The women arrived on Friday evening, where after checking in to their respective places to stay and getting settled in, they meandered over to the Kingdom Cycling &Experiences trailside lounge on Darling Hill, where they were met by the owners Collin and Caitlin for an ice breaker meet and greet. During the time at the lounge the women were provided with a welcome package, local libations and a briefing on what was in store for them over the weekend. The group was mixed as far as ability and age: there were some women who were avid mountain bikers, some who were comfortable road bikers interested in giving mountain biking a try, and then others who enjoyed spin classes at their local studios but had yet to get on a mountain bike. Beyond the varying ability levels, there were also varying confidence levels, ranging from confident to very apprehensive on singletrack and everything in between. However, the one common goal amongst all participants was to gain knowledge of how to properly ride a mountain bike, sharpen their existing skills and have a great time while doing so.
Saturday morning began with an optional yoga session on top of the iconic Heaven’s Bench. There the women were lead by a certified Yoga instructor (who also happens to be one of certified KC&E MTB instructors) on a energizing routine that had their muscles warmed up for the day. After the morning yoga the women converged at the KC&E trailside office to break into groups and meet their instructors.
Kingdom Cycling and Experiences believes that the key to cultivating a love for cycling is through positive experiences, proper education and appropriate terrain choice. KC&E only works in small group sizes to ensure that participants not only get personalized attention during their instructional sessions but also to ensure that the group’s ability and fitness levels are as closely aligned as possible.
KC&E has developed a skills development curriculum that works with how our bodies develop motor plans and minds retain information to have the maximum positive long term effect on your riding. Take the example of studying for a test; how many times have you tried cramming for a test and seen short term results, just enough to get you through exam (hopefully)? Now think about if you had done a little studying everyday in smaller digestible portions, and how long that information would have remained with you months and years past the test. Think about KC&E’s approach as the latter of the two ways to prepare for a test.
Once the women commenced with their morning instruction they regrouped for a delicious lunch provided by Juniper’s restaurant located at the Wildflower Inn. There a nutritionally balanced and healthy lunch was provided to adequately fuel, but not weigh down, riders for their afternoon ride.
For the afternoon ride the women met at the lounge where they set off on ability and fitness appropriate rides; this is a key part of the skills retention. The women departed with their instructors on terrain which was specifically designed to be the perfect compliment and application for their morning instruction. Some of the groups rode trails which focused on easy terrain and stunning views, while others went out to challenge themselves with more technically challenging trails. After spending time reinforcing the skills they had learned and enjoying the amazing scenery and trails that KT offers they returned to the office to clean up for the evenings activities!
One of the most amazing aspects of Kingdom Trails and it’s location is its serene and calming landscape. The women were driven up to an amazing lookout on Burke Mountain where they enjoyed a cocktail hour with bites as well. There they were able to bond and reminisce on the activities from the day.
Day 2 started off similarly to day 1 with a meeting at the trailside office to be briefed on the day’s activities. Some women felt they wanted to be challenged more and some less so adjustments were made to the group configurations. The women set off to reinforce and build on the skills they had learned the day before with their instructors and enjoy another beautiful day on the bike! Once again they returned for a lunch on the deck at Junipers restaurant before they went out for their last ride of the weekend.
After two days with plenty of riding, skills building and good times the ladies departed back to their respective homes restored and ready to tackle their local trails!
What some of the women are saying about the weekend, our instruction and instructors:
“[Kingdom Cycling & Experiences]…worked with a large and diverse group to develop a fun and challenging women’s weekend! They ensured everyone was teamed up with the appropriate instructors for their individual goals and were supportive throughout. Everyone in the group learned something new, while challenging their boundaries and having an exciting time. I would highly recommend Kingdom Cycling & Experiences for anyone looking to take their riding to the next level and for women looking for a reason ride some insanely awesome trails with their girlfriends!” – June Shelp
“[Re: women’s instructor]…She had a very calm and reassuring manner, looked like she had been born on a bike, and was able to provide us skills in a very controlled environment, that would prove useful on the trails. We honed our skills for an hour, then she took us on some trails… She always checked in with us to make sure we were still doing well, and was always ready to provide a quick little pointer, without overwhelming us with technical jargon.” via Tripadvisor Review
“[Re: beginners instruction]…not knowing what to expect, I was a little apprehensive. After the first evening, I was so happy that I signed up. The clinic was designed to put everyone at ease by starting at the beginning with the basics and working up from there. I learned so much and I would recommend going for it! You will be happy you did.” via Tripadvisor Review
To get more information about our women’s specific clinic or to book see the following link:
Book Now! and use code MTBVT2018 for a free MTBVT Tee-Shirt
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