About
The Trek Dirt Series runs camps throughout the western half of the US and Canada. It started as a camp specifically for women; these days, a few are co-ed. The coaches drive to the camp locations with a ton of pre-built obstacles - some drops, a jump, elevated wooden features, a teeter totter … all sorts of fun stuff. Some camps have the option of lift-serviced riding; others are trail only. As with many events designed to get women more involved with outdoor activities, there are a lot of great sponsors to make the event even more effective and fun. They bring demo bikes, armor, helmets, flat pedals, and shoes for attendees to try. There’s also usually a raffle with nice prizes.
So here’s how it goes. You sign up, and they send you a questionnaire designed to figure out your interests and ability level. Based on that information, they assemble small lesson groups - 6ish people. Skill drills in the mornings; trail ride in the afternoons. Lunch is provided. On the first day, they determine which skills you’ll learn/practice. On the second day, you get to choose your skills. Each skill group typically has two instructors - a coach, plus an assistant or volunteer.
This was my third Dirt Series camp. My first two were at Winter Park, Colorado in 2011 and 2012. I wanted to brush up on my atrophied technical skills this year, but they didn’t have a Winter Park option. Instead, I chose Park City, Utah. This was a women’s only camp, and all coaches, assistants, and volunteers were women.
I’ll focus on describing my experience first, then may loop back and talk in detail about skills in a later post.
Day One
We met at our host shop, Storm Cycles. People got their demo gear sorted, drank coffee, ate breakfast, signed in, and were given group assignments. We were also encouraged to grab handfuls of snack sized Clif and Luna bars. Then we headed to Trailside Elementary to start the clinic.
The entire day was brutally hot and sunny. The elementary school had no shade except for a handful of trees under which we clustered for lunch. All drills were in full sun, and I was extremely grateful that the grass had been watered overnight - even though it made pedaling a bit harder.
Intro
To start with, we split into two large (15-20 person) groups. One of the coaches talked about proper bike helmet fit, including the adjustment of the straps that go around your ears. She went through some basics to check before each ride - ABCDHQ. Air (tire pressure), Brakes, Chain/Drivetrain, Headset/Handlebars, and Quick Release skewer. She also talked a bit about post-ride bike maintenance - wiping down stanchions, cleaning the drivetrain, that sort of thing.
Then we split into groups based on our answers to the questionnaire. Attendees ranged from people who’d never ridden a mountain bike before (!) to experienced riders.
My group started out with some generic basics - ready position, getting forward and back, leaning the bike, and turning without using the handlebars.
Coach demo:
Assistant demo:
Each group had two sessions before lunch. Our group’s first session covered drops and dynamic riding. The second session covered front and rear wheel lifts.
Session One - Drops and Dynamic Riding
A drop, we learned, is not the same as a roll-down. A drop is when the front tire stays level with the back tire, so that the front and rear tires both drop at the same time. This allows you to ride obstacles too tall to roll down. In practice, this means pushing the handlebars forward at just the right moment. When I do this, I always seem to add a little “bounce” (shock loading) just before the push, and consequently my body position isn’t as low as it should be. My coach on day one tried to get me not to bounce, without success; my coach on day two said not to worry about it.
After practicing drops on the small and medium features (I’m guessing 4” and 8”), we moved on to dynamic riding. We didn’t have much time left for that - literally eight minutes, including the coach demo. They had some wooden features built to resemble a pump track roller. We practiced actively using our bodies rather than just letting the bike happen to us.
Session Two - Wheel Lifts
Quick bio break, then on to the next session - wheel lifts. We practiced lifting the front wheel using shock loading; lifting using pedal pushes; and then lifting the rear wheel. We were all riding with flat pedals - some for the first time - so there were a lot of questions, especially about the rear wheel lift. For each of these skills, we first practiced without any obstacle, then lined up to practice on half-logs. I could do all of these techniques when just riding around on the grass, but I struggled to time them correctly for an obstacle. Or I would time it right, but stare at the log, which prevented my front wheel from lifting much. I just need to practice a lot so that I have confidence in the motion and the timing.
We had an hour for lunch, which also gave the staff time to pack up the obstacles and do some last minute group shuffling. The lunch was catered by a local restaurant, and there were GF and vegetarian options. One of our sponsors provided juice boxes and teas.
Afternoon Trail Ride
Did I mention it was crazy hot? I had hoped for a shady ride, but no dice. The breeze flirted with us a bit - but for the most part, we baked. I had extreme reservations about how much my climbing speed (or lack thereof) would impact the group, but the ride leader asked me to trust her and stick with it. We started at the Bad Apple trailhead and rode up Fink Again. The climb was gradual, and we stopped a few times to discuss tackling uphill switchbacks. I’m pretty confident and competent with these, so it was a nice ego boost. In between those discussions, the rest of the ladies pretty much climbed in a bunch ahead of me. I trundled along at my own pace, chatting with the sweep. Once or twice, someone in the peleton (heh) biffed on a rock, and the whole train would derail. Because I was farther back, I wasn’t affected and could clear it without human obstacles. Apparently, there *is* an advantage in being slower than the group.
On the way down the trail 24/7, we focused on downhill switchbacks. There was an acronym I don’t remember. Basically, you turn your head (look where you want to go), then turn your shoulders, then do a hip check. In practice, it’s all one movement.
Then there was a shortish climb. The sweep had gone ahead to point out the intersection, so the coach came back to ride behind me as I made my way up the hill. She complimented me on my line choice, and I told her that when you’re as slow as I am, you have to pick good lines. But whatever the reason, it’s true - I do have an eye for good lines.
Then the next section - Drop Out. It had lots of switchbacks and a couple of opportunities to take drops. They were completely optional and rollable, and if left to my own devices, I would certainly have taken the path of least resistance, riding around them. Instead, we discussed them in detail and sessioned them. The first one was the trickier one - it had some rocks in the landing, and the trail curved to the left just below. I dropped it successfully a few times, but the front wheel wasn’t as high up as I’d have liked - I was staring at the rocks below instead of looking ahead. The second drop was a cleaner landing with less to think about, so it was easier to keep my wheel level.
First drop:
(I did better on subsequent attempts)
Second drop:
Storm Cycles
After the full day of lessons and trail rides, we regrouped at Storm Cycles for pizza (including gluten free and dairy free options!). There were supposed to be clinics on bike maintenance, shock setup, stuff like that - but I wasn’t feeling great, so I headed home for the night.
That’s day one! Stay tuned for day two!
The Trek Dirt Series runs camps throughout the western half of the US and Canada. It started as a camp specifically for women; these days, a few are co-ed. The coaches drive to the camp locations with a ton of pre-built obstacles - some drops, a jump, elevated wooden features, a teeter totter … all sorts of fun stuff. Some camps have the option of lift-serviced riding; others are trail only. As with many events designed to get women more involved with outdoor activities, there are a lot of great sponsors to make the event even more effective and fun. They bring demo bikes, armor, helmets, flat pedals, and shoes for attendees to try. There’s also usually a raffle with nice prizes.
So here’s how it goes. You sign up, and they send you a questionnaire designed to figure out your interests and ability level. Based on that information, they assemble small lesson groups - 6ish people. Skill drills in the mornings; trail ride in the afternoons. Lunch is provided. On the first day, they determine which skills you’ll learn/practice. On the second day, you get to choose your skills. Each skill group typically has two instructors - a coach, plus an assistant or volunteer.
This was my third Dirt Series camp. My first two were at Winter Park, Colorado in 2011 and 2012. I wanted to brush up on my atrophied technical skills this year, but they didn’t have a Winter Park option. Instead, I chose Park City, Utah. This was a women’s only camp, and all coaches, assistants, and volunteers were women.
I’ll focus on describing my experience first, then may loop back and talk in detail about skills in a later post.
Day One
We met at our host shop, Storm Cycles. People got their demo gear sorted, drank coffee, ate breakfast, signed in, and were given group assignments. We were also encouraged to grab handfuls of snack sized Clif and Luna bars. Then we headed to Trailside Elementary to start the clinic.
The entire day was brutally hot and sunny. The elementary school had no shade except for a handful of trees under which we clustered for lunch. All drills were in full sun, and I was extremely grateful that the grass had been watered overnight - even though it made pedaling a bit harder.
Intro
To start with, we split into two large (15-20 person) groups. One of the coaches talked about proper bike helmet fit, including the adjustment of the straps that go around your ears. She went through some basics to check before each ride - ABCDHQ. Air (tire pressure), Brakes, Chain/Drivetrain, Headset/Handlebars, and Quick Release skewer. She also talked a bit about post-ride bike maintenance - wiping down stanchions, cleaning the drivetrain, that sort of thing.
Then we split into groups based on our answers to the questionnaire. Attendees ranged from people who’d never ridden a mountain bike before (!) to experienced riders.
My group started out with some generic basics - ready position, getting forward and back, leaning the bike, and turning without using the handlebars.
Coach demo:
Assistant demo:
Each group had two sessions before lunch. Our group’s first session covered drops and dynamic riding. The second session covered front and rear wheel lifts.
Session One - Drops and Dynamic Riding
A drop, we learned, is not the same as a roll-down. A drop is when the front tire stays level with the back tire, so that the front and rear tires both drop at the same time. This allows you to ride obstacles too tall to roll down. In practice, this means pushing the handlebars forward at just the right moment. When I do this, I always seem to add a little “bounce” (shock loading) just before the push, and consequently my body position isn’t as low as it should be. My coach on day one tried to get me not to bounce, without success; my coach on day two said not to worry about it.
After practicing drops on the small and medium features (I’m guessing 4” and 8”), we moved on to dynamic riding. We didn’t have much time left for that - literally eight minutes, including the coach demo. They had some wooden features built to resemble a pump track roller. We practiced actively using our bodies rather than just letting the bike happen to us.
Session Two - Wheel Lifts
Quick bio break, then on to the next session - wheel lifts. We practiced lifting the front wheel using shock loading; lifting using pedal pushes; and then lifting the rear wheel. We were all riding with flat pedals - some for the first time - so there were a lot of questions, especially about the rear wheel lift. For each of these skills, we first practiced without any obstacle, then lined up to practice on half-logs. I could do all of these techniques when just riding around on the grass, but I struggled to time them correctly for an obstacle. Or I would time it right, but stare at the log, which prevented my front wheel from lifting much. I just need to practice a lot so that I have confidence in the motion and the timing.
We had an hour for lunch, which also gave the staff time to pack up the obstacles and do some last minute group shuffling. The lunch was catered by a local restaurant, and there were GF and vegetarian options. One of our sponsors provided juice boxes and teas.
Afternoon Trail Ride
Did I mention it was crazy hot? I had hoped for a shady ride, but no dice. The breeze flirted with us a bit - but for the most part, we baked. I had extreme reservations about how much my climbing speed (or lack thereof) would impact the group, but the ride leader asked me to trust her and stick with it. We started at the Bad Apple trailhead and rode up Fink Again. The climb was gradual, and we stopped a few times to discuss tackling uphill switchbacks. I’m pretty confident and competent with these, so it was a nice ego boost. In between those discussions, the rest of the ladies pretty much climbed in a bunch ahead of me. I trundled along at my own pace, chatting with the sweep. Once or twice, someone in the peleton (heh) biffed on a rock, and the whole train would derail. Because I was farther back, I wasn’t affected and could clear it without human obstacles. Apparently, there *is* an advantage in being slower than the group.
On the way down the trail 24/7, we focused on downhill switchbacks. There was an acronym I don’t remember. Basically, you turn your head (look where you want to go), then turn your shoulders, then do a hip check. In practice, it’s all one movement.
Then there was a shortish climb. The sweep had gone ahead to point out the intersection, so the coach came back to ride behind me as I made my way up the hill. She complimented me on my line choice, and I told her that when you’re as slow as I am, you have to pick good lines. But whatever the reason, it’s true - I do have an eye for good lines.
Then the next section - Drop Out. It had lots of switchbacks and a couple of opportunities to take drops. They were completely optional and rollable, and if left to my own devices, I would certainly have taken the path of least resistance, riding around them. Instead, we discussed them in detail and sessioned them. The first one was the trickier one - it had some rocks in the landing, and the trail curved to the left just below. I dropped it successfully a few times, but the front wheel wasn’t as high up as I’d have liked - I was staring at the rocks below instead of looking ahead. The second drop was a cleaner landing with less to think about, so it was easier to keep my wheel level.
First drop:
(I did better on subsequent attempts)
Second drop:
Storm Cycles
After the full day of lessons and trail rides, we regrouped at Storm Cycles for pizza (including gluten free and dairy free options!). There were supposed to be clinics on bike maintenance, shock setup, stuff like that - but I wasn’t feeling great, so I headed home for the night.
That’s day one! Stay tuned for day two!
parkcity-july 22-23-2017-335
parkcity-july 22-23-2017-279
