Novice Mtb Boot Camp – Back to Basics, session 1 of 6

Please register for these courses through the Meetups website.
***** TOTALLY NEW COURSE for SUMMER 2021 *****
BACK BY POPULAR DEMAND
NOTE: This time I’ve set the course to be run on Saturdays to allow those who weren’t able to attend Sundays last year – however this Event requires minimum of 15 participants attending to make it viable – so please RSVP early and invite friends and family if you want to ensure we get the numbers required. If numbers are low I may move it back to Sundays.
ENSURE you can attend all 6 dates listed below
This MTB Skills Boot Camp was run every year since 2014. It has proved to be a very popular event with our riders who have benefited greatly from receiving instruction, tips and general training on fundamental MTB skills.
REVIEW TRAINEE COMMENTS: See what trainees have been saying about the course in the comments section for an early run course here.
While you will certainly get better by going out on the group rides, & I’m a great supporter of time in the saddle being key to building ability, there are some fundamental skills that our novice riders could & should be learning from the beginning which would supercharge their confidence in leaps and bounds.
BTW – don’t confuse the word ‘Novice’ with the term ‘Beginner’. I use the term Novice to describe a skill level not the length of time you have been riding. I know that even if you’ve been riding for some time now (without any formal training) that these sessions will be an big eye opener in regards to the bad habits you probably have that are limiting your skill advancement.
This is a 6 part “SEQUENTIAL” series so to really benefit from it you need to attend ALL sessions which means you need to be truly motivated, committed and enthusiastic participants. Keep this in mind when RSVP’ing
IMPORTANT NOTE: I will only be inviting those that are RSVP’d for this first session to the future 5 remaining sessions. So you have to be on this RSVP list by the close off (MONDAY 5th OCTOBER) to ensure your spot is secured for future invites.
ALSO This is very much a sequential course so you cannot realistically come on part way through so if you miss one of the sequential sessions you will not be able to do the next one as you won’t have learnt the skills required to proceed.
The Boot Camp will be a series of 6 Consecutive Training Sessions which will focus primarily on instructing and building up your fundamental MTB skills to make you a better, faster more confident rider on the forest tracks.
Essentially taking you from an unskilled Novice to a Skilled Novice.
You will need to attend all 6 sessions as they will progress you step by step through a series of fundamental elements (meaning each session is different) & is intended to lift your skill level each time so you are proficient enough to progress to the next set of skills to be covered.
Some sessions may be ridden on proper tracks & be a semi normal ride scenario, but others might not even put you on a track at all, & some may be a repetition of a small section of trail to intensly target the skills required – it all depends on what you will be learning at the time.
The Course runs Saturday Mornings, on staggered dates either 1 or 2 weeks apart to work around holidays and other commitments. You will receive around 24-27 hours of instruction in total.
Session times may vary depending on other commitments and also suitable location requirements for specific training sessions etc. However I always try to maintain a certain level of consistency wherever possible to ensure attendees have the best possible chance of attending all sessions in this sequence (see schedule below).
**** DATES TO PUT IN THE DIARY!!! ****
The 6 Sessions in this Novice Course will cover the following subjects (in the following order):
1] Sat 13th Feb 2021 – Back to Basics @ Auckland Domain
2] Sat 27th Feb 2021 – Skill Drills and Quick Tips @ Auckland Domain
3] Sat 6th Mar 2021 – How to Brake Safely @ Totora Park
4] Sat 20th Mar 2021 – Cornering Techniques, Climbing & Timing @ Woodhill
5] Sat 27th Mar 2021 – Obstacles & Importance of Confidence @ TBC
6] Sat 10th Apr 2021 – Drops/Downhills, Attitude & Pulling it together @ TBC
*******
All sessions are a minimum of 4-4.5 hours in duration and will generally start in the AM (8.00am-12.30pm). With 6 sessions of 4+ hours each means you receive around 27hrs of targeted instruction.
COST:
This is not a money making exercise for me as such (more a way of getting our members to be better/safer riders) however I do charge a small $15.00 fee per person/per session to cover my travel costs and some of my time in a small way as it is quite a commitment for me to put this on at this time of the year.
PAYMENT:
You will need to pay the FULL $90, 6 SESSION FEE at the beginning to ensure you are committed. You can pay that $90 fee on the 1st day of the course. If you would prefer to pay online by bank transfer please message me directly requesting bank details in the week prior to the Course starting.
NOTE: venues for this course will change at certain times, the first 2 sessions will be held at the Auckland Domain simply because it is central (so more accessible to all) & offers suitable terrain to provide the training to be covered in those sessions. As we progress we will start going further a field.
REMEMBER THIS COURSE WILL ONLY RUN IF WE REACH A MIN of 15 PARTICIPANTS, so if you want this to happen invite a friend to join you to up numbers.
Disclaimer: I don’t rate myself as a guru or anything so grandiose, I’m simply an enthusiastic & confident intermediate rider, however I’m pretty sure I am experienced enough to impart a certain degree of valuable advice to any beginner who wishes to significantly improve their knowledge and skill base. What you do with that knowledge is up to you.