It’s not every day you get private coaching from a World Cup level cross country and downhill rider but with Niall Davis’ training days you can.  Niall is a top three Irish international cross country rider who has spent the last summer running guided rides with partner Tarja Owens (herself a World Cup level female former pro and multiple Irish national champion) in picturesque Lake Garda.  Their company, All Mountain Experience (www.allmountainexperience.com) has been a huge success and Niall has decided to share his knowledge in the Winter season in Ireland.

Courses are run every weekend at beginner, intermediate and advanced levels with a maximum group of 8 for the first two groups and 4 for the advanced class.  The emphasis is on fun, this is not school after all but rather it is about furthering your confidence and skills on a mountain bike.  We went along to an intermediate day to experience what a training day is actually like.  First off we practiced basic skills like cornering in the car park before moving to a section of singletrack with a steep rooty corner.

Niall points the way on a rooty off camber descent.

The natural line involved a sharp 90 degree turn at the base of the corner, a line that we all took the first time we rode it.  Then Niall had us watch his line.  Suddenly it all made sense.  Niall rode wide then cut across the corner at about 45 degrees cutting directly across the roots rather than side on to them, maintaining his speed and control.  It now seems so obvious but at the time…  This kind of set the tone for the day.  Simple techniques learned on fire-roads were then tested on singletrack sections to a point where we were riding obstacles that none of us would have felt confident on before.  For example a tough off camber root which was about 12 inches high that completely crossed the trail.  On first attempt most of us slid out the back wheel but following some simple instruction from Niall we all mastered it.

The overriding feeling at the end of the day was extremely positive with a number of riders signing up immediately for the advanced class.  There was a complete mix from a top 5 Expert level racer to weekend warriors, but we all got a huge amount from the day with increased skill and confidence levels.  One of the best parts of the day was following Niall’s line through singletrack, something each of us got a chance to do.  Another favourite was how to ride switchbacks (both uphill and down) and learning how to maintain your speed better on descents.

These days are for everybody no matter what level.  The beginner class can take people from complete novice to competent rider in one day by progressively introducing the basic skills.  There are special ladies days led by Tarja Owens too if testosterone is not your thing.  Even for the seasoned pro there is race prep and specific race skills guaranteed to shave seconds if not minutes of your lap times.  Sessions take place most weekend days and are are a steal at €50.  For more or to book, contact Niall direct on 087-4176029.