Our first Sport Development women’s specific skills sessions were held in tropical Townsville over the weekend. Using the Cape Pallarenda park and trail network, the course was privileged with a view of the coast and the most scenic of settings.

The participants were more interested in learning the fundamental skills of mountain biking however, and were taken through two days of lessons which included positioning on the bike, cornering, clearing obstacles and basic mechanical tips.

Many of the participants had never changed a tyre or repaired a chain but they all got the opportunity for some hands-on experience.

The amount of trail development in Townsville, led by the Rockwheelers club in conjunction with the local council, has made this a hot-bed of activity. In 2017 the city will host the National Marathon Championships as well as a week-long festival of events aimed at showing off the vast network.

The terrain can be challenging though with rocks and loose gravel typical of the terrain. In order to learn the skills to deal with those challenges, sometimes the best way to is learn in a ‘safe’ environment such a grass park, which is where our group spent the majority of the weekend. This is a step many beginners to mountain biking miss and they are rushed onto the trails before they have learned how to ride and it becomes a negative experience.

Local coach, Keith Spencer, assembled some great mountain bike obstacles out of plywood and old pallets. In conjunction with the ubiquitous orange sports-cones, all the challenges the riders were likely to encounter on the trail could be simulated – minus the gravel rash. Once the riders had practiced and gained confidence, the group hit the trails to apply the new skills.

This seemed to go well as they only person who crashed on the weekend was the MTBA Development Coach – something about confidence exceeding ability?

Statistics show that 45% of mountain bike riders are women, but women only represent 15% of MTBA members. This is a figure we are trying to change by providing services that women are seeking. Apart from a few riders, participants weren’t members of the local club or MTBA.

Of those who had attended group rides, they had found them not suitable for their ability:

“I used to go to the club rides for the beginners group. But after a while, the ride kept getting faster and faster until I couldn’t keep up. It wasn’t very ‘social’ so I stopped going.”

This highlights an area where clubs need to provide rides of an appropriate level to encourage beginners to ride within their abilities. Having strong group leaders and trained coaches is a great way to ensure this occurs.

And if riders are not interested in club-led activities, they can become MTBA Recreational members and benefit from the insurance cover that our membership provides.

This protects, not only the rider, but the damage the rider may cause to others. The full range of MTBA membership benefits can be found at www.mtba.asn.au/membership

If you or your club want more information about women’s specific events, please contact Jodie Willett the MTBA Development Coach at devcoach@mtba.asn.au

Source
MTBA News