Spent a day in the hills with Summit MTB Club www.summitmtb.co.uk on their monthly club ride.
Great route through the hills around Wendover, heading up towards Dunsmore, Pulpit and round to Coombe Hill.
Great day out despite the mud, thanks.
Sunday, 28 March 2010
Monday, 22 March 2010
Saturday, 20 March 2010
Some fun at Swinley Forest - Summit MTB Club ride December
Helmet camera from a Summit MTB club ride round Swinley forest in Bracknell
Mark's session - Saturday 20th 2010
We arrived at Lotts Wood to a typical chilterns morning of a light rain, but unperterbed we set about the job at hand of running through the basics of body position before taking shelter in the trails as the weather set in.
At the first section to play on of the day, I demonstrated the cornering technique, keeping you weight on the outside foot. Mark instantly picked up on this and took little notice of the root on the apex of the turn.
After a couple of runs round this corner we carry on round the course through a series of s-bends, allowing Mark to put his practice to good use. At one point over a wet root the back end steps out but due to Marks commitment and good technique this does not even cause a moments hesitation... Well done... Easy when you know how eh?
Onto a real test for Mark and at first glance questioned "do we go down there??" Yup we do. A run through of the technique applied and a demonstration, Mark steps up rolls up to the lip and is away. I see Mark coming back up for another run beaming and exclaiming "Wow, it really went then". After each run Marks confidence grew and his lines became more confident and smoother.
Over to the main bombhole for some "pumping" practice to get free speed from the terrain although tough to get the feel due to the squelchy trails, so to build the technique we move over to the other side and along the root run to practice manuals across the roots.
Once mastered Mark looks into the main bombhole and asks if we can ride through the whole loop "of course" I say. So we ride through together first Mark following me, then we swap round for another go.
We focus on the entry to the section which is a technical drop to berm corner trying a few lines to get it right, each time flowing through the rest of the bombhole and out the otherside.
We hit a final long corner that allows some real body position practice as you are holding the corner for a Loooooonnng time. As Mark picks up speed he tells me "I can feel the bike really gripping"
We head back to the cars for some technique practice, and some homework drills - Pumping on the flat, bunneyhops and wheelies. We run through each in turn getting the basics right so that next time I see Mark out on a ride I will make sure he has been doing his homework
At the first section to play on of the day, I demonstrated the cornering technique, keeping you weight on the outside foot. Mark instantly picked up on this and took little notice of the root on the apex of the turn.
After a couple of runs round this corner we carry on round the course through a series of s-bends, allowing Mark to put his practice to good use. At one point over a wet root the back end steps out but due to Marks commitment and good technique this does not even cause a moments hesitation... Well done... Easy when you know how eh?
Onto a real test for Mark and at first glance questioned "do we go down there??" Yup we do. A run through of the technique applied and a demonstration, Mark steps up rolls up to the lip and is away. I see Mark coming back up for another run beaming and exclaiming "Wow, it really went then". After each run Marks confidence grew and his lines became more confident and smoother.
Over to the main bombhole for some "pumping" practice to get free speed from the terrain although tough to get the feel due to the squelchy trails, so to build the technique we move over to the other side and along the root run to practice manuals across the roots.
Once mastered Mark looks into the main bombhole and asks if we can ride through the whole loop "of course" I say. So we ride through together first Mark following me, then we swap round for another go.
We focus on the entry to the section which is a technical drop to berm corner trying a few lines to get it right, each time flowing through the rest of the bombhole and out the otherside.
We hit a final long corner that allows some real body position practice as you are holding the corner for a Loooooonnng time. As Mark picks up speed he tells me "I can feel the bike really gripping"
We head back to the cars for some technique practice, and some homework drills - Pumping on the flat, bunneyhops and wheelies. We run through each in turn getting the basics right so that next time I see Mark out on a ride I will make sure he has been doing his homework
Tuesday, 16 March 2010
Follow Me - an awsome new mountainbike video!!!
I saw the preview for this video and thought it was too good not to share
Follow Me - the Teaser from Anthill Films on Vimeo.
Sunday, 14 March 2010
Ladies day at lotts wood
Hila, Janet, Sara, Judith and Emma arrived on a suprisingly sunny morning in october 2009 to improve their riding skills and get more out of their biking.
After a few minutes checking out each others bikes, and checking all equipment was in working order I took them through the correct body position on the bike and into the principals of foot position and dropping the wrist to push through the bike rather than over
After getting the body position correct we moved onto the manual, and unweighting the front wheel to clear obsticles. A perfect place in lotts wood where a series of roots makes for a real trail obsitcle really got the girls flying and confidence was brimming.
Once everyone was comfortable clearing the roots with Hila, Judith and Sara doing their best efforts to manual as far as possible along the entire trail, we moved further round the course to a series of s-bends to practice footwork.
The s-bends proved to be a little tricky with getting the timings right and the outside foot down in time for each change of direction. As a group we walked the course and identified the correct entry and exits to each section and the points to change foot position which helped everyone to begin to corner with conviction.
Onto a faster corner, everyone was beging to shift their bodies to increase traction though the long sweeping bend and competing to get through the corner the fastest
All that was left was to complete a technical climb back to the cars, and even a couple of additional elements was not stopping the girls now, they were on a roll.
After a few minutes checking out each others bikes, and checking all equipment was in working order I took them through the correct body position on the bike and into the principals of foot position and dropping the wrist to push through the bike rather than over
After getting the body position correct we moved onto the manual, and unweighting the front wheel to clear obsticles. A perfect place in lotts wood where a series of roots makes for a real trail obsitcle really got the girls flying and confidence was brimming.Once everyone was comfortable clearing the roots with Hila, Judith and Sara doing their best efforts to manual as far as possible along the entire trail, we moved further round the course to a series of s-bends to practice footwork.
The s-bends proved to be a little tricky with getting the timings right and the outside foot down in time for each change of direction. As a group we walked the course and identified the correct entry and exits to each section and the points to change foot position which helped everyone to begin to corner with conviction.
Onto a faster corner, everyone was beging to shift their bodies to increase traction though the long sweeping bend and competing to get through the corner the fastest
All that was left was to complete a technical climb back to the cars, and even a couple of additional elements was not stopping the girls now, they were on a roll.A great days coaching thanks to the high spirits of the girls and the great weather.
"Great session around lotts today - great to meet everyone and fantastic weather, most importantly a very big thanks to Andy for a valuable and most informative session - i came away with loads" - Hila
"I really enjoyed the training. Andy was fun, patient and very helpful. It was good to meet the other girls and train together. I am looking forward to testing the new skills" - Emma
Saturday, 13 March 2010
Ride the Summit 65, with Summit MTB and Trail Break
Our chums at Summit MTB club are putting on an off road MTB enduro through the chilterns
Check out Summit MTB http://www.summitmtb.co.uk
And click on the title to be taken to the event details on Facebook
Check out Summit MTB http://www.summitmtb.co.uk
And click on the title to be taken to the event details on Facebook
Come and find us at Lotts Wood - Hyde Heath
We run the at the summit sesisons at Lotts Wood near Hyde Heath, a permanant cross country course.
Click on the title link to find out more
Friday, 12 March 2010
Tips for winter riding
Learn the five simple rules for helping to keep riding through the winter
Click on the title to be taken to atthesummit
At The Summit joins the modern age on Facebook and Twitter
At The Summit can be found on our facebook page and you are welcome to join for discussions on technique, add photos and see what we are upto
http://www.facebook.com/pages/At-The-Summit-Mountain-Bike-Coaching/342247781381
And
on Twitter - search for
@atthesummitmtb
Come and say hi
http://www.facebook.com/pages/At-The-Summit-Mountain-Bike-Coaching/342247781381
And
on Twitter - search for
@atthesummitmtb
Come and say hi
At the Summit works with Renault F1
Simon North from At The Summit has been closely working with the Renault F1 team in their racing driver fitness program. Click on the title for the full news story on the atthesummit website
Learn how to wheelie
To be able to pull a controlled wheelie begin by relaxing on the bike and push the handlebars away from you as if you are raising the front to get through a tight space.
If you pull up on the bars you are likely to go off course and the front will come up uncontrollably.
The next step is what gets it up... Fnnar
Apply pressure smoothly to the pedals in the middle ring on the front and about third from the top at the back. This will lift the front when combined witht the push on the bars
Now it comes down to a bit of bottle and practice
Increase the the amount of pressure on the pedals and the front will raise higher, to find the balance point its JUST before you go over the back, and its higher than you first think
To control the wheelie once you have the front up begin by dragging the brake on the biting point and apply enough pressure to slow the bike
If you find you are pedalling like a maniac then you have not got the front high enough, it should be about a walking pace for that nice long controlled wheelie to impress your mates
Watch the video and get practising
Thursday, 11 March 2010
Singletrack rider and advanced sessions
There are some places available for the sessions on the 20th and 21st of march These sessions are 20th - intermediate and 21st is the introduction to jumping techniques advanced session So if you want to brush up your general technique or learn how to control your bike when going against gravity - check the website and get yourselves booked in
Welcome to At The Summit
At The Summit is based in the Chiltern Hills, Bucks and offers mountain bike skills training from beginner to advanced riders and racers.
Our coaches are trained by the CTC or British Cycling and are dedicated to delivering the highest standard of training.
All our courses are tailored to suit the individual rider allowing you to learn at a pace that suits you. We show you how to build on your skills and work towards fulfilling your potential as a rider. Our coaches will give you a skills assessment at the end of the session, giving you hints and tips on how to constantly improve each time you ride.
For a group of minimum 4 and maximum 6 riders the cost is £55 per rider for a 3-hour session.
Alternatively, you can come along with a friend for a more intensive session. A pairs’ session costs £90 per rider for a 3-hour session.
We also offer one-2-one sessions where you get to work closely on specific areas of your choice. One-2-one coaching is done in blocks of 3 hours and cost £120 each.
Our coaches are trained by the CTC or British Cycling and are dedicated to delivering the highest standard of training.
All our courses are tailored to suit the individual rider allowing you to learn at a pace that suits you. We show you how to build on your skills and work towards fulfilling your potential as a rider. Our coaches will give you a skills assessment at the end of the session, giving you hints and tips on how to constantly improve each time you ride.
For a group of minimum 4 and maximum 6 riders the cost is £55 per rider for a 3-hour session.
Alternatively, you can come along with a friend for a more intensive session. A pairs’ session costs £90 per rider for a 3-hour session.
We also offer one-2-one sessions where you get to work closely on specific areas of your choice. One-2-one coaching is done in blocks of 3 hours and cost £120 each.
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