Manawatū Mountain Bike Club to offer free lessons in Palmerston North

Palmerston North rider Caleb Bottcher competes in the UCI Mountain Bike World Cup event in Lenzerheide, Switzerland.

When Caleb Bottcher signed up for lessons offered by the Manawatū Mountain Bike Club in 2012, he had no idea being a professional mountain bike racer was even a thing.

Now he is on the journey to becoming one. This winter, while most Palmerstonians were wondering if the rain would ever end, Bottcher was travelling around sunny Europe, racing in the UCI Mountain Bike World Cup series.

Unfortunately, things didn’t go exactly as Bottcher planned. He broke his wrist in a World Cup race in Val di Sole, Italy on July 2.

“Prior to the crash, I had some really promising results, with three top-five elite finishes at UCI Category 1 and 2 races in the Netherlands and Slovenia.

“I also learned the craft of short-track cross-country racing, and placed 17th in this at the Lenzerheide World Cup event in Switzerland,” he says.

After a few weeks of healing and rehab, Bottcher was back on his bike in August, and has more races to go before he heads home for the Southern Hemisphere summer.

Would Bottcher have made it to Europe without attending the club’s skills sessions?

“Probably not,” he says. “Getting a good foundation of skills is absolutely important, regardless [of whether] you want to become an international racer or your goal is to have fun on the trails at Albert St, Arapuke Mountain Bike Park or somewhere else.

“For me, the skills programme was the perfect place to connect with like-minded people and discover the sport in a relaxed and supportive environment.”

Manawatū Mountain Bike Club is again offering free mountain bike skills coaching for riders of all ages. The sessions will be held at Hardie Street Reserve for six Thursdays, beginning on October 19.

Club president Jacob Kowalewski says the sessions are a great way to gain skills and confidence on mountain bikes and get ready for a summer of riding.

The lessons are led by local riders who are Professional Mountain Bike Instructors’ Association-certified coaches. Sessions are divided by age group; children aged from 5-12 will be coached from 5pm-5.45pm, and those 13 and over (including adults) will be coached from 6pm-7pm.

“We have many adult and experienced youth riders who want to fine-tune their skills,” Kowalewski says.

“Often riders get to a point and don’t know how to progress. Going back to basics helps them put all the parts together and identify skills to keep improving. Just as importantly, it’s fun, friendly and a chance to meet other riders.”

All riders must have a geared mountain bike in good condition with working front and rear brakes. They must also have a certified helmet and covered shoes.

If your bike hasn’t been serviced in a while, it might be a good idea to take it to a bike shop before the first session.

“We can’t promise that everyone who enrols will wind up riding for the Mountain Bike World Cup, but I am convinced that everyone can learn new skills to become a better and safer rider,” Kowalewski says.

Registration is open from September 14 to October 9.

Click on “I want free mountain bike lessons” on the mmbc.co.nz home page and fill out the registration application.