Mountain biking is one of the fastest growing outdoor activities in the UK, that growth shows no sign of slowing down either. It’s also one of the most accessible activities too. Purpose built trail centres are being built all the time, supplying waymarked routes for everyone regardless of experience level. Gps, computer mapping and even Google Earth are allowing riders to sample more natural trails with less fear of getting lost in the back of beyond than ever before.
However, this ‘ease of access’ can at times lead to a few problems … would you buy a rope and start rock climbing? How about a kayak, then set off in search of white water? Of course you wouldn’t and there’s no reason why mountain biking should be any different.
At Forest Freeride we offer mountain bike skills training, our courses are amongst some of the most detailed and thorough in the UK. We don’t just want you to make it to the bottom of that rocky gully or off the drop in the woods, we want you to understand how and why you were able to achieve it. There are many factors to riding well and avoiding injury. Some are physical eg, what effect do the brakes have when cornering? Others are mental factors and it’s these that generally either allow us to ride something safely or stop us dead in our tracks … we consider it our job to teach you both.
Skills courses are run throughout the year from our farm in mid Wales and can be either one or two day. We can cater for any type of rider and at any skill level, perhaps you just want to feel safer on your bimble through your local woods or maybe you’re desperate to get to grips with drops and jumps.
We try to be as flexible as we can so some courses don’t have any dates allocated. Instead we run them ‘on demand’ so we fit in with you, not the other way round. One to one tuition is another area that we try to be flexible with too, we don’t believe that you should be penalised for riding on your own whether that be through choice or nessesity, so we don’t charge any extra for it. There’s a bunkhouse on site which is free to use if you’re riding with us, one night for each days riding … all we ask is a contribution to the Wales Air Ambulance charity.
If you’d prefer just to ride rather than recieve coaching then we can take care of that too. On our ‘Wilderness rides’ you’ll get the chance to ride out into the hills and forests of the Cambrian mountains. It’s an area often overlooked by mountain bikers, so maintains that true wild feeling … it’s been described as the last true wilderness in the British Isles outside of the Scotish Highlands. If one days ride isn’t enough for you then there’s always our Bikepacking trips. Two and Three day rides through the heart of mid Wales, you’ll be carrying everything you need with you and sleeping out under the stars at night … true mini adventures.
Each year at the end of May we run a three day charity Bikepacking event called the Welsh Ride Thing. If you’re looking for something a little adventerous then have a look at the WRT blog
This is a glimse into the world of Forest Freeride, if you’d like to find out more about what we do, you can visit our website www.forestfreeride.co.uk or if you’ve any questions, feel free to email me at stuart@forestfreeride.co.uk
Stuart Wright, Forest Freeride
