beta and France’s Sandrine Juffet – JTG hold fourth and fifth respectively in the general standings and will look to this weekend’s double points haul to climb up the rankings. Cook visited the podium on the second day in Andorra, and will know that she will have to do the same in Tramelan if she is to make progress in the series order. Twenty-two year old Juffet recorded her one and only podium place in Italy last year, and came close to repeating this feat with a solid fourth spot on the opening day of the 2012 FIM Women’s Trial World Championship.
No less than nine different countries will be represented by the thirty Women riders in Tramelan, including two riders from the host nation in the form of seventeen year old Olivia Affolter – Gas Gas and Corinne Matthey – JTG, both who will be making their debut at this level.