Hello,
I have searched on the forum and web with little luck so far, any advice appreciated.

My partner has a complete lack of confidence riding.

Over the last few years I have tried to get her riding off road, she is a confident skier, so I thought she would enjoy it.

After seeming to get in the groove and really having a few good rides, she was the victim of a hit and run during her commute which left her with a broken arm. Last year an OTB has left her with absolutely no confidence riding off road.

It’s horrible to see her so uncomfortable on her bike. We no longer ride together, I end up waiting for her more time than riding and worrying that she has stacked the bike.

So I’m looking for an absolute novice course in the South East, I think a women specific group would be best, hopefully to avoid any Zero to Hero soaking up the instructors time.

Anyone know of a course or where is the best site to look. Thanks, Neil.

Could possibly try a 1:1 with Tony Doyle of UK Bike Skills (aka Jedi) ? He’s very good at what he does.

If it were me (speaking as somebody that has lost confidence in the past) I would have a one-to-one session with Tony from UK Bike Skills.

http://www.ukbikeskills.co.uk

I do feel that having an individual session would be far more productive rather than any group session where one could feel under pressure to keep up.

Tony is lovely, very encouraging and he really helped me. Highly recommended. 😀

Our woman only mtb club often runs courses for its members. Not local to you but there might be a club that does something similar?

Agree with the above about Tony/jedi. If you were in the Midlands, I’d also suggest a 1-2-1 at Sherwood pines with allianceMTB.

Have a day out at Llandegla. They do ladies only courses.

Can’t vouch for them though, as I’m not a lady.

Another 100% recommendation for Tony at UkBikeskills!

However, i’d also say it’s worth just talking between yourselves about what “fears” she has when riding. Brushing up on basic technique, something that Tony is Brilliant at when it comes to instilling those basics in others, tends to cover a wide range of errors that leads to crashes and off.

However, i’d also say, that it’s important to be comfortable with the idea of falling off. No matter how good you are, how lucky you are, or what terrain you ride on, you WILL at some point fall off. If you are constantly worried about falling off, then you become even more likely to fall off as you stiffen up and stop moving around the bike!

Now, no one likes to go over the bars, but it’s worth trying to talk about this, and the fact that in the vast majority of cases, you can actually fall off the bike without any injury. I would also suggest, that maybe wearing some basic body armour is a good confidence builder (especially as there is now a load of “soft” armour available that is less intimidating to most people!

The real way to become comfortable on a bike however is just to ride it as much as possible, and if you can restart that with some proper tuition, then that is a win all round 😉

Thanks for your replies.

I’ll keep the Jedi in mind. I think the group thing appeals as I know she enjoyed the social side of ski school before we met.

Maxtorque – Yes we have talked about it and she has knee pads. Just seems that taking instruction from me is hard, but not from others, I call her “my little pony donkey”.

Listen to Maxtorque what he doesn’t know about falling off isn’t worth knowing. 😈

BPW and Forest Freeride do women’s courses. Both in Wales. You could make a weekend of it. She gets some coaching while you have a play.

Has anyone done any of the ‘public coaching days’ at UKBikeSkills? Most of the previous reviews/comments seem to be about 1-to-1 coaching.
The jumps and drops focus day sounds exactly like what I need – I’ll chuck myself down a track quite happily, albeit without getting any air, but generally avoid red courses through fear of encountering a ‘giant’ (ie bigger than 1′!) drop-off or similar.

Same as your partner, neilwheel, I find instruction from strangers much easier to take. I also find it helps my confidence if I know how to do something properly rather than trying to wing it, particularly if there’s a chance of injury.

mrhoppy
Listen to Maxtorque what he doesn’t know about falling off isn’t worth knowing.

I’ve spent many years perfecting my technique…….. 😉

I’ve done both private 1:1 and public days with Tony.

The advantage of the private course is that the level is precisely targetted to you, and you can proceed at your own pace. The (slight)downside is that you do feel a little more under pressure and “in the spotlight”

The public days are great too, and there tends to be a wide range of skills and riding levels on any given day, so you will probably find people of similar abilities and progression. You also get the chance to watch others ride too, which for some people can be a good way to assist their learning.

If you can afford the 1:1 then i’d say go for that, but you shouldn’t be put off by the (considerably cheaper) public days 😉

If ever a thread title promised so much…. 🙄

Sorry to let you down………..

Helen Gaskell does coaching

http://www.helengaskellcoaching.co.uk she is based in the north but I know she does coaching away from the North East from time to time

How about a private lesson, or a group course with Dirt Divas. They are Swinley based. All the coaches are really good and understand about low confidence issues.

http://www.dirtdivas.co.uk/back-to-basics.htm

I’ve also had a day with Jedi, which was brilliant!

Thanks Ellsy, the back to basics course sounds perfect.

Did you have a individual or group lesson there?

I haven’t actually been on a Dirt Diva course. But, I happen to know quite a few women who have, who gained a lot from the experience. I know most of the DD coaches and they are all really good at teaching.

We are going to spend some time back to basics this weekend, then look at some instruction.

The DDs seem to offer the perfect course but I’m sure she will be put off by the name and pink colour scheme.

Thanks again.

or you could do what I did?

Book on to a ukbikeskills public course and be the only person on it… 1-to-1 for the price of a group day. Best day on a bike I’ve ever had

I’m a fan of 1:1 especially for confidence stuff, not to say being in a group is going to be counterproductive but it definitely can be. I’m lucky that I’ve never been the guy who can’t keep up with the course but I’ve seen it happen and it doesn’t look like a lot of fun.

1:1 is expensive obviously but you do get more for your money. I got a lot more out of a halfday with andy barlow than out of a full day’s dirtschool trail coaching.

Does your partner actually want to ride off road? Does she go on her own now? I mean will she race home grab the bike, send you a text that says “on the bike, have dinner ready when I come back” and then rock up 2hours later than she said, sling the bike in the shed, march in and say “you have a puncture to fix sweetheart”

My ex loved cycling, on the road she was fast as ****, but off road she was shit, hated it, the bugs the mud, the rocks, falling off everything. Eventually we just stopped going as it was just pointless

Shocker: apparently not everyone likes mountain bikes.

Weird huh? 😉

Yes but not like that.

The only reason I would like her to have another go is because she did have some aptitude for it and did enjoy it too. Just as she was making good progress, she was knocked off by a cab driver and that interrupted the flow.

I had given up, as we have only had two fire road bimbles this year together, but just want to try one more time. I would like to see her more confident on the road too, as she rides every day.

Are you trying to “solve a problem” for her?

I mean it in the nicest way, its what men do, but you have discussed this with her haven’t you? I mean you sat together googled “mtb coaching for beginners” and she’s dead keen…right? And you said, I’ll just ask them on Singletrack, they’ll know.

I would like to see her more confident on the road too, as she rides every day.

When I can be bothered, I persuade my mum to come out sometimes, she even rides to work occasionally if the weather is ok, and she has a great time generally, but she wouldn’t want to go on a skills course TBH

Dirt Divas are great – although I am biased, I coach for them 😉

For some women they respond better in a female-only environment, especially if they are lacking in confidence. Men and women learn very differently and this is really well supported by the group atmosphere.

However personally I have been coached by Jedi and he is also fabulous and highly recommended – but it’s a different approach.

Oh, and don’t be put off by the pink and the DD name – you only have to see the DD race team in action to realise that a bit of pink does not prevent you from being a force to be reckoned with on a bike 😉 This is why I love the DD ethos 🙂

I understand your point Emsz and no offence taken.

I’m not forcing it on her, last night I gave her the following options:

1. We don’t ride together for fun.

2. We just do fire road bimbles.

3. We spend some time getting the basics covered again and see what happens.

4. We pay for someone else to do the instructing.

So the ball is on her side of the net.

I really would like for her to improve her bike handling skills for her work commute and general riding if nothing else comes out of it.
Bikes are our main form of transport, we don’t own a car by choice, not by me being a stubborn hair shirt wearer. 😉

[Oh, and don’t be put off by the pink and the DD name – you only have to see the DD race team in action to realise that a bit of pink does not prevent you from being a force to be reckoned with on a bike]

I couldn’t have said it any better Miss N 🙂

Thanks Missnotax, it hasn’t really put me off, the name etc, just may be a bit too women centric for her.

I have training experience myself and she is probably the most awkward pupil I have ever had. I’m sure this is purely due to being too close and she would learn far more coming from someone else.

thanks for the kind words guys 🙂