Improvers Mountain Bike Course

YOUR IMPROVERS MTB COURSE

DAY ONE

9:30 - 16:30

ARRIVE AT THE ADVENTURE HUB

Your instructor will welcome you and outline the objectives for the course over a great cup of Italian coffee or tea whilst ensuring everyone has a suitable bike and kit (hire is available at an additional fee). There'll be a brief introductory session looking at bike set-up and riding safety.

HEAD TO THE TRAILS

We will head out onto our local trails which will be chosen on the basis of weather conditions, along with the experience and ambitions of the group. We will either strike out from our centre or drive around 15 minutes to an alternative start point.

PRACTICAL SKILLS SESSION

Once on the trails, expect to cover 20+km during the day. We'll begin by looking at core skills of body position and weight shifting in a variety of terrains whilst climbing, descending and cornering; even experienced riders can always learn from improving on the basics of movement on the bike. Your instructor will choose appropriate sections of trail to 'session', allowing you to experiment with different line choices, sight lines and feel the benefit of improved technique with multiple attempts at certain trail obstacles, using video coaching to demonstrate improvements in technique. We'll then put it all into practice by tackling some classic Peak District singletrack.

BACK TO THE ADVENTURE HUB

At the end of the day we'll return to The Adventure Hub for refreshments and to review the day's key points.

DAY 2

9:30 - 16:30

PRACTICAL SKILLS SESSION

On day two we'll begin by looking at how to plan your route in the mountains, taking into account natural features, trail conditions and weather. Then, with an advanced skills session we'll take your riding a step further, introducing techniques for handling bigger natural obstacles, such as manual and assisted front and rear wheel lifts, drop-offs and techniques for handling steeper terrain and tighter cornering. We'll then take all this out on the trail, again covering 20+km on remote and challenging terrain whilst focusing on route planning and confident mountain navigation techniques.

BACK TO THE ADVENTURE HUB

At the end of the day we'll return to The Adventure Hub for refreshments and to review the weekend's key points and your progression targets for the future.

• You will need a hardtail or full suspension mountain bike in good working order (these can be hired from 'The Bike Garage' next door to our base for £30 - inc. helmet)
• Helmet
• Clothing suited to the weather (waterproofs, warm tops, gloves, etc)
• Comfortable footwear for riding in
• A good supply of snacks and a drink
• Sun cream, and sunglasses (you just never know!)
• If you have any of your own kit bring it along and we will help you use it appropriately

Some previous mountain biking experience is required, you should be comfortable with riding 20+km off road. A well serviced and suitable mountain bike is necessary (hire available).

• As a Certified B Corp, we’re one of a growing number of global businesses that meet the highest standards of verified social and environmental performance.
• Our well-equipped training centre, The Adventure Hub, is Carbon Neutral.
• We encourage car sharing wherever feasible.
• We encourage the use of public transport on all our courses. Bamford Railway Station is 5 minutes' walk and we enjoy direct bus connections to Sheffield and nearby villages.
• We offer free camping kit for guests staying locally and looking to cut down on luggage.
• Our staff are trained to prolong the life of equipment used on this course, where it is possible to recycle equipment at the end of its life, we do so appropriately.
• We operate in small teams at low ratios to reduce our impact on the venues we use and other countryside users.
• We donate 5% of the value of all sales to The Pure Outdoor Foundation.

• The physical and mental benefits of outdoor activities are numerous and well documented, we firmly believe that those benefits should be available to as many people as possible.

• If you are interested in experiencing any of our activities but feel unable to do so then please contact us to discuss your specific needs, we will always try to find a solution that works for you.

• There are a range of simple adaptions we can make to our scheduled courses such as choosing venues with minimal walking or easy access to toilet facilities, providing cold storage facilities for temperature sensitive medications, allowing additional time or arranging for participants to be accompanied by a trusted aide.

• When participation as part of an open group isn't appropriate we can arrange private tuition. This allows for a more tailored approach and a much wider range of adaptions such as assisted climbing and abseiling techniques for participants with significant physical or mobility issues.

• If private tuition is unaffordable then we can sometimes offer subsidised places to bring the price back in line with our scheduled courses .These are provided by the Pure Outdoor Foundation whose goal is to bring as many people as possible into the outdoors, please enquire about availability.

• Clear communication before the activity is crucial so, as well as telephone and email conversations, we can also arrange to meet participants directly at a venue days or weeks beforehand to identify any specific barriers and begin addressing any anxieties.