Today was evident that it was not about the bike at all. 6 riders turned up as arranged and after the skills check we immediately moved onto the drop technique. Here we used the push to great effect and using the mental skill set each rider moved through each of the 3 drops riding them smoothly and landing both wheels down. We rode them in pairs and triples to replicate trail riding conditions too and the same result occurred.
Next we moved onto linking drops into corners and although they were not here for cornering I covered how to corner berms so we could link the drops into a berm.

Each rider rode both drops that led into the berm and confidence and concentration grew as did commitment. we then moved onto a fly out so the riders could use the push in another context and begin to jump, each rider became airborne and confidence really grew. Now it was time to jump properly and we moved onto the tabletop. I managed the riders speed and gradually worked the speed into the mix as each rider focused on the remaining skills.

It didn’t take long for all the riders to clear the tabletop and soon their focus shifter onto the gap jump side of the tabletop. One by one each of them confidently and relaxed rode the gap jump smoothly and the smiles beamed all round.

The drizzle and cold took it’s toll on their mental tiredness and the session ended where we retreated to the pub for a well earned beer.
High 5’s all round!