Beginner 1 to 1, 21st January

Gary said he was a beginner but his pre course questionnaire left me thinking that the "advanced" beginners route would be more suitable. Over the course of the day we covered the beginner "syllabus" and moved on to more gnarly drops to both roll and jump, out of the saddle rocky steep climbing, technical singletrack, bunny hops and rear wheel side hopping to turn obstacles. Some sections had the added challenge of hoolying winds to make things just that bit more unpredictable.

18th January - MBUK photo shoot

Went out for a photo shoot with Russell Burton for the Ride Guide feature for MBUK magazine. Great to see a professional photographer at work and I look forward to seeing the resulting article in a couple of months time.

Sunday 15th January - Songs of Praise

Finally saw Blackshawoutdoor on prime time TV. Thanks to the cameraman and editor for making it look like I was competent on a bike. It was filmed in early October, only 3 weeks after all the pins came out of my hand and was, I think, only my third time on a bike since the accident so I was basically riding one handed. It also showcased the good and bad points of helmet/bar videos like the GoPro we used. Great resolution for professional quality footage but on rough trails yo just can't get past the fact that everything shakes about alot - so choose the trail.

8th January, intermediate 1 to 1

My first, post recovery, intermediate course, and great to have it as a one to one for a good workout of all the skills up to and beyond the level we usually have time for with full courses. Anthony had a steep learning curve but made great progress. It is very easy when you have been riding a while to get set your ways which makes it harder to shake bad habits but Anthony soaked up new ideas like a sponge.
"Thanks for the photos. I really enjoyed the course and I've already identified a couple of local spots to practice at, including climbs"