Get Yerself Some “Jedi” Skills

Long-time ST Forum icon – and genuinely nice guy – Tony “Jedi” Doyle is starting a new life as a Bike Skills Coach.

Tony’s unique approach to teaching is designed to get riders’ skill levels rising as quickly as possible without taking them out of their comfort zones.

Tony: “The whole basis for our coaching technique is to asses each rider as an individual. A lot of coaching companies simply teach a set syllabus without assessing how it is relevant to the individual being coached. We start by looking at each rider individually and we can see what skills are already evident. We then install a skill set that is present in every technique in mtb. We show them how to identify sections and braking zones and how to manage not only their own speed by also the energy in a trail. We then go on to apply the skill set to different techniques on different trails etc. Its real practical based instruction, from professional level coaches, and in our opinion its the fastest was to create truly proficient mountain bike riders.”

UK Bike Skills are offering a full range of group courses throughout the Winter. First up is a Ladies only day on the 11th of December followed by a Intermediate/Advanced group session on the 17th of December. Currently the price of a group session is an £60 per rider for coaching from 11am to 4pm which represents incredibly good value for money compared to many other companies, especially when you consider the level of the instructors involved.

UK Bike Skills are also offering gift vouchers so you can treat the rider in your life to a really great present this Christmas. A great idea for people stuck for present ideas.

Next year UK Bike Skills have lined up a lot of specialist courses for the spring to get people up to speed for their summer cycling trips.

Tony says: “We’ll be doing specialist skills days for people looking to brush up their skill set before trips to Canada and the Alps, working on technical skills through to advanced braking techniques and dealing with advanced trail features only found in those environments. ”

Full details of the courses offered by UK Bike Skills Ltd are available online at www.ukbikeskills.co.uk and last minute availability, one-off courses and speciality courses will be added to their blog, Twitter and Facebook groups.

Ben Haworth

Orange Switch 6er. Stif Squatcher. Schwalbe Magic Mary Purple Addix front. Maxxis DHR II 3C MaxxTerra rear. Coil fan. Ebikes are not evil. I have been a writer for nigh on 20 years, a photographer for 25 years and a mountain biker for 30 years. I have written countless magazine and website features and route guides for the UK mountain bike press, most notably for the esteemed and highly regarded Singletrackworld. Although I am a Lancastrian, I freely admit that West Yorkshire is my favourite place to ride. Rarely a week goes by without me riding and exploring the South Pennines.

More posts from Ben