Alison Dunlap Adventure Camps Mountain Bike Skills Clinic

Cornering Practice*

Biking is not something at which I am instinctively good. I've been struggling for the last year to get to a decent level. I've posted some of the bruises on this blog so everyone can point and laugh, but I assure you there have been many, many more I haven't posted about.

However! I have recently had the good fortune of attending the Alison Dunlap Adventure Camps (ADAC) Mountain Bike Skills Clinic Level 2. I really needed Level 1.5, but that's not offered. ;) This was my early birthday present from my hubby, which well-complements the Trek Fuel EX7 WSD I got for Christmas. (Yes, I am very spoiled.)

Alison is a former World Cup champion and Olympian. She's also really nice and very accessible. The other instructors were her husband -- pro mountain biker Greg Frozley, and another professional coach and BMXer/all-around cyclist, James Herrera.

Alison Dunlap Explaining Switchbacks*

Day 1
We met at Monument Valley Park (Colorado Springs). We started with getting out of the saddle, finding the farther reaches of our balance on the bike -- for example, leaning out in one direction as far as we could. We learned positioning; balance; cornering; braking; riding up and down curbs; steep climbing and descending; and switchbacks -- all before lunch.

After lunch, just when I was ready for my afternoon nap, we headed over to Palmer Park. We learned to get our front wheels up, then to get our front wheel up and unweight our back wheel, then to bunny-hop. I can wheelie now, which is a pretty happy thing I thought I'd never learn. I can bunny-hop, too... but I don't get much air.

See? Not Much Air.*

After learning these skills, we broke up into two groups & headed up the trail. At the technical points, they'd stop, explain the obstacle, and have us give it a try. There were only 5 people in the group, with 2 instructors (Alison and James), so we got plenty of individual attention. Alison explained about various aspects of picking a line, and James stayed by the obstacle to spot you while you tried it.

Getting Behind the Saddle*

Day 2
Buckhorn and Cap'n Jacks. I had ridden these trails the weekend before so I'd have an idea of what I was in for, which I was glad of when it came to riding it with strangers. I was dead last the entire time. My cardio is simply not up to par, even after a year of working to improve it. I'm getting used to being last, though, and in this case it worked out very well for me. I was in Greg's group for Day 2, and he took a lot of time and attention to help me. His teaching style was such that I felt like I really picked up a lot of information (he's repetitious, for one thing, which always helps me). He rode right in front of me all the way down Cap'n Jacks, calling out instructions over his shoulder, and I was able to get down some technical parts I certainly would have otherwise walked. Also, everyone was very patient with me.

The remainder of the group then rode Columbine Trail. I was too beat to consider it, and out of water, too, so I simply rode up to the parking lot and took notes about what I had learned. It wasn't long before everyone was back, we all had a delicious vegetarian lunch together (from the Picnic Basket), and that was the end of the day. I wish I could repeat it all exactly over again to really seal in what I learned.

I highly recommend one of these clinics to anyone trying to improve their mountain biking skills. Attending it was the equivalent of an extra year's worth of learning on my own -- at least. There's just nothing like having someone break it down for you, step by step, and then watch you do it so you can find out what you - you specifically - need to work on. (This can be a little off-putting if you're like me and hate being watched while you ride, but it's worth it.) Several levels are offered, from the very beginner to a 5-day Moab skills-a-thon.

I've biked a few times since the clinic, and I feel so much more in control! I anticipate a lot fewer bruised parts...

Keep watching Overnight Lows for an upcoming interview with Alison and Greg!

-Find out more about the Alison Dunlap Adventure Camps (ADAC) at AlisonDunlap.com.
-ADAC's Flickr photostream
-*All images in this post are copyright ADAC, used with permission


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