On doctor’s order

George Greenland is probably the world’s oldest trials rider, still going strong 72 years after he made his offroad debut. His doctor tells him to keep at it…

If you happened to pick up a copy of The Motor Cycle or Motor Cycling from the end of the 1959 trials season, you would see that down in the Southern centre, George Greenland had scooped that year’s trials championship. Amazingly, 61 years on that same rider is still winning awards in trials and at 87 years of age must surely be the oldest active mud-plugger in the world.orld

Usually mounted on a Wasp-framed BSA Bantam, George is out most weekends in both the UK and on the near-continent, cleaning sections that would defeat many riders half his age. So George, how did it all begin?

“When I was 16 I bought my first bike, a 250cc girder-forked Royal Enfield. It was reputedly an ex-works trials machine I made my debut on it at the 1948.”

It wasn’t long before George started winning and that first novice cup takes pride of place in the impressive wall-long display cabinet stacked full of his lifetime of successes in trials and endures. He continues…

“My father was very keen and supportive and with his help, I changed to a 500T Norton in late 1950.”

“Unlike the days when Maureen and I used to ride two up on the 500T Norton to all of the national events in the UK, we now travel in style in our camper with one of the bikes tucked safely away in the large ‘hold’ in the rear of the van.

“Over the years I’ve competed on all sorts of big four-strokes but these are now rather too big and heavy, so I now ride smaller two-strokes, including a works replica Dot or a Bantamengined Wasp.

“I also now ride the easier route. I still get a huge amount of enjoyment from riding in trials, not just from competing but the many friends I’ve made along the way and my doctor recently told me it’s the best therapy he could possibly recommend!”