Home again from the Midwest Women's MTB Clinic

This is my second year attending this event, and as good as last year's Clinic was, it was even better this time!

This year we were divided into small groups of no more than 6 students. There was a main instructor for each group and also a tail gunner to assist the instructor. I was in the beginner group, one level up from last year. Our instructor was a woman who happened to be a retired down-hill racer and she rocked! This year we stayed in the same portion of the park for all activities, so there was never a need to actually go anywhere. That made for a very relaxed atmosphere and we could all focus on what we needed to do.

While no actual rides were scheduled for yesterday, and we did do drills on the grass all morning, we went for a ride on Limekiln yesterday. That was the trail that got me last October and kept me off the bike until recently. I am not accustomed to being on the trail with so many riders, but it was great and I found the trail much easier than I remembered! Apparently all the work I've been doing on the road and at the gym has really helped me out. I was also pleased to note that my old "fear of the edge" did not return after being off the mountain bike for so long.

Today I went with a riding buddy to a trail I've not ridden before and had a great time. I was tired at the end of the ride, but it was all good. No falls at all....controlled stops don't count. Actually that was the coolest part - outside of cleaning some pretty significant rooty sections (to me) - when I DID have to stop quickly to keep from hitting a tree :eek: I simply stopped :cool: The clinic really did help me with all of our drills on stopping and braking.

There is something very special about a women's mountain bike clinic. Not only do we learn new skills and improve upon old, but we get to network and make new friends and deepen old friendships.

It sounds wonderful Catrin.

Sounds fantastic, Catrin!! I'm glad they changed the format. It sounds much more manageable. I'd love to know some of the drills you worked on. Did you do the North Tower Loop? It's fun don't you think? Minus a bit more climbing, I think it's easier in some ways than Limekiln in that it's not as rooty and rocky. I'm bummed that I didn't try it sooner. I love coming back down the connector, too. Whoosh!!!

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by indysteel

Sounds fantastic, Catrin!! I'm glad they changed the format. It sounds much more manageable. I'd love to know some of the drills you worked on. Did you do the North Tower Loop? It's fun don't you think? Minus a bit more climbing, I think it's easier in some ways than Limekiln in that it's not as rooty and rocky. I'm bummed that I didn't try it sooner. I love coming back down the connector, too. Whoosh!!!

---

Good call, it was indeed the North Tower Loop :) There were a couple of places I wasn't comfortable riding because of the combination of trail surface and size of roots - it is certainly rootier than Limekiln! I found it fun though and there are some sections that do seem easier than Limekiln. I hit the Loop straight from the road ;) After 8 months off the mtb trails I was feeling it in my quads at the end of the trail - but I recovered quickly.

We started out with the basics and a skills assessment. Basic positions and body-bike separation. I still can't do that "wind-shield wiper movement" though I think I was finally starting to get it - practice, practice, practice. We spent well over an hour on different types of stopping and braking practice. I really needed that - and I need to practice some more on this.

We were going to do more drills after lunch, but wound up hitting Limekiln instead :) At the Hoosiers Nest we did some impromptu drills focusing on tight turning and figure 8's.

There were many different Beginner groups, and there was a range of skills between the groups. I noted at least one of the beginner groups were doing box jumps (for lack of knowing what to call it).

Oh yes, I forgot to mention that before the event, the event organizer sent a survey to everyone asking very specific questions about our skill level so she could plan out who went into which group. Some of the beginners certainly had far more skills than I - but they were in other groups.

Added: I plan to write a blog post tonight on the weekend, along with couple of pictures that I barely remembered to take :)