skills training

hearndenemma

anyone recommend skills training ? i like look of the girls at the hub glentress but anyone actually used them? Also i think going have to wait till spring now! live on Isle of Man so have to plan a weekend away for any skills training.....going to start joining some ladies that go out here on monday nites but waiting to get just a little fitter don't want to hold them up :?

MrsMoo

Hiya

I've went on a girls skills course last weekend at Forest Freeride, based in mid-Wales. I can highly recommend it, it was £110 for a 2 day course (including optional free accommodation in the bunk house). Learnt stuff like correct position on bike, high speed braking, getting over obstacles, drops, jumps, cornering etc. Really enjoyed it and it's increased my confidence loads - looking forward to practicing everything now!!!

Don't know anything bout the courses at Glentress but I expect they'll be good, there seem to be loads of places offering girls courses. I think its much better to do a girls only course cuz at least you haven't got loads of blokes showing off and being all competitive!!

fitch28

hi, heard good things about the glentress courses but book up quick when they become available. i tried to get my daughter on one over the summer but couldn't get a booking for love nor money! glentress is great, and it means you also get the chance to explore some of the other 7 stanes while you are here!

lexiekay

Hello
I did the Forest Freeride course too, back in June. It was really good, I learnt a lot and my confidence definitely improved. It was also nice to ride with girls rather than guys for a change!

hearndenemma

Hi

did any of you guys use the bunk house ? course looks good checked it online and bonus is runs though winter

MrsMoo

Hiya
No I didn't stop in the bunkhouse as my husband came along too so we stopped nearby in self-catering accom. But the other 3 girls on the course stopped there, it looked nice & cosy and they seemed to think it was good.

Whytepeak

Though I haven't done a girls course :roll: , I've been to forest freeride twice now, and the courses are brilliant, Stuart is a great teacher.

The bunk house is basic, but very pleasant, and you wake up in the right place for riding.

I can highly recommend Forest freeride.

lynseyf

I've done the Glentress course and would recommend it. The day I did it there were only 3 women and the 2 girls teaching us so we got really individual attention . We also got a DVD they had filmed of us during the day which was good as it lets you see what you're really doing, not what you think you're doing

trailpuppet

another good one
http://www.thebreakpad.com/

jweston

Further down south there's www.astoundingadventures.co.uk and www.dirtdivas.co.uk

renegade rider

i've just signed up for Ladies only skills day with Uk bike skills in January, and if I want 1 to1 coaching they said they would come to my local trails and coach me on my home turf!

http://www.ukbikeskills.co.uk

Isle of Man might be a bit far for them to go, but I deffo say give them a ring I spoke to Tony and he was really helpful.

Jedi

thanks for the recommend

hearndenemma

hiya

Decided to go out with forest freeride on a girls only 2 day course but not till feb! hope will improve my riding !

At moment other half giving me tips was ok until this wet and very windy weather with mud a foot or more thick really much more technical ! But i am lucky as other half very patient as he is so pleased now into mtb he doesn't want to scare me off !

Going to join a group of women who go out on monday nights in our area, as have been sticking to road training when haven't got anyone to ride with as scared to ride alone case hurt myself always coming off ! can't seem to master board walks on some of our local red runs :oops:

Jedi

move your weight forwards on the boardwalks.

Whytepeak

hearndenemma wrote:

hiya

Decided to go out with forest freeride on a girls only 2 day course but not till feb! hope will improve my riding !

Going to join a group of women who go out on monday nights in our area, as have been sticking to road training when haven't got anyone to ride with as scared to ride alone case hurt myself always coming off ! can't seem to master board walks on some of our local red runs :oops:

Good choice , you'll have great fun riding at FF, and you'll learn loads too. Plus riding in a group will be a pleasant change from solo riding, and should improve your skills...

pigeon42

It's good to hear so many good things about FF - me & a friend are on one of the ladies only courses in a couple of weeks time: I'm really looking forward to it, but a bit apprehensive too (mainly because I'm fairly rubbish!)

Jedi

i get loads of one to one coaching requests from ladies.

all good

MrsMoo

pigeon42 & hearndenemma
You should really enjoy the Forest Freeride course, I was nervous beforehand, but it was really good fun, did stuff i didn't think I'd be able to do. There were 4 women on my course and none of us could get our front wheel up or do jumps, but we were all doing them by the end of the course and wheelieng round the car park like kids!

hearndenemma

mrs moo

Thanks thats great to hear!! As a kid lived on my bike could do wheelies etc But can I get my front wheels off the ground now not a chance :oops: Hope will after forest freeride weekend in feb, can't wait

stomith

MrsMoo wrote:

Hiya
No I didn't stop in the bunkhouse as my husband came along too.

May I ask....What did your husband do while you were on the course?

MrsMoo

He just got out on his bike, on the Saturday he rode the Climachx trail and on the Sunday he went to Nant Y Arian, both of which were about a 30 minute drive away from where we stopped, which was a self-catering place about 5 mins ride from Forest Freeride, so it all worked out quite well, altho I was quite jealous that i didn't get to ride the trails with him, but i was learning wheelies & jumps instead which was fun!!

Brozek

Heya,
Thought anyone considering a skills course may be interested in this. Its not a complete skills course as such, but as a wee taster it looks good and at £25 its a complete bargain! Got myself signed up, should be a good day

http://www.singletrackworld.com/2010/02/ladies-day-at-the-altura-trail/[url]

[/url]

apologies if the link doesn't work, i haven't a clue how to work this! :shock:

coppirider

Hi all,

If anyone lives in the south-east of the country then Bedgebury has got a whole host of courses this year with two lady specific courses going on, check out our website:

http://www.boarsonbikes.co.uk/courses.html

We have 4 fantastic coaches and more in training and all are top blokes.
This is our third year of courses and all were well attended last year, be great to see more women getting into mtb'ing as I'm in the minority there.

Ali.
(BFCC ladies rep)

smallred

I've used these guys a couple of times and have nothing but praise for them:

http://www.allbikedup.com

I didn't do women's-specific days but they do have some - take a look at the schedule of rides for those coming up in the next few months.

stomith

Forest Freeride in West Wales.....Brilliant way to spend a couple of days!

Just got back from a last minute booking. What a great teacher Stu is....patient, full of explanations that build the blocks of the stuff you want to know/learn. Mrs Stomith loved it too! That whole wheelie thing with no pulling on the bars freaked us out. Was bouncing around outside the bunkhouse like someone had 'pimped my ride'. Great fun.

10/10

Will be going back again as they can customise the courses to suit. And that requirement, for us, is likley to change.

Only regret is not taking this course years ago!.

mobilekat

We are off on a skills course tomorrow with Fullysussed down in Plymouth, at Newnham park.
We are really looking forward to this, but may be fun as OH pulled a muscle recently so has to take a break from cycling.
And I have gone down with a stinking cold (felt fine Tuesday, sneezed 4 times Wednesday, and now look like a streaming snot monster- praying for a miracle before tomorrow!)

I will let you know if we survive!!!

Jedi

enjoy

mobilekat

Having been at work today I am just hoping I don't cause myself to fall off by sneezing too hard (or blast other people off their bikes!!) :oops:

mobilekat

Had a great time yesterday!
Many thanks to Jay and Maddie of Fully Sussed.

Jay has great patience, and really helped us lots, we now have home work to go off and do, and a much better idea of what we should be doing to improve ourselves.

I rode off of a few drops yesterday that I never thought I would or could (even though there was a fair bit of swearing on my part at the same time!!)- made extra special by being on parts of the Newnham Park course!

Many thanks, and we look forward to more training in the future!

So if anyone is looking for a great course in the South West- come and see these guys!

Bling Bling

Excellent review, glad you had such a good experience

I really do need to start getting some pennies together...

mobilekat

Have decided there is an un-expected side effect of going and doing skills training....

My poor legs are out to kill me!!

Having been covering some reasonable distances up to about 18 miles -and when mostly off road on Dartmoor you feel like you have done further, we thought we were getting fitter.

But since our training last weekend we have realised how 'lazy' we have been.

Now we try to do all the downhill sections in 'The Attack Position', and also not cheat by holding the saddle between our knees, and bloody-heck its harder work!

But we both feel we are riding better, and are definitely getting more confident, just more tired! And we managed to pedal the whole way up our local 'Killer hill' today without having to stop, and were able to talk within 30 secs of getting to the top, so things are improving!!