Get Ready for Your Best Summer on the Bike Yet 🚵‍♂️☀️

Gets GO!

Summer is just around the corner, and whether you’re planning long evenings in the local woods, big mountain adventures in Wales, or a dream riding trip to the Alps, now is the perfect time to get your bike and body ready for an unforgettable season on two wheels.

At WyeMTB, we believe the best summers start with preparation. A little time spent now can mean more confidence, more comfort, and far more fun when the trails are dry and the days are long.

1. Visit Your Local Bike Shop 🔧

Before the summer adventures begin, make sure your bike is ready for the miles ahead.

A visit to your local bike shop, fo us this is Pedal Synidate in the Forest of Dean for a professional service can completely transform the way your bike rides. Fresh brake pads, smooth gears, properly bled brakes, tightened bearings, and a drivetrain check can make the difference between an incredible day on the trail and a frustrating mechanical issue halfway through a ride.

A well-maintained bike doesn’t just perform better — it keeps you safer and allows you to focus on what really matters: enjoying the ride.

It’s also the perfect excuse to upgrade your riding kit ready for the season ahead. Protective equipment has improved massively over the years, and modern trail gear is lighter, more breathable, and far more comfortable than ever before.

A few of our favourite summer essentials include:

• Troy Lee Designs A3 Helmet
• Troy Lee Designs Knee Guards
• Troy Lee Designs Gloves

The right gear gives you the confidence to ride harder, explore further, and stay comfortable during those long summer days on the hill.

2. Give Your Suspension Some Love 🛠️

If you’re looking to really freshen up your bike for summer, a fork and shock service can make an enormous difference.

Here in the Forest of Dean, we ride plenty of rough, technical terrain, and suspension works hard all year round. Over time, oils degrade, seals wear out, and performance slowly fades without many riders even noticing.

A properly serviced suspension fork and rear shock can completely transform your bike:

• Better grip
• More comfort
• Improved control
• Increased confidence on technical trails

We highly recommend the team at Sprung Suspension Workshop for keeping your bike performing at its absolute best.

Whether you’re riding local trail centres, natural mountain terrain, or planning a European riding trip, quality suspension setup is one of the biggest upgrades you can make.

3. Invest in Your Skills 🚵‍♀️

We might be slightly biased on this one… but one of the best ways to prepare for summer riding is to spend time with a qualified local coach.

Mountain bike coaching isn’t just for beginners or elite racers. It’s about understanding how the bike works beneath you, developing confidence on technical terrain, and learning how to ride more efficiently.

Small changes in body position, braking technique, cornering, and trail awareness can completely transform your riding experience. Coaching helps riders:

• Ride smoother and safer
• Build confidence on technical terrain
• Improve efficiency and control
• Reduce fatigue on longer rides
• Tackle features they previously avoided
• Get more enjoyment from every ride

At WyeMTB our coaching pathway is designed to support riders at every stage of their mountain biking journey.

Based in the heart of the Forest of Dean, our sessions combine professional coaching, real trail riding, and a relaxed, supportive environment that helps riders progress with confidence.

Finding Your Feet: Core Skills

Our coaching pathway starts with Finding Your Feet, a beginner-friendly session focused on the fundamentals of mountain biking.

This session introduces riders to:

• Body position on the bike
• Effective braking
• Gear use
• Weight shifting
• Understanding trail centre riding

Perfect for newer riders, returning riders, or anyone looking to build stronger foundations before progressing onto more technical terrain.

FOD Flow: Intermediate MTB Coaching

Once riders are comfortable on blue graded trails, the next step is FOD Flow — our intermediate coaching session designed to help riders progress onto red graded terrain with more confidence and control.

This half-day session combines expert instruction, practical trail riding, and video analysis to help riders better understand their riding technique and trail interaction.

Skills covered include:

• Cornering and berms
• Weight shift techniques
• Effective braking
• Pumping the trail
• Small drops and trail features
• Line choice and trail awareness

The session is ideal for riders wanting to develop more flow and confidence on natural and trail centre terrain throughout the Forest of Dean.

📅 Next Course: Sunday 14th June

FOD Flow Part 2: Advanced MTB Coaching

For riders looking to push their skills further, FOD Flow Part 2 develops advanced techniques needed for more technical downhill and enduro-style terrain.

Using the 1 and 2 dot downhill trails around Cannop Cycle Centre, riders work closely with a British Cycling-qualified coach to refine advanced riding skills through detailed coaching and real-time video feedback.

Advanced topics include:

• Pumping natural terrain
• Advanced cornering
• Advanced braking techniques
• Racing lines
• Advanced weight shifting
• Drop-offs above hub height
• Technical trail management

This session is ideal for riders preparing for bike park riding, alpine adventures, enduro racing, or simply wanting to ride faster and more confidently on technical terrain.

📅 Next Course: 5th June

Small Groups, Big Progression

One of the biggest benefits of coaching at WyeMTB is the small group environment. Sessions are limited to a maximum of six riders, allowing for:

• Individual coaching feedback
• Real-time video analysis
• Personal progression goals
• More trail time with the coach

Our supportive coaching style focuses on progression without pressure, helping riders build confidence at their own pace while still being challenged in the right way.

Off Road Leader Award 🚵‍♂️

For riders looking to move beyond coaching and into leading and guiding others, WyeMTB also delivers the British Cycling Off Road Leader Award.

Formerly known as the Fundamentals of Mountain Bike Leadership Award, this qualification prepares new leaders to safely guide groups in easy to moderate off-road environments, including woodland trails, gravel tracks, urban fringe routes, and blue trail centre terrain.

🔧 What You’ll Learn

• Route planning & ride preparation
• Basic trailside repairs
• Emergency procedures
• Leadership & group management skills

👥 Who’s It For?
Perfect for clubs, schools, activity centres, volunteers, and riders starting their MTB leadership journey.

🛠️ Requirements

• British Cycling online learning
• 2-day practical training course
• Off-road riding logbook
• 16hr Outdoor First Aid qualification
• British Cycling Safeguarding CPD (£19.99)

📅 Next Course: 1st – 2nd June
⚠️ Only 3 Spaces Left

Ready for Summer?

The best riding season of the year is nearly here.

Get the bike serviced, refresh your suspension, invest in quality riding gear, and spend time building your skills. A little preparation now can lead to your biggest and best summer on the bike yet.

Whether you’re:

• Riding local woods
• Tackling red and black trails
• Heading to the Alps
• Planning bike park trips
• Or simply wanting more confidence on the bike

…developing your skills now will help you get far more from every single ride this summer.

If you’re looking to improve your riding, join a guided ride, or prepare for your next mountain bike adventure, check out what we offer at WyeMTB.

📧 Hello@WyeMTB.co.uk
📞 01600 228474

🚵‍♂️ What to Expect on Your First E-Bike Guided Ride (Beyond the Trail Centre and Bike Park)

You’ve ridden your e-bike before… but mostly in trail centres or bike parks?

You’re not alone.

A lot of riders we see at WyeMTB are confident on trail centre loops—but feel unsure when it comes to:

• Riding in open hills or mountains
• Dealing with mud, rocks, and changing grip
• Tackling features like water crossings
• Or just heading somewhere new without second guessing it

That’s exactly where a guided ride comes in.

And it’s even more relevant when you’re riding in areas like the Brecon Beacons, the Wye Valley, or the Forest of Dean—where the terrain is natural, varied, and often unpredictable.

🌄 Real Riding Means Real Terrain (And Real Conditions)

This is the biggest shift from bike parks.

In places like the Brecon Beacons and across Monmouthshire, you’re riding:

• Narrow singletrack
• Open, exposed hillsides
• Trails that change with the weather

There’s no perfect surface—and that’s where real confidence comes from.

💧 Features You Don’t Get in Bike Parks

Natural riding in the Wye Valley and Forest of Dean brings features that most riders haven’t experienced much before:

• Water crossings
• Loose rock entries and exits
• Uneven, unpredictable surfaces

This is where many trail centre riders hesitate.

On a guided ride, we help you:

• Read the feature before riding it
• Choose the right line
• Decide whether to ride or walk

No pressure—just better decisions.

🧭 Navigation Is Taken Care Of

One of the biggest barriers to riding new terrain is simple:

👉 Not knowing where to go

Across the Forest of Dean, the Wye Valley, and into the Brecon Beacons, there are endless trails—but not all of them are obvious, or suitable.

With WyeMTB:

• You won’t get lost
• You won’t end up somewhere above your level
• You’ll ride trails that actually suit you

🧠 You’ll Learn Without It Feeling Like Coaching

This isn’t a formal lesson—but you’ll improve anyway.

Riding across varied terrain in areas promoted by Visit Wales and Visit Monmouthshire, you’ll naturally pick up:

• Better line choice
• More confidence in natural terrain
• Smarter decision-making

It’s all part of the ride, not something separate.

👥 Riding With Others Changes Everything

Riding somewhere new on your own can feel like a big step.

But whether you’re in the woods of the Forest of Dean or out in the hills above the Wye Valley:

• You relax more
• You ride better
• You naturally push your comfort zone

And importantly—there’s no pressure to “keep up”.

⚡ Your E-Bike Makes Bigger Rides Possible

These landscapes are what make riding here so special—but they also make it more demanding.

Your e-bike allows you to:

• Cover more ground across Monmouthshire
• Explore deeper into the Brecon Beacons
• Enjoy longer days in the Wye Valley

Without burning out before the best parts.

🎯 Who This Is Really For

This is ideal if:

• You already own an e-MTB
• You’ve mainly ridden trail centres
• You want to explore more natural terrain
• You want to do it safely, with guidance

✅ What You’ll Leave With

By the end of the ride, you won’t just feel like you’ve had a good day out.

You’ll have:

• Real confidence riding beyond trail centres
• Experience across varied terrain
• The knowledge to explore areas like the Forest of Dean, Wye Valley, and Brecon Beacons on your own

🚵 Ready to Take That Next Step?

If you’ve been riding—but feel like you’re only scratching the surface…

This is where it changes.

📧 Hello@WyeMTB.co.uk
📞 01600 228474

Become a British Cycling Mountain Bike Leader

WyeMTB – Coach | Guide | Educate

Your pathway into confident, professional off-road leadership

Becoming a Mountain Bike Leader is about far more than riding skill. It’s about responsibility, judgement, preparation and the ability to create safe, positive experiences for others. The British Cycling leadership awards have been refreshed and updated to better reflect how we actually ride and lead in the outdoors.

Whether you’re running club rides, guiding friends, supporting groups or working towards professional guiding, there is now a clear, flexible and powerful pathway to support your journey.

Overview of the British Cycling MTB Leadership Awards

🚵 Off-Road Leader (Combined Training & Assessment)

For most riders, Off-Road Leader is the best place to start. It is delivered as a combined training and assessment, meaning everything is completed in one immersive course.

• Lead on natural trails, bridleways and forest roads
• Navigate and plan routes
• Manage risk in open environments
• Support mixed-ability riders
• Take responsibility for group safety

Off Road Leader Courses

🟢 Trail Leader (Three-Part Qualification)

Trail Leader focuses on leading groups on trails which you may not have pre ridden, but we know where at WyeMTB, the best guided ride are where the guide has already ridden the trails lots. This makes for a client focused approach and one of the reason people keep return to our guided rides – LINK

1. 2-day Training Course
2. Consolidation Period
3. 1-day Assessment.

Trail Leader Courses

🏔 Mountain Bike Leader (Highest Award)

• 3 days training
• Consolidation with 20 logged rides
• 2 day assessment

Designed for leaders operating in remote, mountainous and technically demanding terrain — the highest level of responsibility and professionalism.

Mountain Bike Leaders Courses

NEW & UPDATED AWARDS

🌙 Updated Night Leader Award

8-Hour Combined Training & Assessment

The Night Leader award has been completely updated and streamlined into a single 8-hour course that combines training and assessment. One day. One qualification. Huge impact.

• Safe navigation in darkness
• Risk management in low visibility
• Lighting and equipment setup
• Communication and group control
• Emergency planning at night

NEXT COURSE: 5th FEBRUARY
8 hours | Combined Training & Assessment

BOOK NOW – Night Leader Course

🏕 NEW Remote Leader Award

2-Day CPD Course (Expected around June 2026)

If you already hold Off-Road Leader or Trail Leader and you want to lead rides that go more than 30 minutes from an access point, the Remote Leader award is exactly what you need.

• Advanced emergency planning
• Incident management when help is delayed
• Remote route planning
• Equipment choice for remote riding
• Group welfare in isolated terrain

Remote Leader courses expected around June 2026

📍 Contact & Bookings

WyeMTB – Coach | Guide | Educate

📧 hello@WyeMTB.co.uk

📞 01600 228474

🔗 Night Leader Course Booking:
https://wyemtb.co.uk/wye-course/mtb-leadership-night-riding-course/

Top 5 Tips for Winter Riding

Its that time of year again, night riding, extra layers and lots of puddles, so we left it was time to write down our top 5 tips for riding in the Winter

1. Tyres

When it comes to grip, your tyres are your primary connection with the trail. Whether it’s mud, water, or slippery roots, getting the right tyre for the job is crucial. Over the years, we’ve tried many different tyres, rubbers, and tread patterns, but recently we’ve discovered a game changer—Continental Tyres.
For the front, we’ve gone with the Argotal super-soft compound. It provides incredible grip, especially when leaning into corners, helping you to stay planted when you push the bike hard. For the rear, the Kryptotal soft compound is the choice. It has excellent grip, although it rolls a bit slower than the Argotal. Together, they offer a solid balance of control and efficiency, making your ride smoother and safer.2. Brakes

Stopping quickly and effectively is just as important as getting good grip. That’s where Galfar brake pads come into play. We’ve tried various compounds, but the Pro material is where we’ve landed. These pads are a game changer: they work flawlessly, last a long time, and offer fantastic value for money. Some folks say you don’t need to bed them in, but we’d suggest going through your normal bedding-in process for optimal performance. Trust us, it’s worth it.3. Bike Service

After a summer of riding on dry and dusty trails (or maybe not), your bike is likely in need of some TLC. A solid service can make all the difference. We recently took our bike to Pedal Syndicate in Monmouth, and we were amazed at the transformation. The workshop team stripped our Whyte T160 down and gave it some serious love, leaving us with a bike that felt brand new.
Don’t forget your fork and shock, either. Sprung Suspension Servicing offers excellent fork and shock maintenance—whether you drop off your bike or ship it in. RockShox recommends a lower leg oil change every 50 hours of riding and a full service every 200 hours, so make sure you’re keeping up with that to avoid issues down the line.4. Winter Kit

Spending time outside in the rain is no fun unless you have the right gear to keep you dry and warm. That’s why a good waterproof jacket is essential. Troy Lee Designs, known for their gear, stepped up their waterproof game with the Decent Jacket a few years ago, and they’ve now updated it to the Troy Lee Resist Jacket. This is a solid choice for winter riding.
It features a chest pocket that’s perfect for your phone, a more compact hood that fits over your helmet, and a new 3-way breathable material. We’ve been testing it for the past six months and are seriously impressed with how well it keeps you dry and comfortable. You can check it out, along with other colours, at Pedalabikeaway when you’re riding at the centre.5. Coaching

We might be a bit biased here, but we firmly believe that practice makes perfect. To help riders progress, we’ve introduced two new coaching packages:

• Coach and Ride Fundamentals – LINK
• Coach and Ride Trail Flow – LINK
  Both these courses include coaching sessions in the morning followed by a guided ride in the afternoon to put your new skills to the test. It’s a great way to fast-track your improvement on the trail.

Additionally, with the surge in e-bike popularity, we’ve created a dedicated workshop for e-bike riders:

• E-Progression Workshop
  This isn’t for beginners—it’s aimed at riders who want to take their e-bike skills to the next level. Check out our website for more info and book your spot! – LINK

@Whytebikes, @Burgetec, @smith, @SaddlebackMTB, @crankbrothers, @pedalsyndicate, @Mucoff 

Autumn has arrived !!

Take the strain out of a big day on the bike by booking onto one of our uplifted guided rides with one of our Qualified Level 3 British Cycling Guides, and let the landrover do the hard work so you can enjoy the epic descents that the Wye valley and South Wales have to offer!We still have some spaces left on a couple of our remaining trips for 2023, so click on one of the links below to get yourself booked on, while there are still a few spaces available. 12th Nov – Wye Valley Off PisteAlternatively if a group of you and your mates fancy hiring the landy with a driver and guide for the day, either for a special occasion or just for the fun of it, then we also offer a Private Uplift Service – Wye Mtb Bespoke – .You can then choose from either a Brecon Epic, or Rhondda Raid as well as the Black Mountains Bomb and Wye valley Off Piste rides.Just get in touch and I’m sure we will be able to accommodate a ride and date to suit your requirements. ENQUIRY FORM:

Autumn delivery of British Cycling Mountain Bike Leadership courses

Mountain bike guided ride.
High in the Black Mountains, South Wales

Covid-19 – The unlock

Covid 19  – THE UNLOCK

If official, we have now had the green light from Forestry England that we can offer Mountain bike coaching and guided rides in the Forest of Dean.

In our last Blog we explained we would use a 5 step process to unlock the business. Today we can announce we have jumped to Step 2.5, but what does that mean?

Step 1:

• 1 to 1 mountain coaching sessions and coaching sessions with 2 people from the same house hold e.g. Father and Son
• 1:1 Mountain bike Guided rides based from Pedalabikeaway and around Forest of Dean

Forestry England have given us the go ahead for these sessions to return 

Step 2:

• Open Mountain bike coaching sessions. We will follow current government guidance and restrict these sessions to 1: 5 ratio
• Open group Mountain bike guided rides. These WILL NOT be vehicle assisted guided rides but a more traditional style, so you will have to pedal up some hills. We have added traditional guided rides to the website. 2 trips in the Wye Valley – Border Control and Enduro Valley. We have also added 2 new trips to the Brecon Beacons – Beacons Challenger and Black Mountain Explorer – PLEASE NOTE THESE TRIPS ARE IN WALES AND SUBJECT TO VISIT WALES CONFIRMATION!

Forestry England have given us the go ahead for these sessions to return 

Step 3:

• Mountain bike educational courses and the British Cycling Leadership scheme will be introduced, these courses will run from Pedalabikeaway from the 6th July, Once Visit Wales have given more guidance on accomodation and lifting of their restrictions, we will review and start running courses in Wales again.

British Cycling have now given us the go ahead to run Leadership courses, but as the majority of Wales accomodation is still shut we will be running MTB leadership courses from Pedalabikeaway

Step 4:

• Vehicle assisted Mountain bike Guided Rides, we still feel we are not able to offer these trips. This is based on the current government guidance. We plan to review this monthly, but for now they are postponed.
• Mountain Bike Holidays: as with Step 4 we do not feel we can offer this yet due to Covid-19. We do have some very exciting news which is based around the Sun, Sea and amazing off grid riding BUT you will have to wait and see what that is. 

Step 5:

• Mountain Bike Holidays: as with Step 4 we do not feel we can offer this yet due to Covid-19. We do have some very exciting news which is based around the Sun, Sea and amazing off grid riding BUT you will have to wait and see what that is. 

Coaching and Leadership
You guys have been amazing and the majority of you decided to postpone your sessions with us. We are now in the process on contacting each and everyone of you to rearrange your sessions. All mountain bike coaching sessions are open and can be booked All traditional guided rides are now bookable All Mountain bike leadership courses can also now be booked We will be running all these courses with lower numbers, so please book quickly. As you can imagine this is a huge task and we will inevitably miss a couple of emails, to ensure we reach out to everyone, could we ask a favour? ‘Could you please email us the course we postponed including the date and we will try our upmost to get you onto a date which suits you.’ We are so grateful for all the support you have given us through this tough time and we are 100% focused to returning the good will and getting courses up and running as fast as we can. The office team are busy moving the rest of the 2020 calendar around to bring back your favourite coaching sessions, some new ones E-Flow, add in some new guided rides and hopefully very soon announce some new developments.

Fodders Academy

We will be running our Fodders Academy this summer!!! The 1st session will be the 14th July and a further 5 sessions are currently planned to run every Tuesday 10am – 15:00

Fodders Academy is the next step of your young rippers development to becoming a self reliant mountain biker and also the perfect step once they have completed Little Fodders pathway. Starting age for Fodders Academy is 10 years olds and the young person should have a good understanding of the core skills of mountain biking – THIS IS NOT A BEGINNERS GROUP, sorry

There is a maximum of five participants for the session.

This coaching session is 5 hours in duration, starting at 10 am, but please be ready to ride at 9.45 am.

Covid – 19 and unlocking our business

Covid 19 

As we approach week 11 of Covid – 19 restrictions we are starting to wonder, just how long will this last? Emails have starting to land asking the same question. Hopefully this blog will answer some of the queries.

One thing is definite, just as soon as we are allowed to open we will, our coaching, guiding and educational workforce are super keen to get going.

England, Wales and Scotland have taken the decision to adopt different strategies on how their countries will ease restrictions. Currently England are allowing people to travel for exercise, attend gatherings of no more than 5 people and take part in a wider range of sports. Wales and Scotland however are more courteous and have decided to keep tighter restrictions in place for a further 3 weeks. Visit Wales current policy is #VisitWalesLater, so please respect that.

This makes our lives really hard as as small business. We operate in both England and Wales, but we believe we now have a plan of how we will start to unlock the business which is considerate to all parties involved.

Firstly we wanted to thank all the clients who had bookings with us during this period and who have volunteered to transferred their bookings to dates later in the year and for the people we refunded, we hope to see you sometime in 2020. All your kind words on the phone and over emails have been amazing and truly humbling, Thanks so much.

The Plan

The majority of our coaching courses happen from Pedalabikeaway in the Forest of Dean. The woods are owned and managed by Forestry England, and currently no outdoor operator is authorised to use their land for outdoors sports, however we are very hopefully this will reviewed in the next couple of weeks.

This will mean we will start the process of bring the business back on line. Sadly we do not have any fixed dates, but as soon as we do we will be shouting about it. We have a 5 step approach:

Step 1:

• 1 to 1 coaching sessions and coaching sessions with 2 people from the same house hold e.g. Father and Son
• 1:1 Guided rides based from Pedalabikeaway and around Forest of Dean and same house hold family guided rides

Step 2:

• Open group sessions. We will follow current government guidance and restrict these sessions to 1: 5 ratio
• Open group guided rides. These WILL NOT be vehicle assisted guided rides but a more traditional style, so you will have to pedal up some hills. More information will follow with regards to these trips

Step 3:

• Mountain bike educational courses will be introduced, these courses will run from Pedalabikeaway at first, but once Visit Wales have given more guidance in 3 weeks we will advertise more courses in Wales if we feel we can meet all the demands of the Covid-19 guidelines

Step 4:

• Vehicle assisted guided rides. This will be the return to our classic 1 day adventures across Wales:  Wye Valley off Piste, The Black Bomb and the Brecon Epic

Step 5:

• Multi day mini adventures. Some exciting news about these products will be released in due course

YouTube Channel

Our new How To Videos are now live on our You Tube channel.

We have decided over this period to produce a series of videos to help with all things mountain biking.

The 1st episode is all about: How to Check, Fit and Store a mountain bike helmet.

Tyre inserts, what are they all about? Check out Joe giving a full down load of what they are

New to Mountain Biking?

New to Mountain Biking? 

Covid 19, self-isolating, social distancing, all new ideas, and things which we have had to adapt to and have become part of daily life and may well continue to be for some time.

One important aspect of the current “Lock Down” is the ability to get out and exercise which is great for physical and mental health. We are fortunate, as we live in the Wye Valley and just a 5 minute pedal to a purpose-built traffic free cycle route which links Monmouth to Symonds Yat East, deep in the Wye Valley. We use this cycle way to access the kilometres of forest fire tracks which make up the Wye Valley.

During our daily rides it appears that more and more people are choosing to dust off their old bikes and head back into the natural environment. When the official “Lock Down” finishes will these new cyclists continue with this new pastime, and if they do, will they choose to cycle further afield?

This blog aims to give you a step by step guide on how to progress from riding in your local area to riding further afield, like in the beautiful Wye Valley or surrounding areas such as the Forest of Dean. Off road cycling, is not something complicated, it’s simply riding a bike off the national highways, where you don’t need to worry about cars, vans and lorries overtaking you. This lack of motorised vehicles allows you to get away from the pollution, focus on the natural environment and provides the opportunity for  everyone , including less confident riders to safely get out  on their own or perhaps with their kids,  safe in the knowledge they don’t need to have to deal with traffic.

Step 1: Decide where you would like to Ride.

Apart from the Wye Valley, the Forest of Dean would be the closest area to go for our next cycling adventure. The Forest of Dean is steeped in industrial history, has hundreds of kms of woodland, a number of visitor centres and a dedicated Cycle centre called Pedalabikeaway which has an off road family cycle trail leaving right from the café, sounds perfect? More on that in Step 5.  

Step 2: Equipment.

You will need the obvious kit, a bike would be useful, cycling helmet, sports clothes, food and water. One of the biggest barriers to cycling away from your local area is being able to transport your bikes easily, but this is where cycle centres like Pedalabikeaway help. They have a full fleet of bikes which range from family touring bikes, tag along for the small ones right up to Electric Mountain Bikes, all can be hired for a half day or a full day, and are kept clean and well maintained by the dedicated staff The cycle centre also provides the hire of cycling helmets, somewhere to fill your water bottle, café, secure car park and toilets. The onsite bike shop offers the cycle network maps which help guide you around the off road cycling route, if map reading isn’t your strong point, don’t worry, you can also book in with one of the British Cycling Mountain Bike Guides from WyeMTB who  can tailor your experience just for you needs.  

Step 3: Let the Adventure begin.

It is always worth popping into the bike shop and asking the staff if there is anything you should know about the loop you plan to ride; the staff are locals and love to share hints and tips with you about the local riding conditions or your planned routes 

Step 4: Have a plan of action.

Check the weather forecast and pack accordingly, if it’s going to rain pack an extra layer, if it’s going to be hot and sunny, extra water and sun cream should be packed. Make sure your mobile is fully charged, not just to capture great photos and videos of your adventure, but also for you can call for help should you need to. A great phone app which is FREE is OS Locate, if there is an incident the emergency services might ask for your location, OS Locate will give a pinpoint location with 2 letters and 6 numbers, don’t worry you don’t understand what they mean, the emergency services will know, just open the app and hit go!

Step 5: Route options.

The Forest of Dean offers a family trail, 11km of off-road cycling which will take between 60mins and 180mins depending on how many photo and picnic stops you make! The trail is “hard pack” which makes for great riding for all abilities. The loop has off shoots which access local towns and villages like Coleford, Lybrook and Cinderford, so you can top up your water bottle or even grab some lunch. The loop is clearly way marked all the way around making it a great route for your first adventure.

Mountain Bike Specific Loop – ‘The Verderers’ a name steeped in the history of the Forest of Dean– 11km of single track, this means the cycling traffic only travels in one direction. The trail is graded Blue and is a step up from the family trail, want to know what a blue looks and feels like? Then why not ride around the family trail where there are 5 extras add ons which split from the main trail and allow you to experience what a Blue grade of trail looks and feels like.

Mountain Bike Specific loop – ‘The Freeminers’ 12km in length is one more step up from The Verderers trail and is graded Red meaning Extreme. This trail is single track and you can follow the way marked trail straight from the cycle centre. The Freeminers will follow some of the Verderers trail so you will know what you are getting yourself into.  

Advance and Down Hill trails – The forest of Dean and Pedalabikeaway also hosts a wide range of dedicated downhill mountain bike tracks which are not for the faint hearted, these should only be attempted if you have worked your way through the grading system, starting simple e.g. family trail, blue trail, red trail and then the easy downhill trails should be accessed first. These trails will require a dedicated Mountain bike with a minimum of front suspension, again which can be hired from Pedalabikeaway, you may also want to consider extra personal protection for example a full-face helmet body armour or other pads.  

Step 6: Developing those skills.

You have now ridden around the family trail, tried all the extra little blue sections and ridden around the official Blue trail but perhaps you feel you could have done better? Maybe it’s time for a Mountain Bike Coaching session? WyeMTB offers a staircase coaching style designed to take beginner riders of all ages right the way through to advanced Mountain bike riders. We offer regular group sessions as well as 1:1 session to focus solely on your aims and objectives to improve as a rider. Whether it’s specific skills and techniques or just boosting your confidence to hit the trails on your own or with your family WyeMTB can help.Our Mountain bike coaching sessions really allow you to gain or consolidate the key skills to enjoy your riding all delivered by our British Cycling qualified coaching staff, in the beautiful Wye Valley and surrounding areas 

Mobile phones and Mountain Biking

The use of the Mobile phones in Mountain Biking

I remember sitting in a GCSE English lesson many years ago. Our teacher had asked us to debate the increase of technology in the outdoors, at this point in time I was keen mountain biker and kayaker and saw no reason why technology should be in the natural environment. We had been given a paper to read and use it as evidence to base our discussions around. The paper was written by a new company called Vodaphone, yes it was that long ago! Vodaphone at that time believed that you would at some point in the future make a phone call from the top of Snowdon……. As if that would ever happen I thought!

Jump forward 24 years and things have changed a lot with the mobile phone industry, voice calls have been surpassed with video calling, apps keep the world informed of your every move and we are now able to take and record high resolution photos and video and share it from Snowdon and most mountain tops across the UK.

So what has this meant for WyeMTB as a mountain bike coaching, guiding and British Cycling Mountain bike leadership delivery centre?

Mountain Bike Coaching.

The increase in the apps which our phones can use is incredible. We run weekly mountain bike group coaching sessions in the Forest of Dean and bespoke mountain bike coaching 1:1 sessions throughout the week all based from Pedalabikeaway trail centre. Years ago we would rely on watching a client complete a set skill, a drop off as a example and give them verbal feedback on how to improve, we would call this ‘hot feedback’ but the coaching industry has proven lots of key information can be missed with this type of simple observation.

On our MTB coaching sessions, we now try to utilise the phone to capture a small video clips observing the client completing the skill. There are a host of apps which allow us to record and then play back the skill being performed. This is great and really allows the client to see themselves competing the skill in real time and allows our MTB coaching staff to slow the video down giving accrete coaching points. Once the mountain bike session is over these videos can be shared with the client who can review them at a later date and time.

Mountain Bike Guiding.

The increase of social media in society has meant that people like to document what mountain bike adventures they have been on. Our mountain bike guided rides across Wales have led us to increase our skills of documenting the days adventure and sharing with the clients and also sharing content on our social media channels. Remember if it’s not on Instagram it never happened 😉

Its really funning to see the change, years ago our phones could only provide use with basic features and definitely didn’t have the capabilities to take a photo, but now the phone is capable of taking pictures close to the quality of a basic DSLR camera. Even an armature can point and shoot and get a reasonable picture, I fall into this category. At the end of the guided ride clients are keen to grab the photos and videos off our mountain bike guides so they can share and reflect on their mountain bike adventure with us in Wales.

Being able to perform our jobs as a high-end mountain bike guides, lead groups down technical and remote terrain, ensure they are all safe and enjoying themselves, meeting deadlines throughout the day e.g. lunch and pick ups and capturing all of this on the phone is a true juggling act. During our British Cycling Mountain bike leadership training courses we do not talk or discuss this juggling act, so where do you learn it? Well, on the job!

British Cycling Mountain Bike leadership courses

Lets be far, our phones have evolved somewhat from the Nokia 1610, the phones which we carry around in our mountain bike guide packs are more like minicomputers. Each phone is set up to the desires and needs of their owners. My phone has lots of apps based around the environment, weather, social media and navigational app’s. Over the years as the technology within the phone has increased so too has my understanding of what they are capable off.

The biggest development I have seen with the app’s is through navigation, our 1^st encounter with phone navigation was ‘View ranger’ a company which allowed you to purchase tiles of OS maps from areas which you were working in. For the first time ever, we could have the whole of the UK in scale 1:25k and 1:50k in our back pocket. With a click of a button the app would indicate exactly where you were, no need to relocate, no need to worry you might be in the wrong place, no need to spend time looking over a map to decide where you were and no need to unfold a huge piece of paper. What did this mean to us, FLOW if we were in areas we didn’t know we could utilise the app and increase the overall flow of our journeys. For the people who have attended one of our British Cycling Mountain Bike Leadership courses you will remember that Flow is critical.

24 years since the first debate about mobile phone use in the outdoors my stance has changed somewhat, in fact I would say my opinion is that this microcomputer has become a critical tool. Our clients expect use to stay social on our social channels through videos and pictures, when people book onto one of our mountain bike guided rides they expect the trip to be documented and share with them. When people pay their money for mountain bike coaching, they expect to develop during the sessions and coaching pedagogy suggests that video feedback aids, develops and accretes coaching sessions.

So what’s going to change in the next 24years……