…on an innocuous hillside in Hertfordshire with the esteemed Tony ‘Jedi’ Doyle!

The shorter version: Spent the day having revelation after revelation, muttering ****ing genius as I pushed back up to have another go at each stage, ended up riding WAY better than I’ve ever done before and confident that those improvements will stay with me.

The longer version:

I’m like the thousandth person to rave about Tony but honestly, all the hyperbole is true. I’ve had a couple of skills days elsewhere and this was on another planet, a positively utopian planet of superlative biking joy. I won’t make any comparative points about other coaching other than suggesting the following two questions are considered:

1. Is the coach a good enough rider to demonstrate everything you need/want to cover with perfect technique?
2. Are the skills/techniques/methods they’re teaching you exactly what they use to ride those same features – do they really understand HOW they’re riding and how that translates into instructional methods?

From what I’ve previously experienced I’d say that too many instructors fall down on both points, which is both bizarre and disappointing.

Now I’d say that for someone that only got into MTBing relatively recently (and isn’t a natural sportsman) I’m not a bad rider. I like to think that when I’m on my game I flow pretty well and that I don’t hang about. And that although I’m not very brave I think what I do do I don’t do too badly. I now know that I had even more flaws than I thought and can be so much better!

Somehow in the space of one glorious day (even the weather was perfect!) we sorted out my cornering (changed feet positions, hand weighting, leaning, looking), dropping (body position, pushing), jumping (everything!), pumping and then linking up all those moves. We even managed to start on manualling in the pump manualling manner thanks to Tony’s eyes of a hawk spotting something I was doing wrong, and reapplying it in the right context.

Lots of pictures and some videos here:

http://ukbikeskills.blogspot.co.uk/2012/07/alexs-session.html

Throughout the day we reviewed the photos and video so I could see what I was doing right and what I was doing wrong. How I look down a trail, especially around corners that turn through many degrees, was a real weak spot of mine. I’ve never railed a berm properly, I’ve always known there’s a ton more speed there and my technique’s been holding me back. I’ve also never cleared a gap, I have a real mental problem despite being ok (much much better now) on tabletops.

Popping over the 6′ table here, just letting the bike come up and about to let the front wheel head down to the backside landing, rear to follow:

Getting the fear of the 6′ gap and trying to stand up on the bike (bad!):

That’s more like it, front and back wheels following the arc to the downslope.

Still a bit scary but correct technique wins out. Much more time is going to be spent on the local dirt jumps henceforth.

This is neat though – having spotted my fearful attempt to stand up in mid-air over a gap jump, the Jedi master had me reapply that technique to a tabletop on the pump sequence:

I’m not pulling a wheelie or conventional manual as I ride along the tabletop, I’ve launched from the upslope and then tapped the rear wheel down from mid-air. Awesome! My brain was pretty frazzled by this point so we didn’t go any further but I just need to practice this on more tabletops and then start applying it to rollers. There’s a nice tabletop I ride quite often which has two doubles before it which require a lot of speed/push to clear and this pump manual technique will allow me to ride them faster but on the ground and have enough speed to clear the tabletop. I tell you, the man is a ****ing genius!

That was it for the coaching but not for the riding. After a lengthy break chilling out under the official gazebo in the MTB eden that is Herts Shore with Tony, Jedi-in-training Nathan (school holidays!) and Science (sickday! ;)), Tony had to go and do his homework (i.e. that blog linked up there) so Science and I went to ride some more.

I had another run down the skills trail to test/ingrain my new good habits (the speed! the control!), then we spent some time going over the 6′ table and gap (still a bit scared of the gap despite never casing it hard), chasing each other down the pump trail (where I properly RAILED the final berm) and over the big tabletops (sadly not backsiding them but they are quite big). Science then led me down one of the other bit of singletrack which was v cool but some of the features (him: “it’s easier than it looks, you can practically just roll down it” me: “it’s 12′ high and near vertical”) were out of my mental league.

Then a final run down the pump and tabletop trail where I got a bit carried away in the front and hit the last table too fast and blew my feet off the pedals for the first time in years but survived it. Once more down the skills trails for some mental/physical consolidation, then we had cake and Science showed me round the woodwork (OMFG ridiculous awesomeness, way way way out of my league). I got scared walking it, let alone riding it! Am thankful I didn’t break the only rule of the woodwork: You are not allowed to fall off.

If you love riding mountain bikes (even if at the moment you’re a ‘wheels on the ground’ rider) you will love this place and its people. Tony, high5! 😀

P.S. FJI I timed the skills run those last two times – about 31 or 32 seconds. W00t!

Sounds great Cgg I have just mailed Tony about a session seeing as my latest foray into Singletrack riding showed how sh!!e I am lol.

i MUST! book an appointment with jedi sometime (won’t be until next year though,as i’m going to be paying off my bmx before then).the guy sounds like a miracle worker 😀

nice one Alex!

blimey alex! 😀
i forgot to get the axle off ya too.

Tony’s got a great setup down there.

Science has it, he said he’d see you tomorrow, hope that’s ok? Please thank its owner muchly! Told you I’m quite verbose when time allows… 😉

alex, perfect!
i’m still buzzing from that session. i’m all set to ride in for todays session. see you soon!

We did a public session 3 weeks ago. It was an amazingly good experience even after years of riding.

High5 tony!

You look very tense in the pics and videos, were you holding in a poo? 😀

looks great. I’d love to have a session with Jedi in the future. Good photos too

Euro, fortunately no, just thinking very hard as I changed my riding techniques! Interesting to note how much flowier I felt when I continued followed a lengthy break after the session ended.

would having a session on a 80mm 29er race bike be out of place on a jedi course?

I doubt he’d care if you turned up on a tricycle as long as you wanted to learn how to ride better!

would having a session on a 80mm 29er race bike be out of place on a jedi course?

Not at all! Learning to ride better doesn’t have to mean jumps and hardcore trails.

its not about the bike 🙂

Went out tonight to test the new skills. Big change in my cornering but I’m still a bit Zoolander in my turning. Had a slow flat on the back (knackered valve it turned out) so as my fast-ish lap of the Big Dog course continued the back end was getting rather wayward but the outside foot and inside hand kept the front tracking. Conveniently I’d driven to Stanmer as I was running late and the bike was already in the car in bits and I had my track pump with me. Tyre wouldn’t go back up so the spare bike came out – singletrack on the BMX! Logstacles bad, twisty pumpy dirt good.

The bmx was the saviour eh 🙂
Keep working on thr cornering

Rode Brighton Big Dog at the weekend. Last year I was pretty quick on the descents, this year the new Jedi skills came into play and I owned them! 😀 Right up amongst the fastest times on a lot of Strava segments, and riding repeated laps of the course meant that I had the time and repetition to continue adjusting my cornerning and looking techniques. Apparently there were lots of greasy roots around but I wasn’t slowing down for them! 😉 Thanks again Tony, look forward to seeing how the skills continue to develop…

Had a play at Herts yesterday whilst some mates were doing a singletrack session. Great to compare with how I was riding when I first visited for a session a year ago and looking forward to my next one-to-one session.

Ran down the skills line and pump line a few times, then went off to find the high but less steep steep and persuaded my stupid scared-of-heights brain that it was fine. It was easy but the first time was quite scary. Went to check out the shorter but much steeper steep and couldn’t work out I’d coax myself down it. Spent some time wobbling along the less crazy northshore and then had a play on the drops and tabletops. Whilst the session was breaking for lunch I asked Tony about the steep drop-in and he suggested I think of it like a roller turned on its side and just absorb the lip. Interesting…

Went back to the northshore and started to find some flow along it, taking on the 2′ and 4′ drops off the woodwork, and then Nath who’d just turned up coaxed me along the seesaw on a bend without falling off. Revisited the 6′ table and matching gap and got much comfier than I did a year ago. Almost rode one of the bigger gaps after the left/right berm sequence by accident but my brain got in the way and I avoided it at the last minute – next time I shall clear it!

Revisited the steeps and found a slightly less steep line to try near the very steep bit. After surviving a couple of times I went over the steep drop-in and, as is always the way when you ride stuff right, it was easy. Evidence from my phone propped against some rocks thus:

[video]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l0EWMpiHJ2g[/video]

Still loads to work on – alpine-style switchbacks, bigger drops, lots more gaps, manualling rollers. Glad I put some work in over the last year practising what I’d been taught because I feel it’s paying off. Thanks Tony, see you later this year!

Had a sesh with Nathan last Friday after a session with Tony a couple of years ago. Another very happy customer – Nath had me dropping some of ladders in the shore stuff I’d never have considered before I got there :o)

A couple of lads from Leeds way with Tony when I was there – anyone from STW? They were riding well 😀

might have to do this, were you on a 1-to-1 day?

dashed, I know what you mean! I’m now thinking very differently about the ladder drops over at Steyning DH – as Tony says, if you can do a small drop right then why would you think you can’t do a big one – and indeed vice versa… Matt, I had a one-to-one session last July (as detailed in my first post) – yesterday was simply some (mostly) uncoached practice!

This must have been you dashed:

http://ukbikeskills.blogspot.co.uk/2013/06/james-returns-for-another-session.html

Nice riding – you nailed a whole load of features which I’d looked at and decided were too much for me this time! In particular, this drop:

This gap:

This wall ride:

And this gap:

All looks so easy in photos as well but it’s so much more intimidating in real life! I’ll be back…

Was good to see you again dood

Let me know if you’re ever in Scotland for a couple of days Jedi

Yeah, that was me. Really chuffed to hit some of the ladders in the woods – Nath made each step feel so easy and it was only the final one I had to think twice about but was getting a bit tired by then – mentally more than physically… But then rode it and it felt so smooth. No pics of me on that one, but someone else:

yow that’s a bit scary!

we all have different ways of having fun I guess

He’s brill is our Tony 😉 I really made him work for his money yesterday, and probably tested his patience a bit, whilst i completely failed to grasp a basic jump technique! Like a dog with a bone he didn’t let go though, and after what must have been a couple of hrs working slowly, using different features and techniques, i slowly “got it”. Certainly, on my own i don’t think i would have that leap (sic) mentally or physically. That is why it’s worth paying for coaching if you really want to push your riding forwards.

BTW, that quarry drop, with about 4 feet into a steep transition, looks like nothing in the pics, but tell me that when you’re standing at the top of it 😉

Kind words 🙂

No worries Tony! I’m going to spend a couple of hrs tomorrow at Woburn, going slow and higher, rather than fast and lower, then we’re wombling a couple of laps of the Dog/Monkey at Cannock on Sat as a bit of a fitness boost before packing it all up and de-camping to Les Arcs next week 😉

Plus 1 from me. Spent the day with Tony on Monday. Left v tired but v happy.

In some ways it feels more like a de-mystifying session. Turns out its all simple 😉

have a goodun in the alps and let me know how it goes 🙂

Looking forward to my session in September :)) – then I’ll be able to keep up with CGG!

Jedi – how far in advance are you booked up? The OP has me convinced that I need at training session with you!

best to email me 🙂

Thought about training me in Scotland!? 😀 Edinburgh based here, willing to travel somewhere suitable in Scotland for a days decent session!

I only have time to ride when I come to Scotland

Was out dual slalom racing on Thursday night before a singletrack ride – I don’t know if it’s a coincidence that I noticed it after a session at Herts but I realised I’ve not been weighing the inside hand enough when cornering, particularly when it gets steep. Started leaning on it more about halfway through the ride and found a ton of extra grip. Just need to get the feel for balancing it at the limit…