Mountain bike tuition delivered through expert coaching

Mountain Bike Coaching designed to increase confidence, improve your skills and help you become the rider you want to be

Skills coaching is now widely accepted in mountain biking and often regarded as one of the most beneficial 'upgrades' you can make. People learn best when they're relaxed, so you'll find all our courses have an informal, laid-back feel.

At the end of every course each rider will receive a set of course notes and a verbal evaluation. This will help you to know where to concentrate your future efforts. The detailed course notes will assist you to perfect all the techniques when you're back on your local trails … you'll also get a Forest Freeride t. shirt too.

• Courses for all levels of rider.
• Purpose built training sections and obstacles.
• Low coach/pupil ratio.
• MBLA qualified instructors.
• One to one and private group coaching available.
• Secluded, private location.

We offer 3 different levels of one day coaching course, each one aimed at riders of differing abilities. They're run on selected dates throughout the year and are open to everyone. At the end of the course we'll give you an assessment which will outline any areas you should pay particular attention to in the future. Your assessment combined with our course notes will make a fantastic resource that'll help you to keep developing your skills and fine tune your technique.

If you don't have a bike or are unable to bring your own, we'll happily lend you one FOC, please let us know in advance.

If you're just starting out, then our level 1 course will set you on the right track. Mountain biking is still one of the fastest growing sports in the UK with more people taking to the trails every week. Taking your cycling off road can be a steep learning curve, quite often the correct techniques can seem counter-intuitive, so having everything explained in a straightforward way can help you avoid many simple and potentially painful mistakes. Throughout the day we'll coach you through all the core skills and techniques you need to get out on the rough stuff. Areas covered include, positioning yourself on the bike, braking and controlling your speed, off road climbing, low speed control, safely rolling obstacles, etc.

2012 course dates:
Sat Feb 25
Sat Mar 31
Sat May 12
Sun Jun 17
Fri Jul 13
Wed Aug 22
Sun Sep 30
Sat Nov 21

Cost: £75 pp

If you've been riding for a while but certain skills still elude you or your confidence dips as the terrain steepens, then level 2 is for you. The day focuses on the kind of techniques and skills required to ride the UK's trail centre red routes safely and quickly. Learn how to deal with steep stuff, how to tackle drops, control your speed through sections, deal with the slippery bits and generally crash less and enjoy it more! We'll also dispel some of the 'riding myths' that often lead to poor technique and the hit and miss feeling people often experience when riding technical sections.

2012 course dates:
Sun Feb 5
Sat Mar 10
Sat Apr 28
Mon May 7
Sat Jun 9
Sat Jul 14
Thu Aug 16
Sat Sep 22
Sun Nov 25

Cost: £75 pp

This skills course has been designed for people looking to advance their riding to a level where they can confidently ride whatever the trail throws at them. Many riders find that even after a number of years riding, there are still certain skills that elude them or perhaps they're lacking the confidence or knowledge to ride particular terrain or obstacles as well as they'd like. A level 3 course you'll give the opportunity to gain the knowledge and confidence to ride the kind of stuff you usually ride around!

It's common for people to be genuinely surprised by just how easy some of the seemingly more technical sections can be. Once you're armed with the right knowledge and understanding 'the fear' can lessen fairly quickly.

2012 course dates:
Sat Mar 24
Sun Apr 29
Sun May 27
Sat Jul 7
Wed Aug 8
Wed Sep 12
Sat Oct 6
Sun Nov 18

Cost: £75 pp

We can customise any of our courses to suit your individual requirements, whether it be:

• ONE-TO-ONE TUITION
We fully understand that some riders prefer one to one coaching as they find it helps remove any pressure that they may feel in group situations. Plus they will have the opportunity to focus on specific areas of their riding that they wish to improve.

• BESPOKE GROUP COURSE
Ideal for clubs, groups or couples … not only will you get tailored coaching but it's also a great excuse for a break or a bit of a social gathering. Take a look HERE to see the types of accommodation available, both at Forest Freeride and in the area.

Course cost:
One to one - £120
Two people - £90 pp
Three or more - £75 pp

Contact us with your required date.

Our Two Day Courses are suitable for all ages and levels of rider. You can choose either to join a mixed sex group or female only weekend. At the end of the course we'll give you an assessment which will outline any areas you should pay particular attention to in the future. Your assessment combined with our course notes will make a fantastic resource that'll help you to keep developing your skills and fine tune your technique.

You can stay in our bunkhouse whilst attending your course or there's plenty of other types of ACCOMMODATION in the area.

If you don't have a bike or are unable to bring your own, we'll happily lend you one FOC, please let us know in advance.

Girls Only Weekends are designed for women who have some experience of mountain biking but want to progress to the next level and build their confidence without encountering the 'willy waving bravado' sometimes found on male orientated courses.

We meet lots of women who ride week in, week out but who's confidence starts to dwindle when things get steep and technical or their wheels leave the ground. For this, our Girls Only Courses are the perfect antidote. We'll obviously teach you the physical skills and techniques required to control your bike in any situation but we'll also explain the mental aspects that'll help you beat the 'fear' and stop you from being just a passenger ... do you ever find yourself dropping a pedal as you ride towards that rocky bit? Or is your bum oddly drawn towards the saddle on the approach to a drop or step? Do you believe that the second you stop braking your bike will turn into a run away freight train? Do you dread that bit of trail with the tight downhill corner? If any of that sounds familiar, then a Forest Freeride Girls Only course is just what you need.

Skills and techniques covered on Girls Only Courses include:

•	Body position and bike dynamics ... what effect do you have on the bike and what should you do about it.
•	Braking ... properly not continually :-)
•	Confidence at speed ... learn how to alter your perception of speed and ride faster (and safer).
•	Dealing with low and high speed trail obstacles ... how to get over, through and up things.
•	Cornering techniques ... from a low speed switchback to fast flat corners and everything in-between.
•	Getting your wheels off the ground ... and back down in one piece.
•	Drops, steps and jumps ... how to confidently ride the scary parts.
•	Technical climbing techniques.

2012 Girls Only dates

Weekends of:
Feb 11/12
Mar 17/18
Apr 14/15
May 19/20
Jun 23/24
Jul 21/22
Aug 11/12
Sep 15/16
Oct 27/28

Cost: £125 pp

This course is ideal for riders who feel they've perhaps reached a plateau and would like to progress their skills further or are trying to regain their confidence following an accident or riding layoff.

For many seasoned riders it can be the tiny details that are hindering their progression‚ do you drop a pedal on the approach to an obstacle? Are you looking where you ought to be through switchbacks? Is your body position causing the front tyre to lose grip on steep descents? Are you 'comfort braking' and don't realise you're doing it? We'll not only give you the answers to questions like these, we'll also explain why you're doing these things and how to combat them ... think of it like building strong foundations, without them, whatever you build on top won't be stable.

Throughout the two days you'll get the opportunity to try out various techniques spanning the entire spectrum of mountain biking and again we'll do more than just show you how‚ we'll also explain why they work and in what situations to use them. Some of the subjects covered include:

•	Braking techniques and speed control‚ using the brakes to your advantage.
•	Speed and your perception of it ‚ conserve energy and ride faster.
•	Trail obstacles at low and high speed ... how to clear the stuff that gets in your way.
•	Drops and jumps‚ perfect your technique and reduce the fear.
•	Cornering, low and high speed, switchbacks, etc‚ body positioning, maximising grip, line choice.
•	Learn how to read the trail, anticipate obstacles and position yourself on the ground.
•	Body position and its effect on your riding‚ learn to 'ride light'.

2012 Two Day Open Skills Course dates:
Sat/Sun Feb 18/19
Sat/Sun Mar 3/4
Sat/Sun Apr 21/22
Thu/Fri May 24/25
Fri/Sat Jun 15/16
Wed/ Thu Jul 25/26
Sat/Sun Aug 18/19
Sat/Sun Sep 8/9
Sat/Sun Oct 20/21
Sat/Sun Nov 3/4

Cost: £125 pp

We can customise any of our courses to suit your individual requirements, whether it be:

• BESPOKE GROUP COURSE
Ideal for clubs, groups or couples … not only will you get tailored coaching but it's also a great excuse for a break or a bit of a social gathering. Take a look HERE to see the types of accommodation available, both at Forest Freeride and in the area.

Course cost:
One to one - £170
Two people - £140 pp
Three or more - £125 pp

Contact us with your required date.

If you've ever wanted to plan your own mountain bike route or fancied a ride into the wilds for an epic adventure, then this course could be just what you need. We'll show you everything needed to get yourself from A to B and very importantly, back again.

Throughout the morning you'll learn the skills required to plan a route, find the hidden trails on your doorstep, relocate when you get lost and gain the confidence to just get out on your bike and explore. During the afternoon you'll get the opportunity to devise a route, compile a route card, work out how long the ride should take and what we might encounter on the way. Then there's only one thing left to do ... put it into practice with a ride into the hills! We'll provide maps, route cards, compass, romer etc on the day.

Cost: £65 pp

We don't allocate dates for navigation courses, we prefer instead to run them 'on demand'. Please contact us with your requirements and we'll do our best to accommodate you or your group.

If you don't know a bottom bracket from a headset then we can help. We're going to be running one day Mountain Bike Maintenance Courses throughout the year. All the basics will be covered and a few not so basics too.

We'll look at everything required to enable you to look after your bike whether at home or on the trail. Or even build up your dream bike from a bare frame. Apart from the satisfaction of doing your own maintenance and repairs you'll also save yourself a fair sum of money by not having to take your pride and joy to the bike shop every other week. We understand that not everyone has access to every bike specific tool ever made so we'll also explain how to improvise in certain situations. The course is designed to be very much hands on so feel free to bring your own bike even if it's a collection of parts for assembly. You may as well start as you mean to carry on!

Areas covered include:

•	Gear adjustment and servicing.
•	Replacing cables.
•	Headset overhaul/adjustment.
•	Disc and V brake servicing.
•	Wheel truing.
•	Puncture repairs / tyre repairs.
•	Understanding suspension.
•	Get you home fixes.

Cost: £80 pp

We don't allocate dates for maintenance courses, we prefer instead to run them 'on demand'. Please contact us with your requirements and we'll do our best to accommodate you or your group.

We support

Forest Freeride, Ceulan, Pennant, Llanbrynmair, Powys SY19 7BH
Telephone: 01650 521301
Email: stuart@forestfreeride.co.uk