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This months Newsletter Contents:
- Race Development Squad
- Course and Camp Reviews
- Upcoming Course Dates
- Recipe of the Month - YUM!
- Norm's NORMOUS socks (Tyre Pressure).
- Winter Training
- MTBSkills Rider Profile - Liz Mulconry
What our clients say about our courses:
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"It was better than I imagined it would be. Despite the testing weather, I had an asbolute ball. It was great to meet so many people who love mountain biking and were there to simply mountain bike. No work discussions. No thoughts about stresses at home. All of that was left behind and all I cared about was enjoying the moment."
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Hi [NAME],
We are 6 months into this fun venture of teaching people how to get more out of riding their mountain bikes.
We are having so much fun.
Thank you to all our customers for being as excited about your mountain bike and where it can take you as we are.
With such support and enthusiasm from our customers we have made the commitment to assist you in developing your skills and keep you striving for new goals with your mountain biking. For a long time now, Norm and I have known that we wanted to give back to the mountain biking community what was so freely given to us. We also knew that there were a lot of riders out there who needed support and others to believe in them whilst they were working toward their MTB riding goals.
This is where the MTBSkills Race Development Squad comes in.
We will provide support via skills sessions, training sessions, social rides, network with other riders for training and support, race support (feed zone, mechanical, team environment), goal setting, team events, programs, road trips, training camps at fun locations, testing and even financial support for race entries and other similar needs.
We have attracted so far a wide range of riders, being from on the way up to Elite level through to absolute beginner. As you may well know, the sport of mountain biking is so accessible to any skill level rider.
For only $100 a year you can be part of this squad and get professional treatment from MTB coaches that understand and want you to succeed no matter what your goals.
Sessions will be held from Forrest to Lysterfield, from Bright to the You Yang’s.
We are aiming to enter teams in various events such as Scott 24 hour, Kona 24 hour, Gravity 12 hour, plus many more!
Email us, if you would like to know more . Official start date for squad is July 1st 2008.
MTB Skills Camp Anglesea May 16th, 17th & 18th
 The experience (camp) was so huge for me that I've told everyone about it except for the two people who inspired me in the first place. When I read your interpretation of MTB and how it relates to you in the real world and the rest of your life it made my thoughts valid…The biggest thing holding me back from the single track was fear and on arrival into the camp location on the Friday night I knew I had conquered the fear simply by showing up. I was limited by my mind.
I was walking on clouds after leaving the camp. The point of physical exhaustion combined with physical challenge poured so much inspiration into my mind that I've not stopped since. The enthusiasm that I'm feeling right now, opened up during that weekend.
I've always been positive and happy with little action. Now I'm inspired to get myself moving into action and all those around me. I understand now when you write that MTB is the vehicle to look at for tackling other issues in your life and it provides a platform from which to grow into a better person.
So for your ability to provide an experience through which my active participation had the ability to unlock my potential for growth- I thank you!
What was the best part about the skills weekend?
Meeting people with the same interest and in most cases passion for bikes, who were so willing to support and encourage me to also share that same passion and become a better rider.
What was the most important thing that you learned from the weekend? To ask myself the question 'am I smiling' for this will let go of any tension and allow you to ride the bike with flow. And when there is flow there is mojo.
Was everything provided of a satisfactory standard?
The accommodation, food, guests, trails, timing and structure of timetable, mechanical support of the course were faultless and of Premium standard.
Comment on the skills learned and the way in which they were delivered. I loved being in a small group.
It made me feel like I was supported the whole way through the experience, right from the minute we rode on Saturday morning till returning on Sunday. I thought Adam was really good at encouraging me to attempt everything we came across and never overloaded with too many things to think about.
I came on the camp with no expectations of what it would be like or what I might even learn. I came away being blown away. I never expected that I would be able to negotiate some of these trails after only hours on a mountain bike. So it was clearly obvious to me the importance of learning skills and continuing to learn in a safe environment to become a more proficient rider and enjoy the experience more.
 Would I participate again? You betcha I will. (Edited from an email received from Katie-the tiger!)
Beginners course – Anglesea 3rd & 10th May
Did you learn anything? If so what?
How to get your weight back, go over things that look too hard, feel like you were in control of the bike, not vice versa. The very best thing apart from all that was figuring out cadence and using the gears properly. I'd never really got the hang of that!
How could we improve the clinics? Please tell us.
I really don't think there's much wrong with the course. I think it was a good introduction to everything and I wish I'd heard about it sooner!
(Edited from survey from Rach…who is coming back to do our ALL Day Forrest course)
Forrest ‘all levels’ ½ day course 26th April
Learnt the importance of looking ahead so you can better choose your line, learnt a better way to lift my front wheel instead of brute force, learnt a better technique for going over logs without going over the handlebars, learnt about the attack position and how you can angle the bike to get round corners without the bike sliding from under you, and probably some other stuff that will come to me when I'm riding. (Edited from Tony’s survey response)
I think you have tapped into a sleeping giant. As an outside looking in, your business sense seems spot on, you both have the knowledge and respect of the mountain bike community. Could you improve this clinic? I gave this a lot of thought, and couldn't come up with anything, so no!! I haven't stopped talking about it. I will recommend you guys to my riding mates who are looking to improve their skills. Good luck with it all.(edited from Rod’s survey response)
June 14th – ALL DAY FORREST MTB SKILLS COURSE – Booked out
June 21st – BEACONSFIELD UPPER MTB SKILLS COURSE – 10-2:30pm $85 p.p
July 5th – ALL DAY YOU YANG’S MTB SKILLS COURSE – 9:30-3:30pm $105 p.p
July 19th – ALL DAY WOMENS ONLY LYSTERFIELD MTB SKILLS COURSE – 9:30-3:30pm $105 p.p
To come but not yet confirmed:
Stay tuned as Norm will be doing another Jumps course soon too. Limit of 5 riders only - $90 per person. Email now to register your interest. Location-Forrest J2 trail. (Conditions: you must be of a high intermediate or advanced skill level to participate, dual suspension MTB recommended for maximum enjoyment)
Next MTB Skills Camp: After the rain and mud experienced in May, we are going to wait until the beginning of Spring for our next camp. The weather however can never be guaranteed!
Kids courses: we are investigating doing some courses for kids, aiming at the 12-15 y.o age group who are keen to get better at the sport of mountain biking. These will not be jumps or downhill courses. They will cover all the skills taught in our adult sessions but taught in smaller groups, with teaching methods applicable to teenagers! There is also the prospect of 3 day camps over the school holidays. Register your interest with us now:
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Courses August and beyond…these are being looked at right now. With a lot of racing on the calendar in the latter part of the year we need to make sure the dates are good for everyone, especially us!
With it being winter and all…the need for warm and easy food is really important. I do love cooking but I also hate complicated recipes that require a thousand ingredients. Soups are a favourite for a quick snack, an entrée or a main meal. Here is a simple soup that I whipped up the other day when I realized I better use the pumpkin NOW as it was on its way out.
Not your normal Pumpkin soup
- ¼ Large Jap Pumpkin (or similar)
- 1 onion (small)
- 1 clove garlic
- 1 chunk of fresh ginger(more or less to taste)
- 1 tin of reduced fat coconut milk
- 1 cup of water(or more dependent on consistency of soup)
- 1 tbsp Tikka Marsala curry paste(or any other curry paste you like or is in the fridge)
- 1 small block of palm sugar(pre packaged blocks bought in Asian part of supermarket)
Cut up pumpkin with peel off, into diced cubes.
Dice onions
Crush garlic
Chop up ginger finely
Add all the above ingredients to large heavy bottomed saucepan and sauté with olive oil until browned.
Add palm sugar and stir again for about 30 seconds
Add coconut milk and then add water to tin and add to soup mixture
Add curry paste
Turn heat down, simmer for about 1 hour. Blend mixture when cooled.
Serve with crusty bread
I gave this to Norm today for lunch and he loved it. He normally hates vegetarian meals, his comment is “does it have meat in it?”
TYRE PRESSURE
Something I get asked all the time...
What tyre pressure should I have for "insert favorite trail here"?
Tyre pressure really is up to the individual, however there are few basic "Norm" rules that I can pass on.
- The looser the surface, the lower the pressure.
- The FATTER the tyre the lower the pressure.
- Mud = Lower pressure.
- Lower the pressure = more chance of punctures (unless using tubeless, see below).
So many people ask, how low is low? All I can tell you is that I weigh about 72kg (alright maybe 75 after breakfast) and I would normally NEVER go above about 30psi. Jess is about 65kg and I normally put about 22-28psi, depending on the tyre choice. When we run our courses GENERALLY people have WAY too much air in their tyres. Normally this is because they are worried about getting a puncture... here's my thoughts on that.
If you are going for a long epic ride then sure be worried about a puncture, but if you are just going around your local trails, then use a lower pressure, get the performance improvements and fix the puncture if you get one.
Lastly... using tubeless setup allows you to run really low pressures get maximum performance from your tyres and virtually eliminate the chance of getting a puncture. Those that were at our camp got to see just how easy it is to convert your NON-TUBELESS rims to tubeless, using a STAN'S NOTUBES kit. If you want maximum performance and NO PUNCTURES... then switch to tubeless today. I have used tubeless for almost two years now, and haven't had ONE SINGLE PUNCTURE. Let me say that again... TWO YEARS, NO PUNCTURES... in that time I have done 3x 24 hour races, 1x 12 hour, countless 6 hours, and heaps of shorter races... and not one single puncture. And before you ask, yes this is an advert for STAN'S NOTUBES, because I am a massive fan and they sponsor our camps.
Yep, you’ve read about it in nearly every cycling magazine on the shelves at the moment. How to stay motivated during winter.
I am not going to tell you how to suck eggs, just share with you what has and does work for me to keep going throughout the colder months. Feel free to share your tips!
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1. Always take the time to remember why you are training. Does it make you smile and feel happy on the inside? If not, find another sport or take some time off the bike. Or even just get back to some basic fun social rides on weekends only.
2. On that note, KEEP IT FUN. I have started to take up night riding again on the MTB. Whilst it may be easier to get a 1 hour road ride in with the lights on, it is more dangerous, and like I said…easier. Night riding on the MTB will keep your skills honed, increase your bike fitness more than the road bike, and if you plan to do it with mates, it will be awesome fun. The first 5 minutes might be cold, but not for long!
3. Plan your stuff the night/day before. Do a bike check, lube chain, tyre pressure, tools, lights, clothing, shoes, helmet, nutrition, drinks etc…have it ready to just put it all on in a moment.
4. Race. If you cant be bothered training in the cold winter weather, sign up for a few races with friends or by yourself. Road or MTB or even a duathlon. Remember, keep it fun and have fun! If you have paid the money and committed to a race, then your chances of pulling out are way less. What’s more, you rock up on the day and everyone else is racing in exactly the same conditions as you so stop whinging!
5. Bike Bling and fashion. In winter you get to wear more clothes, so why not buy a few new pieces of something you have been wanting to get for ages. Such as a nice warm top from Ground Effect or those ¾ length knicks from Assos or better still a pair of $100 gloves to combat the winter frostbite. Maybe your bike is feeling drab and boring, bling it up with some “special” coloured skewers, bolts, headset and bottom bracket. How good will you feel and your bike will look good too. Heaps cheaper than buying a new bike.
6. Get some winter tyres. Do you find you try and get by with your Maxxis Cross marks on every trail no matter the weather? If you normally ride Lysterfield, most likely this is cool, even the You Yang’s which stays really dry even when its wet. Get your butt out to Forrest or Anglesea and you start to need a bit of grip in the wet and you need a tyre that wont hold the mud and turn into a big fat slick in seconds. Feeling confident on muddy, slick and wet trails will make it more pleasant to get out on the bike.
7. Listen to your body. For some reason or another and I don’t claim to know why…but we tend to get sick in winter more often than in the warmer months. Training out in the cold or rain with an immune system that is already suppressed due to racing and training can increase the likelihood of becoming ill. If you are feeling this way, its not tough to get out there and train. It is tougher, way harder, to suck it in and stay home. A week off the bike, itching like crazy to get out there again…or 2-3 weeks in bed feeling sorry for yourself losing all your fitness and having to start from scratch again? What would you prefer?
8. Indoor training – Wind trainer, turbo trainer, indoor trainer…whatever you call it, if you have one use it maybe once a week. I find them boring and can normally manage 1.5 hours but I try to mix in some strength training with it. 15 mins on the bike, strength, 15 mins on the bike, strength etc…alternatively find a spin class or ergo session that suits you at a gym or a supervised coaching session. 1 hour a week on the bike indoors is better than nothing!
9. Don’t go it alone, everyone knows this, but it should not be too hard to link in with someone who is feeling the same way as you. Even if you only hook up once a week, it will keep you accountable.
10. Plan and devise a program. And Incorporate other forms of exercise to compliment your cycling goals. Do you wish to compete in the Otway Odyssey in 2009? Start training for a “Kokoda” style trek and you may just win, think Hike a bike and mud! Are you keen on Adventure Races? Why not start swimming and running, slowly and in small amounts. Keep your cycling still your No.1 priority for fitness and specicifity of training. Maybe you need some core strength work, boring on your own, but Yoga or Pilates will do the trick, find a class near you.
Why I decided to take up mountain biking?
I started riding for the same reason most females start riding: my boyfriend at the time was into mountain biking and told me that road riding and commuting was not “real” riding and if I wanted more in common with him I should get into mountain biking. My first mtb outing was riding walking tracks around the Yarra (oops, don’t tell Parks Vic) on a bike way too big for me. I came away no broken bones, but with huge grazes on my legs and found an amazing way to get my adrenalin fix that I hadn’t had since I was nine years old running cross country. I ditched the boy not long after, but kept the bike and the thrill of riding off-road.
What I love most about mountain biking?
I think the thing I love most is that it makes me feel like I am nine years old again riding around the farm trying to jump ditches and then swimming in cow troughs. OK, there is no swimming in cow troughs in most races, but I think there should be. I love having a “wilderness experience” every time I go out on the bike. I love the way I find something to improve on each time I go out. I love going put with friends and eating cake afterwards. I love the fact that we stop after a short track and discuss every turn, rut and log on the track. I love racing and beating boys. I love the great people in mountain biking. I love the smile on faces of beginners when they master a new skill.
 Rotorua!
What scares me the most?
Improving so much and having high expectations on myself so that I am not happy with my performance in races and stop having fun. The anticipation of the local anesthetic injections and the saline solution the doctor squirts into the deep gash on my knee to get the dirt out before scrubbing the shit out of it.
The hills and hot weather in Maui in October.
Races I’ve done:
I started racing because someone told me I could and I would be good at it. Well, I wasn’t that good initially, but I did enjoy it and saw that I could improve. I did the sprint series before the first knee incident. I’ve done heaps of enduros – even a six-hour as a solo, where I discovered I am not a solo rider! Tried sprint series again, but had an altercation with a rock and can claim another knee incident. Given my impatience and ability to get bored very quickly I soon found that adventure races, multisport and off-road triathlons were more suited to me and I’ve managed to put my body through excruciating pain and suffering for longer periods, but with more variety (and you can have a rest during transition!)
Please feel free to forward this email on to any of your friends who you think might be interested in what we have to say.
Thanks... Norm & Jess
Check our website www.MTBSKILLS.com.au
   
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