Mountain Biking Skills Clinic at Blackstrap Hill in Falmouth
Difficulty
moderate
Duration
6 hours
Fitness Level
Riders should be in good physical condition, capable of sustained moderate effort.
Overview
Hone your mountain biking skills at Blackstrap Hill Preserve with a focused one-day clinic designed for every rider level. Perfect your technique and enjoy Maine’s scenic trails.
1 Day Core Skills Clinic: Blackstrap Hill Preserve - Falmouth, ME
August 9th
Select participants and date
About This Adventure
Join our fundamentals clinic to enhance your mountain biking skills, regardless of your experience level. Over two days, you'll learn essential techniques like body positioning, trail reading, and cornering, followed by hands-on practice on diverse trails. Connect with fellow riders and celebrate your progress at a fun meet and greet!
Improve your skills and ride with confidence!
Our fundamentals clinic is appropriate for all skills and abilities. It’s the ‘foundation’ of mountain biking.
Friday Evening:
Join other participants and your Dynamic Cycling coaches at a local venue for a meet and greet.
Saturday Morning 8:30am – 12:30pm:
It’s all about becoming a more dynamic rider. We start by dialing in the fundamentals.
• Stability through proper body position and developing our range of motion.
• Operational controls learning how to modulate our brakes while on trail (trail braking),
• Emergency stopping techniques
• Proper shifting techniques.
• Cadence and vision and how to read a trail.
• We continue to build on these fundamentals as we learn our ‘ACE’ gear, reading the trail with the ‘now and next; and introduce maneuvers such as a ‘peek n push’ and cornering.
• We end our morning session on different types of corners; applying the fundamentals we learned. We further develop proper body position and angulating the bike, modulating our speed and looking through corners.
Saturday Afternoon (1:30pm- 4:30pm):
We hit the trails!!! Practicing what learned. Sessioning features on trail is essential to becoming a better rider. • We find features that we can allow us to further develop our fundamental skills; rock gardens, rock rollers & steeps, technical climbs/descents, and more! • We practice cornering on trail; Using the different style corners available on trail and how to flow through corners without braking.
We finish back in the parking lot to wrap up the day. After our wrap up we head back to the meet and greet location to have a toast with our new riding buddies.
On trail coaching and sessioning is dependent on the trail network and features available.
Adventure Tips
Start with a warm-up
Spend 10 minutes stretching and warming up to prevent injuries and improve focus.
Practice trail reading
Look ahead and plan your line before hitting technical features.
Hydrate regularly
Bring water and take short breaks to stay energized during riding.
Check your bike setup
Ensure tires, brakes, and suspension are properly tuned before riding.
Local Insights
Wildlife
- Deer
- Eastern Gray Squirrels
History
Blackstrap Hill Preserve was once home to early settlers and features old logging trails now converted into mountain biking paths.
Conservation
The preserve emphasizes sustainable trail use, encouraging riders to stay on designated paths to protect local flora and fauna.
Select participants and date
Adventure Hotspots in Portland
Frequently Asked Questions
Recommended Gear
Helmet
A well-fitting helmet is crucial for safety on technical trails.
Gloves
Good grip and hand protection during technical sections.
Bike Repair Kit
Useful for minor adjustments or repairs on the trail.
Hydration Pack
Keeps you hydrated and allows easy access to water during the ride.