MRS BVM Sherco rider, Becky Cook challenged for top honours at the second round of the Women’s World Championship in Kramolin, Czech Republic.

After walking the sections the day before the event, Becky was happy as there was a couple that would test the riders. Several days practicing in Czech Republic following the previous weeks European round had helped prepare her and she started the trial on good form with just one mark lost on her first lap with World Champion, Laia Sanz on clean and Sandra Gomez in third on seven.

Becky set out on the second lap riding confidently knowing she was close to Laia and that any section could take a mark or two. She stayed clean all the way to section six where she suffered some bike problems, just before the harder sections started. Becky and minder, Craig Talbot tried to rectify the problem but running out of time they reluctantly had to tackle the remaining eight sections with her bike still not running perfectly.  Now riding well behind her rivals she still confidently cleaned the tough section seven unaware that Laia had fived this hazard. She had to take a steadying two dabs on section eight after almost running out of time and worrying that the bike was going to cut out, followed by two single dabs in sections nine and eleven as the rocks had become polished and very slippery.  At the finish Becky and Laia had both finished on five marks lost with Becky losing out on her first ever World Championship win due to her having less cleans than Laia.

This put Becky in the fight for second overall in the championship held the following week in Myslenice, Poland. A solid start from Becky put her level with Laia after ten sections, on just one mark lost at the difficult fifth section, in and out of a deep river and up a steep climb. A soft dab on section eleven, before they got to the awkward slippery rocks and turns of sections twelve and thirteen, where a further three marks were lost. Becky finished the lap with a confident clean on the final man-made rock section to finish on five, with Laia on three, Joanne Coles on six and Emma Bristow on seven, it was all to play for. Becky’s confident riding continued on the second lap with her going clean until section thirteen where she lost the only marks of that lap, a two to complete the trial on seven marks, taking runner-up on the day and vice-champion in the 2010 Women’s World championship.

The following day, Becky formed part of the British team for the Women’s Trial des Nations event held over the same course but heavy overnight rain had made the steep banks even more slippery and the river much deeper and faster. Becky and her team mates were riding well and after the first lap they were leading the event one mark in front of main rivals, the Spanish team. But they couldn’t quite keep it up and at the finish they were two marks behind and had to settle for the runner-up position.

Becky now returns home to prepare for the penultimate round of the British Ladies championship near Bradford on Sunday.