TriSports.com Blog

Mountain Bike Clinic with Grasky Endurance Coaching

By PKallio
September 20, 2011 on 1:29 pm | In Employee Adventures, Fat Tires, TriSports Triathlon Club | No Comments

“You are not too old to learn to “bunny hop”” or so Brian kept telling me at last Sunday’s mountain bike clinic that was put on by Grasky Endurance Coaching at Sweetwater Preserve.  Instructors Brian and Jill Grasky and Bryce Phinney did a top job in coaching a mixed skills groups of mountain bikers through a set of skills drills and then took us off to ride.  This was a great opportunity to practice and hone your mountain biking skills with some Pros – or in my case try to actually acquire some basic skills and increased confidence.  Although I have raced twice in the Tour of the White Mountains and the Kona 24 hour race, my actual mountain biking skills are abysmal.  It’s hard to take years of triathlon and road cycling in straight lines and convert that into the wild down hills, boulders and cactus of Arizona mountain biking!  When this clinic opportunity came up I knew it was a must for me!

They offered a workable combination of individual skills drills and actual riding, and with three instructors we were divided up into beginner, intermediate and advanced skill levels, so everyone’s needs were adequately met.

I never mastered the “bunny hop” and even fell in the parking lot trying – but I came away from the clinic with better confidence after the ride and some real instruction on  weight distribution for cornering at low and high speeds, climbing and, of course, the downhill.

Speed is your friend when mountain biking – the brakes are not, especially the front ones!  Everyone participating enjoyed the clinic and left asking for more of these!

This was a lot of fun and a good opportunity to meet other Mountain bikers and get some Pro insight into how it should be done!