So a few of us did some extra training, i.e. we got hold of a freelance trainer (Thanks Graham) to run a few skills to refresh our old minds. Firstly we picked a Saturday but forgot that there was 4" snow cover in the lakes...oooops, never mind we found an empty car park near Esthwaite Water to practice our skills, how to balance better by riding like John Wayne, stand up and allow the bike some room to move between the bow-legs. Plus it was fun watching us all try to brake down hill in snow and ice! After a while we moved onto Hawkshead and found some clear tarmac at the school and continued with the core skills, being;
Weight shift and the cone of movement- If you don't move you will fall off, this is where riding starts.
Trackstands - The ability to balance, the most important skill to learn when it comes to riding a mountain bike. Use STRAIGHT arms and legs and practice.
Manual front wheel lifts - The ability to lift the front wheel over an obstacle using body position and weight shift.
Power assisted front wheel lifts - The ability to lift the front wheel at slow speed over an obstacle whilst climbing.
Rear wheel lifts - The ability to lift the rear wheel over an obstacle.
After this we ventured out and rode into Grizedale and played near the Fox, then dropped down to the road and played along the way, practicing drop-offs for real. Start slowly and practice....and watch that snow, it's slippy!
Photos via this link http://www.flickr.com/photos/cycle-cumbria/6869161787/in/set-72157629307185303/
So now we just need to ride those trails and see if it did us any good.
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