ALL GROUPS
Emphasize FUN while building skills that are relevant to your group.
- Before leaving the parking lot:
- Count how many riders are in your group
- Discuss with the riders why they decided to join the team and what they hope to accomplish this season.
- Also discuss with riders that these groups are very fluid right now so don’t read too much into which group they are in. There will be lots of movement between groups these first several practices. Focus on having fun with a good attitude and giving your best effort.
- Go over the necessary gear – does everyone have it?
- Helmet, water, snack, tube, pump or co2, multi tool, quick link, medical?
- Count how many riders are in your group
This is the first time for many of these riders to ride the trails at Little Valley. Be sensitive to that reality for the riders in your group. For other riders, they’ve ridden Little Valley dozens of times and can easily migrate outside of the area (either through the tunnel toward Ann’s (East) or heading further south on Ann’s (West) toward Maple Hollow. Make sure the trails you ride are within the skill level of EVERY rider in your group. Rider leaders in the back must communicate to the rider leader in the front what is happening in the group.
Remember, we are still getting to know these riders. We are still working on fundamental skill assessment, sorting out the right group for each rider, and working on steady endurance on the bike.
Every group should review with the riders the importance of a warm-up routine. Some of this warm-up can take place off the bike. Once you start pedaling, intentionally keep the pace slow for 10-15 minutes. No exceptions. The warm-up is a critical skill that all riders must learn to incorporate into their riding.
Finally, reiterate with every rider the importance of having all their personal gear with them on the bike before leaving the parking lot.
NO GO TRAILS FOR ALL GROUPS
While working on these base miles this first week, we’d like all the groups to stay off of the jump trails including Rush, Vertigo, Limelight, and Levitate.
PURPLE / BLUE / GREEN
Stay in the A-line, B-line, C-line, and D-line sections of Little Valley. We will be carefully introducing the riders in these groups to single-track skills that may be new to some of the riders. Some of the riders in these groups will have more familiarity with single track trails. Today is a good opportunity to asses riders comfort level and provide feedback to the head coaches.
For the first half of practice, the groups will run repeated laps on the same short loops of trail with a different emphasis on each lap. For example:
- A-line Laps 1-3: focus on ready position and covering brakes
- A-line Laps 4-6: focus on cornering (especially looking through the corner and level pedals)
- A-line Laps 7-9: as the riders gain familiarity with the section, focus on gradually increasing the speed
- Then transition to the B-line and run a similar process on that line.
- After thoroughly exhausting those lines, consider climbing the C-line. We expect that many of the riders will struggle with certain parts of climbing the C-line (including the switchback after the two bridges). This is a great opportunity to stop and work the section as a group. Remember to emphasize “Challenge By Choice”; no rider should feel forced to ride beyond their individual comfort level.
These two groups intentionally have enough rider leaders to allow some ride leaders to position themselves stationary on certain parts of the loops to better assess rider skills. Take advantage of this opportunity to really dial in on each rider’s needs. This practice should end with each rider feeling supported, having had fun, with some challenge and skill-building!
PINK / SILVER / BLACK / RED / ORANGE / YELLOW
- Pink & Silver will combine today
- Black & Red will combine today
Start with a nice easy 10-15 minute warm up. Use it to get your riders talking and getting to know each other. After the warm-up, we are working on base miles, building group cohesiveness, and assessing skills. Ask the riders which trails they would like to tackle today. Focus on steady miles with a pace that doesn’t drop any rider in the group. The pace should allow the riders to continue pedaling without break for most of the ride. If one or two riders are wanting to stop to rest, the pace may be too much for those riders. If several of the riders are asking for a rest, the pace is too fast…slow it down. Please provide feedback to the head coaches after the practice via the ride leader feedback google form that will be in your email.