







Mountain bike skills development and advanced natural terrain skills coaching


Gift vouchers are available for all our courses
All bookings require payment in advance, cancellations within 2 weeks of date are not refundable, alternative dates will be arranged.
Mountain Bike / Gravel Riding Skills Development Courses
Do you want the maximum fun and enjoyment out of riding your mountain bike/gravel bike? Do you want to learn skills that will increase your confidence? Do you want to look back on that trail and say 'WOW' I just rode that!
Then get yourself booked on one of our courses and #bethebestyoucan
We are British Cycling qualified Mountain Bike and Cyclo-Cross coaches (Andy & Steve) and Mountain Bike Guides (Andy & Nik); we provide skills development coaching with permission of the Forestry England Rangers at Sherwood Pines Forest Park. We volunteer as coaches for local British Cycling Clubs and the British Cycling Mountain Bike Talent Development Programme. Our focus is to concentrate on the core off-road riding techniques to develop your skills and confidence. These are the same techniques used by professional and elite sports riders who are part of the British Cycling Elite Athlete Programme.
We predominantly focus on helping new, developing, and returning riders, who want to progress, learn new skills and improve their riding. We use Sherwood Pines Forest Park as it has the ideal trail network for both MTB and Gravel riding development, without being intimidating. We offer follow on more advanced courses/guided rides which take place in the Peak District National Park on steeper, more technically challenging, and more demanding terrain.
Our course covers, bike setup, body position/core movement/vision, braking/dynamic braking, cornering (flat corners/berms), climbing/descending, and trail features (roots, drops, jumps, rocks). We do this in 2 parts. The first part (morning session) takes place on the main arena field where we practice the core techniques, building in a structured way so that each technique leads to the next. After a break (lunch) we head out for part 2 where we use selected parts of the managed and off-piste trail network to turn these techniques into skills, developing and building as we go.
Our aim is that by the end of the course you will have developed the core skills that will enable you to ride more confidentially off-road and have a better understanding of the capabilities of both yourself and your bike. We can teach ‘car park’ techniques/skills (subject to time and rider ability) such as the ‘manual’ and the ‘wheelie’, though these are not core off-road riding skills and take weeks of dedication and commitment to learning.
Our courses last from 0930 till 1530 approx. (we do not offer 1/2 day courses) You can expect to ride approx. 10 miles with plenty of repetition, practice, and concentration. We run our courses on weekends and can also offer select mid-weekdays (subject to availability).
Following the course, we offer a refresher ride. This takes place after 6 - 8 weeks, once you've had the opportunity to practice/develop your skills. It's a relaxed ride around the trails to ensure that you are progressing, and we work on anything that you feel you need to. This is part of the course cost and usually lasts about 3 hours on a weekend morning or afternoon to suit.
You need to have your own bike, which is the right size for you and suitable for off-road riding, it needs to be in good working condition, with 2 working brakes and bar ends on the handlebars. You need to wear a helmet and suitable clothing for off-road riding. We perform a bike, helmet, and clothing check prior to the start of the course and if we feel that a bike is unsafe/unsuitable then the course will not take place.
We hope that our course is of interest, if you would like to book then please let us know your preferred dates.
#bethebestyoucan
Andy, Nik & Steve
Techniques that can be covered in our courses include:
How to ride:
Berms
Roots
Rocks
Drops
How to:
Descend
Climb
Corner
Brake
Front-wheel lift
Rear-wheel lift
Jump
Wheelie
Manual
Bunny hop
Use body movement and position
Throughout our courses we discuss:
Bike set up
Line choice
Trail etiquette
Nutrition and hydration
Emergency trailside repairs
Riding kit and equipment.
Course prices
1 2 1 - £160
2 2 1 - £200
Group (over 12 years) / family (max 4 riders) - £260
Add on Natural Terrain Skills Day when booked at the time of 1 2 1 or 2 2 1 course £60 / group up to 4 £100
Other options are available, please contact us to discuss your requirements
All prices are correct as of 5th April 2023
Payment in full via PayPal or bank transfer at the time of booking.







For every course we provide a pre-course itinerary that details everything that you need to know about your day including times, meeting place and any essential equipment/kit needed.
Our natural terrain skills day requires a good level of fitness/concentration (a dropper post is recommended) as these courses involve climbing (sometimes pushing) and descending steep unpredictable terrain.


Natural Terrain Skills Development Day
Our natural terrain skills days are planned to introduce you to natural, progressively more technical, unpredictable terrain and teach you how to ride with increasing skill, confidence, and flow.
This is not a guided ride, this is a coach-led ride. The rides are about developing the techniques and skills needed so you can explore the UK's natural trails on your own.
Our natural terrain skills days take place in various locations across the Peak District National Park.
Natural terrain skills day prices
1 2 1 - £160
2 2 1 - £200
Group (over 12 years) / family (max 4 riders) - £300
All prices are correct as of April 2023
Payment in full via PayPal or bank transfer at the time of booking.






THE PERFORMANCE MTBUK UNIQUE 'RideSmart' PLAN
Specifically developed for MTBer's who want to improve their fitness whilst they, well...just ride!
No strict training plan simply get more out of your everyday riding. It even works on your turbo too!
"IT'S A MORE RELAXED KINDA THING"
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Initial phone/social media conversation
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Analysis of rider profile
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Meeting/telephone/social media conversation to discuss rider profile, typical event demands (physiological demands, technical demands, psychological demands)
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Production of your 'FOCUSED MTB RIDING' plan overview. This is based upon the fundamentals of MTB fitness, the types of events that you like taking part in and how this can be best included in the riding that you do
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The production of the rider training zone bands chart
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Base fitness and benchmarking test (as required)
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Bike fit and set up advice. Bike kit and equipment advice
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Nutrition and hydration, general guidance and advice
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Off bike training, general guidance and advice
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Production of your 'FOCUSED MTB RIDING' plan
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Meeting/telephone/social media conversation to review the first
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Ongoing advice, support and plan amendments as required
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Specific advice and 'FOCUSED MTB RIDING' plan amendments in the run up to an event
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Analysis of training plan notes and performance data provided by rider (as required)
Group packages are also available...get your friends involved too!