Race It!- Information

For 1 - 4 riders        From £60 per rider for a Day

The progression from 'Nail It!' and 'Welcome to Gnarnia' this course takes the intermediate skills introduced and develops them further looking at committing steep and technical trail riding on both trail and off-piste trail within the scenario of Enduro trails and events.

Who are you?

You have been developing your off-piste skills and want to progress onto longer and more committing technical trails or are preparing yourself for your first Enduro event. You're fairly happy with riding off-piste, but are interested in putting it all together and honing your skills including some of the background stuff.

what are you riding?

You're riding a trail or enduro bike, perhaps a burly hard-tail, but probably a full-suspension bike. You almost certainly have over 130mm - 160mm travel in your fork, and you have large volume tyres. You have very effective brakes and aggressive tyres fitted, especially on the front.

where will we be riding?

We'll be riding in an enduro venue, on trails many of which have been or are used for enduro events. The trails will be pretty long, mostly downhill and will contain multiple obstacles requiring several techniques to be used at once. Common venues are Dunkeld, Innerleithen, GlenTress, Kinlochleven

how physical will it be?

Part of the day is about experiencing the whole day event, so expect to ride around 3 trails, each with a significant climb to the top. Commonly you should expect to climb up to 800m and ride for around 25km. The riding itself will be sustained and physical, although several of the routes will  be broken in sections to allow sessioning of trail features for coaching purposes. This will be part guided and part coached. You will sleep well in the evening.

how technical will the riding be?

We'll be concentrating on off-camber, rough and rooty, steep muddy and rocky terrain. Some of the terrain will be quite steep and committing. All features will be rollable, but not necessarily straight forward, most trails will involve elements that would be graded black at a trail centre, but are longer and steeper. Overall you should be developing your riding and riding trail that will push you with multiple features.

what do you need to bring?

  • Helmet- in good condition under 3 years old - Trail or Full face, your choice
  • Knee and hand protection (compulsory)
  • Elbow and leg protection, and eye protection (glasses or goggles) (Recommended)
  • Bike - in good repair - ideally with flat pedals (get in touch if you need to rent)
  • Small personal first aid Kit
  • Lunch and Water enough for the day (we may be able to stash food in some places)
  • Appropriate clothing for the weather forecast
  • Small repair kit:
    • Pump
    • Spare tubes (even if you are tubeless)
    • Tubeless repair kit (if you're running tubeless)
    • Small multi-tool
    • Spare Chain link or two
    • Spare rear derailleur hanger specific to your bike

session specific content

We'll start with a brief kit check, and then go into a brief bike check, then look at the following:

  • Body Position - revision
  • Foot position, gear selection
  • Bike set-up
  • Event specific information - dibbing etc
  • Basic psychology - flow, attentional focus, stimulation and re-setting
  • Skill development according to trail and location:
    • Reading ahead and 'traffic lighting'
    • Effective braking
    • Steering on steep and muddy terrain and ruts
    • Rocks and Roots
    • Linking turns
    • Dropoffs and manuals

By the end of the session, riders will have gained confidence and or understanding of enduro racing or riding enduro trails. They will understand approach speed, and have improve their ability to read the trail. Tactically they will improve their ability to recognise correct technique, choose lines, and ride them appropriately, as well as pace, recover, and self-coach during an event.