As the name suggests, Saturday just gone, was spent out on the sunny, dry and fast flowing trails of the Yorkshire Dales on a Skills day with Roots Riding.
The day was split into two, with the first location being 'The Crag'. It's super steep, techy and littered with rocks, fast corners with multiple lines to choose from. The perfect location to work on skills and technique.
The walk to the top featured a good look at the way we were coming back down, with different features being pointed out to us along the way.
The format of the first half of the day, was to break up each section of the descent and work on them individually, sessioning each type of feature with plenty of guidance and advice from James, the Roots Riding coach.
We made it to the top in good time, and after taking in the scenery started descending the first section.
This first section was quick, very quick. The terrain was steep, with plenty of smaller obstacles, such as rocks and a few drops.
So after a few runs, and discussing lines, body position and bike setup, we moved down to the next section.
Section two, was mainly about cornering. Covering both corners at speed as well as tight switchbacks for us to get a bit of 'Alpine' experience which was more slow, controlled and technical.
Moving down the Crag, the trail started to flatten out. Although still rocky, there were more lines to pick, obstacles to avoid (or jump/ride over) and the skill we were focusing on here, was picking lines at speed and carrying the speed through sections.
Once we had finished with the section breakdowns, we headed back up to the top to session the full descent in one, using all the skills and points we had worked on earlier. I have to say, having spent some time with a qualified coach, my line choice, speed and confidence seemed to have improved hugely! A definite improvement to my usual 'plow straight down' technique!
After a bit of free time playing around on the Crag, we packed up the gear, and headed out to destination number two; The Ridge.
This section is, you guessed it, a ridge! It's not too high, or difficult to get too, but has natural terrain easily comparable to the big mountains of the Lake District.
The purpose of this destination was for a bit of 'All Mountain' riding. The line was similar to the Crag in terms of features. There were plenty of nice, manageable drops, rock gardens and a combination of wide fast corners and slow, more technical corners.
We didn't have a run through first, it literally was get up, and then straight back down. This was the perfect way to utilise the skills learnt earlier in the day, in a new environment (albeit similar) using the new found skills to enjoy it and really show what we had learnt.
At the end of the day, we stopped to take a few more pictures and session some sections. The perfect end to a great day!
Roots Riding offer different types of skills days, and can tailor them to suit your needs. I can't recommend James highly enough as a caring and passionate guide who will really put your requirements first, to ensure you leave with the skills you came for.
Thanks for reading!
