Master beats apprentice to Wyegate trial victory

Wyegate 2025 winner Simon Welch

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THE master regained his crown from the apprentice over 30 very dry sections and 85 miles around the Wye Valley in the 38th annual Wyegate Long Distance Trial.

ACU Western Youth Development Squad officer Simon Welch stayed focused all day to record the perfect score of no marks lost on observation, reversing last year’s result when former YDS pupil Amory Falconer beat him.

The pair were both clean until Nannies Lane, where Falconer strayed off line on section 22 and needed two dabs to make sure he got out of the narrow rocky gulley.

Dry weather for several weeks beforehand made this the driest Wyegate Trial for many years but it still took its toll on riders, most of whom took around nine hours to complete the course.

The dry sections meant there was little room for error, and the closest that Simon Welch came to dropping a mark was at the third section in Forge Wood, where he managed to hold a front wheel washout and keep his feet up.