Join us for the second annual SKCC mountain bike skills camp at the highly regarded Forrest MTB park in the Otway Ranges. The weekend is suitable for riders of all skill levels and includes serious skills coaching and training rides, combined of course with the great social atmosphere the club is renowned for.
ABOUT FORREST
Forrest is a small township in the Otway Ranges in south western Victoria. In recent years the bushland surrounding the town has been developed into one of the country’s leading mountain bike venues, with 16 purpose built trails with varying degrees of difficulty. The close proximity to the town, clear signposting and the outstanding quality of the trail network set the area apart from many other off road cycling destinations. The Forrest MTB trails are frequently used for competitions and form a large part of the extremely popular “Otway Odyssey” MTB marathon race held in February each year.
See www.rideforrest.com.au for trail maps and further info.
YOUR COACH – PAT FITZPATRICK
Coaching at the camp will be provided by Pat Fitzpatrick from Ride International. Your coach resides in Australia, frequents Asia and spends up to 6 months of the year in Europe hosting tours to major international cycling events. He’s a popular contributor to Cycling Tips Blog, Spin [Singapore], Australian Mountain Bike & Enduro Mountain Bike magazines.
Pat’s your accomplished guide, cycling & MTB skills coach. He descends from an esteemed lineage of competitive cyclists, with over 100 years family racing history. Coaching since 1999, Pat draws on over 30 years of race craft in the BMX, MotoX, MTB and Road cycling disciplines. Pat now imparts his wealth of knowledge to others, fostering talent from newcomers to the sport, through to world class elite athletes.
“Pat has an amazing talent for analysing, distilling and translating the art of cycling…he is the best skills instructor I have seen, and trust me, I have seen a few! If you want to improve any aspect of your riding, do a session with Pat. He’ll have you flying in no time at all.”
Petra Wiltshire, UK – 3 times UCI world masters downhill champion
The coaching cost for the camp is $135 per person (or $155 per person for non SKCC members) for a 4 hour intensive skills, techniques and bike setup session to help you get the greatest benefit based on your current experience level (Maximum of 6 riders per session)
THE COACHING SESSIONS
Which level am I?
Level 1 | Introductory
Your new, recently new, haven’t mountain biked for a while, want to master the skills you need to ride with confidence and have fun on a MTB. Here we teach you the 80% of skills you need to be competent at to create a great platform for mtb’ing. We keep the process simple for maximum results, but educate you with easy steps to remember for future rides. We go over the core skills, correct techniques and body positions for uphills, downhills, cornering, technical obstacles – roots – rock gardens & bunny hops. We’ll make sure your session is all about confidence building in a safe environment.
We’ll make sure your bike is set up correctly for you at the level you’re currently riding at and heading toward. We’ll go over the suspension set up & settings, handlebars, levers & seat position to optimise comfort & performance. You’ll finish the session off with a newfound confidence and be able to have fun on the single tracks.
LEVEL 02 | Intermediate
You’ve been mtb’ing for a while or come from a high level road base fitness. You’ve conquered most of the skills you need to ride single tracks fast. But, you want to ride faster by improving your skills, techniques, efficiency, timing and body positions for uphills, downhills, cornering, technical obstacles, roots & rock gardens. You want to learn some new tricks on your way toward mastery. You’re going to think more about your riding and techniques; we’ll infuse new techniques for flat, bermed & hairpin corners. We’ll go through a series of prompts to recall on future rides. We’ll make sure your bike is set up correctly for you at the level you’re currently riding at and heading toward. We’ll go over the suspension set up & settings, handlebars, levers & seat position to optimise comfort & performance
LEVEL 03 | Advanced
We’re heading into Jedi territory; your riding fast, your fitness is good but you want to really perfect the art of mountain biking. We’re going to work on getting you more relaxed on the bike, more efficient & faster than you thought possible. We’ll make sure your bike is set up correctly for you at the level you’re currently riding at and heading toward. We’ll go over the suspension set up & settings, handlebars, levers & seat position to optimise comfort & performance. You’re going to get a physical and mental workout & bounce out the other side of this session brimming with confidence in advanced cornering techniques & line selection for flat corners, berms, uphill & downhill switchbacks. We’ll do a master class on how to pump through rolling sections, combine jump sections and carry momentum over tricky technical obstacles sections.
ACCOMMODATION
Accommodation and food are to be organised by camp attendees and are not included in the camp price. We will however all get to together for a pub meal at Forrest Brewery Saturday night. Most of the SKCC crew will be staying at the Forrest Caravan Park cabins however accommodation is up to you. Choose anything from tent to luxury bed and breakfast! See www.rideforrest.com.au for links to the accommodation options around town.
SCHEDULE
FRIDAY 22nd MARCH
4.30pm – Optional 1.5hr social trail ride for all camp attendees
Accommodation in Forrest (organised by camp attendees)
SATURDAY 23rd MARCH
MORNING SCHEDULE
8.00am – alternate arrival time for people choosing not the drive Friday night.
8.30am – Coached 4 hr “level 01 Introductory” session provided by Ride International (max 6 riders)
8.30am – Non coached trail ride for Level 2 Intermediate riders at the camp led by an experienced ride leader (3.5hrs approx. 35km)
8.30am – Non coached trail ride for Level 3 Advanced riders at the camp (4hrs approx. 40km)
AFTERNOON SCHEDULE
1.30pm – 5.30pm Coached 4hr “level 3 Advanced” session provided by Ride International (max 6 riders)
2.30pm – Non coached trail ride for Level 1 Introductory riders at the camp led by an experienced ride leader (approx. 2hrs 20km)
2.30pm – Non coached trail ride for Level 2 Intermediate riders at the camp (approx. 2hrs 25km)
7.30pm – Dinner at the Forrest Brewery (own expense)
Accommodation in Forrest (organised by camp attendees)
SUNDAY 24th MARCH
8.30am – Coached 4hr “level 2 Intermediate” session provided by Ride International (max 6 riders)
8.30am – Non coached trail ride for Level 3 riders at the camp led by an experienced ride leader (approx. 4hrs 35km)
8.30am – Non coached trail ride for Level 2 riders at the camp led by an experienced ride leader (approx. 4hrs 35km)
1.30pm – Lunch in Forrest (own expense)
3.00pm – Return to Melbourne
All rides to start and finish at Forrest Caravan Park. Please note that there is no ATM or petrol station in the town. Please allow approximately 2.5 hours to drive to Forrest via Geelong and Winchelsea.
BOOKINGS AND FURTHER INFORMATION
To reserve your place please contact Matt Pieterse by email or phone (0422 549 365).
Please nominate your preferred coaching session (level 1, level 2 or level 3) when booking.
For further information on coaching or queries regarding which session will help you get the most out of the weekend, please contact Pat Fitzpatrick at Ride International.
The club has pre booked a number of the basic dormitory style cabins at Forrest Caravan Park. Please indicate when booking if you are interested sharing this accommodation with other club members.