Expectations
What to expect:
Saturday and Sunday 9am-4pm with appropriate breaks
Day 1- Rider assessment, bike set up, body position, bike body separation, balance, slow speed and balance, braking, slow speed corners, vision
Day 2- High Speed Corners, wheel lifts front and rear, level lifts, introduction to drops, simple weighting and unweighting, other skills may be covered depending on ability.
* Complimentary Wine tasting and light refreshments hosted by 4Th Sip at the trails end! (if you would like to participate)
What to bring:
Food- energy snacks and a packable lunch
Bike- a safe and functional bike
Clothes-appropriate clothing for the weather, we do ride in the rain so come with rain shell if weather permits.
Attitude-learning new skills on and off the bike can be exciting, overwhelming, inspiring and humbling for some. Come with a fresh open mind and a positive attitude. You will retain more and leave the clinic with an abundance of information that will set you on the
1. Wear sunblock, we are outside for 5-6 hours.
2. Stay hydrated!
3. Save questions for the end of a given subject. Often your question
is something that we plan on explaining but for learning reasons we feel
other things need to come first.
4. If you are tired, hungry or need to use the restroom speak up. I’m not a military sergeant we do want you to be comfortable.
5. Spend 5 minutes writing down what you have learned each day after the camp. Each day builds on the previous day so it is important that you lock in the information while
it is fresh, so you are ready to learn more.
6. You may want to invest in a set of knee/shin guards (from you local
shop) before the camp. We have found that having padding on really
increases your confidence when learning or trying to push your limits.
Recently we have had some minor falls (bruises and scrapes) in our
camps and a good set of pads probably would have prevented these
bruises and scrapes. Mountain biking is a dangerous sport and pads
can not prevent all injuries but they can lessen the impact of some
falls.
7.Pump, tube, tools, chain lube *(if you don’t have all of these don’t go out of your way to buy them. It would be advised that you have them in your pack but for the course they are not required)
About the camp from the coach:
1. A Singletrack Mind camps are "skills camps" not fitness or training camps.
Although you will get some exercise over the weekend more for some than others depending on your fitness level. We will spend time on and off the bike. I encourage (as part of the camp) that after we wrap up each day you go for a 20-40 minute ride on your own at your own pace to practice what we have learned. In the spring and summer there will be plenty of
time after the camp to get a good long ride in but you may find that you
are a bit drained from all the learning.
2. Invite a friend to sign up and come with you to the camp. ASM
camps are all about the core skills and drills to help you master the
foundation skills. Bringing a friend gives you someone to practice these
skills with. You can certainly try to teach friends when you return
from our camp but there is a reason we are such successful coaches, coaching
isn't easy. Having someone on the same page as you really helps you
progress after the camp.
Ways to get a head start on the camp:
1. . Make sure your bike is working perfectly before the camp, I cover
bike set up but don't have time to fix/adjust shifting, chain or brake
problems.
2. Plan the camp weekend as a vacation, please don't schedule things
to do right after the camp everyday. Recently I have noticed some
students' attention wandering in the last two hours of the camp each
day. When asked about this they say they are thinking about all the
things they have to do after the camp (pick up kids, finish a work
project, etc.), this takes away from their learning experience.
3. Learning (and standing around and riding) is very mentally taxing
so you will be tired after each day.
4. Do work on being in good shape, the fitter you are the shorter and
easier the days will feel.
5. Do work on body awareness, strength and flexibility. These elements
will make learning physical skills much easier.
During the camp:
Lower your expectations of yourself,and raise your goals. Expectations, hence the name, are things we just expect to happen. Goals on the other hand are things we set and then we work towards.. Keep your expectations of yourself low and you will put less pressure on yourself allowing you to have more fun and learn faster. Our clinics are not competitive. You are the only competition against yourself.
Understand that change and improvement require work, there is no magic
pill that suddenly makes you better. You get out of this camp what
you put into it and that includes working on the skills long after the
camp is over. If you are really experienced you may find yourself
worse at some skills immediately after the camp because you are
fighting old habits and the new skills are not second nature yet. If
you stick with it you will be much faster on the bike, more efficient and consistent in
the long term.
Important learning skills
1. Try to look at life with a "Beginner's Mind", with a beginners
mindset you are open to all possibilities, with an "expert" mindset
your choices are very limited. Think how many "experts" have been
wrong, experts once thought the world was flat, and that no one can
run a mile in less than four minutes.
2. Get out of the habit of "Negative self-talk" putting yourself down
does not motivate you nor make you seem modest, it just reinforces a
poor self image.
3. Practice makes permanent, not perfect. If you practice a skill
incorrectly you will get perfect at doing it wrong. Perfect practice
makes perfect. With this in mind we will focus on quality, not
quantity when practicing.
4. Knowledge is worthless without action, you must practice and use
the tools I give you. Change is up to you, you will get out of my
instruction what you put into it. Change requires work!
If you have any questions feel free to call, text or email. See you soon, I’m looking forward to meeting and working with you. Keep your focus, keep A Singletrack Mind!