The two main instructors are Norm and Jessica Douglas . This husband and wife team have been playing with bikes most of their lives. They live and breath Mountain Biking and can be found most weekends competing in Endurance races ranging from short 6 hour races up to and including 24 hour solo races.

Adam Kelsall , Liz Mulconry and Rowan Lamont make up the rest of this team. Our instructors have been hand picked for their professionalism and teaching abilities first and their riding abilities second. At MTBSkills.com.au we firmly believe that YOU are the most important person in the skills session... NOT the instructor. We are very lucky to have such a wonderful team.

NORM DOUGLAS

Norm Douglas started like most kids growing up in the ''burbs riding bikes. However unlike most he and his brother Allan took it one step further and started racing BMX''s in the late 70''s during the inception of the sport. The basic skills Norm learned during this time can still be seen in his riding today and he loves showing others just how easy these can be. Norm has competed in Road Racing, BMX and Mountain Bikes. He still owns two vintage BMX''s and regularly takes them down to the BMX tracks to get some air! Norm''s philosophy to Mountain Bike riding is simple... stay smooth, pick your lines, and don''t be scared of "getting some air!"

JESS DOUGLAS

Apart from work...I get to train on my road or MTB around 15-30 hours a week depending on my workload and the weather of course. I must admit, I am lucky to be self employed and living the dream.

My reality checks are my 15 year old daughter, who loves to sleep, eat and sit on MSN and MY Space. I have 2 dogs who just want to be fed and cuddled. I have a cat who wants to eat and sleep. And then there is Norm...actually he looks after himself and is awesome at keeping our bike gear in order and fully serviced. The not so glamourous side of my life is that I actually do dishes, sweep floors, empty kitty litter, clean toilets and hang out washing!

Somehow or other...I manage to fit in racing road or MTB very regularly and continue to remain inspired in this pursuit. Check out www.jessicadouglas.com for my race entries and results etc...

Jessica Douglas was a little different to most teenage girls. Jessica loved nothing more than hopping on her bike and setting off on adventures all over Geelong. As a school girl she completed 2 "Great Victorian Bike Rides", which was her first real taste of endurance riding. After she met Norm, she was introduced to the joys or racing, which fueled her inner desire to win! Jessica is now regularly in the top echalon of elite female endurance MTB''ers in the country and at 35 is only just starting to realize her full potential. Jessica''s ability and technique on the bike is evident to everyone, that you don''t need to have ridden BMX bikes to be able to learn correct technique.

"One of the most important skills that I have learnt is to ride smoothly and pump the trail for all its worth. I mostly race long, endurance events, such as riding SOLO for 24 hours. It is essential to get 'maximum return for minimal effort'. This means no or little braking, relaxed upper body, smooth pedalling, always looking ahead and definately choosing the smoothest line. I like to ride a trail with the same joy that you get from a flowing roller coaster ride. As I am improving my riding skills, so too am I feeling pretty fresh at the end of these races in comparison to when I first started...and this is due to being able to ride the track using all its advantages."

Our courses are for any type of rider and we can show you that learning REAL technique will not only make you a better rider but also let you have more fun and or go faster... whatever floats your boat.

Adam Kelsall

Growing up in the small inland town of Marysville, Adam was one of those kids that did everything. Moving to Mountain Biking in his late teens he learned by crashing, and crashing until he finally got it right. Adam has come into the MTBSkills.com.au team with not only a wealth of cycling experience but also years as a education professional, and outdoor education expert.

Adam has competed in many endurance events and has travelled the world extensively. He teaching style is one of confidence building and showing you the correct techniques along the way. Oh and he loves to surf... but we forgive him for that.

Liz Mulconry

Outdoor adventure sports has always grabbed Liz. She discovered Mountain Biking only a few short years ago, and has progressed to become a very handy rider.

Liz first came to our attention after she participated in one of our clinics. We quickly realised there was more to this girl that spunky looks. Being a qualified secondary teacher and having coached numerous other sports, Liz was quickly brought up to speed in the MTBSkills.com.au ways.

Her professionalism shines through in her teaching manner, and her students are always only too quick to heap praise on her.

Rowan Lamont
Rowan threw his leg over his first bicycle aged three, found his balance and rolled down a grassy hill promptly crashing into a patch of stinging nettles. He is now able to steer his bike but still has a habit of falling off particularly if there is an audience.

Mountain biking has been a constant source of freedom, excitement and fun for Rowan since riding his first ‘real’ mountain bike nearly 20 years ago. Over the past few years he has enjoyed sharing his knowledge and expertise to help build peoples riding confidence and mountain biking ability. Rowan brings with him a depth of experience having raced, ridden and rolled-around on the floor laughing in many mountain biking towns across the world.