InFocus Magazine

The first time I saw the rock ledge on the mountain bike trail I laughed in amazement. “That’s crazy,” I said to my son, shaking my head. “I can’t believe people ride down that!”

But after a while I began to wonder. Clearly many people did ride down the ledge. The tire tracks to and from the feature were evidence of that. And it really wasn’t that steep, was it? You just needed to allow your bike to roll over the smooth ledge, right? Unfortunately, it wasn’t that easy for me. I tried a few times, but each time I’d stop at the top and change my mind. The rock began to taunt me every time I was on the trail. I began to doubt I’d ever have the gumption to put my fears aside and go for it. Eventually, the rock ledge became my nemesis.

But a nemesis is meant to be faced and conquered. My instincts told me that I could ride the ledge if someone showed me exactly how to do it. In this case my fear was a good thing—I didn’t have the confidence to try the feature because I wasn’t sure how to ride it. So I decided that it was time for a professional mountain bike lesson. After a little research I contacted Amanda Ridgway, the founder and managing director of Drift Mountain Biking. Based out of Cumberland but serving the entire Island, Drift is the only business on Vancouver Island that specializes in mountain bike instruction.

Originally from Australia, Ridgway first came to Canada after seeing pictures of British Columbia in a magazine. “I remember reading through mountain biking magazines and looking at these pictures of trails in BC,” says Ridgway. “I knew that BC was where I needed to be.”

Ridgway moved to Fernie, BC, where she worked as an international guide. She recalls one life-changing summer when she did nothing but mountain bike guiding and instruction. “It was the best summer of my life. After that summer I knew that mountain biking was my thing—my passion,” she says. “Since then mountain biking has introduced me to joyous and soul enriching experiences that really do make my heart sing.”

Fernie was a great place for Ridgway to get acquainted with mountain biking, but the snowy winters soon became frustrating. “I got tired of putting my bike away for several months each year. I wanted to find a place where I could ride my bike year-round.”

Ridgway asked around and many people told her that she needed to check out Vancouver Island. “I had one friend who said that I just HAD to visit Cumberland on the Island,” Ridgway recalls. So she took a trip out to Cumberland, scoped out the Village, explored the trails, and decided that Cumberland was a good place to pursue her dreams.

After a lot of careful consideration, Ridgway decided to start a mountain bike school. “I knew that I wanted to do something related to mountain biking, but I wasn’t sure what that looked like,” she says. So she did a needs assessment—carefully looking at what the Island had to offer and focusing on the gaps that existed.

“The Island already had a lot of great stuff going on, and I didn’t want to replicate something that already existed—I didn’t want to create competition. People have always told me I’m a great teacher, and the Island needed a place for people to get mountain bike instruction. Creating Drift seemed like the best fit.”

And it didn’t hurt that the trails of Vancouver Island and around Cumberland are some of the best places to learn to mountain bike. “People who live around here—they don’t know how lucky they are,” Ridgway says. “BC has, undoubtedly, the best trails in the world. And Vancouver Island—it’s just amazing.”

Many riders say that if you can comfortably ride the trails of BC, then you can ride just about anything. That’s because, like most of BC’s trails, many of Cumberland’s trails are technical and challenging. Boardwalks, teeter-totters, skinnies, A-frames, roots and rocks, and of course, rock ledges like my nemesis, are all common features. And that’s where Drift comes in.

Ridgway believes that proper instruction is integral to getting the most out of mountain biking. “At this point, most people feel that they can just learn as they go, but getting to the point where you can fully enjoy the trails the way they’re meant to be ridden—that takes a long time, unless you get some instruction.

“Most people don’t think twice about taking skiing lessons, both when they’re new to the sport and when they want to improve their technique,” she adds. “I think that’s how people will view mountain bike instruction in the future.”

According to Ridgway, some good instruction time from a qualified instructor can also help you to spend more time on your bike and less time in the dirt. “Like any very physical sport, mountain biking has an inherent risk of injury,” she says. “But if you learn exactly what to do and you get that technique dialed in, the risk of injury is greatly reduced.”

It is also important to get that instruction from someone who really knows what they’re doing. “Mountain biking has changed a lot over the years. The old ‘get behind your seat’ or ‘don’t use your front brake’ doesn’t necessarily apply anymore. “Specifically, what your biking buddy tells you may not be the right information,” Ridgway says.

“Drift instructors are keyed into the most up-to-date information. They’re all certified, professional instructors who spend time developing their skills to keep up with this rapidly changing sport. We all have an extensive tool kit of techniques to use so we can ensure people get the best bang for their instruction buck.”

As with many things, Ridgway believes it’s important to start with a good foundation when teaching mountain bike skills. “We use the step-by-step approach at Drift. When teaching beginners, for example, we start small and in safer environments, such as a park, to allow riders to really focus on the skills only. Fundamentals are covered such as balance and stance, body-bike separation, gravity management, as well as how to use the bike, the controls and the suspension properly.”

Drift’s instructors will start their instruction by watching students ride their bike. “My instructors know how to analyze a rider,” Ridgway says. “We can watch someone and see where they’re making mistakes that are getting in the way of their riding. We can pick up on subtle changes an individual rider may need to make. And working with the rider, we can present the information in a way that makes more sense. Private lessons are particularly good for this because of the intense individual attention you receive.”

Drift’s instructors use specially constructed wooden ramps and ledges when they instruct at the park. These handmade features can be gradually raised and lowered to increase the student’s confidence and to help the students become more comfortable with features they’re bound to see on the trails, such as boardwalks, A-frames, ramps, and skinnies. The fact that the student actually rode features on the grassy field gives the rider an added boost of confidence when they see similar features out on the trails.

Ridgway is a solid believer that confidence should be based on technical skill, not just bravado. Fear can be a healthy thing, but sometimes too much fear gets in the way of one’s progression. “That’s the hardest part. The mind games are absolutely the biggest challenge,” Ridgway says. “Mountain biking is a lot about conquering your fears. To ride well and to progress, one must consistently step outside of their comfort zone. So I use a lot of visualization when I instruct. I walk the rider through the feature and teach them how to ride it, step by step.”

Drift offers courses to interest all levels of riders, and of all ages. “So far my oldest client was 68. I tailored a course just for her, where we took things step by step—very slowly and with very little risk of falling,” says Ridgway. “And she met her goals that day. It was inspiring for both of us. I plan to be riding when I’m 68!”

Drift can also be of interest to riders who consider themselves quite competent on the trails. “For more intermediate or advanced riders, we may head straight to the trails and perform an assessment with them as they ride. Then we create ride plans and drills to meet their goals—challenging clients just enough and having fun all the while,” adds Ridgway.

“We also offer specialty clinics that focus on a specific skill, such as cornering or jumping, or riding steeps. With our skills development clinics or camps, we design the experience with logical progression—small steps, keeping fun in mind while managing risk.”

Drift also offers courses for women only, and these are proving to be quite popular. “Women tend to learn differently than men,” Ridgway says. “Common phrases such as, ‘Just go faster’, or ‘Just go for it’ really aren’t helpful. Women learn better by having the skill broken down into information that makes sense. It’s also less threatening, and oftentimes, the women form some pretty strong bonds as they conquer their fears together.”

Drift even offers course for kids. “Kids are very experimental,” explains Ridgway. “Spending time talking about the seven steps of a technique is lost on a six year old, but they’ll pick up on a new skill in minutes because their little bodies are sponges, just like their minds are.”

Ridgway strongly believes that the future of mountain biking on Vancouver Island is incredibly bright. “My time at Fernie showed me what’s possible and how biking can bring so many benefits to communities and to their residents,” Ridgway says. “All over BC and Alberta, communities are actively taking advantage of what mountain biking can do for their community.”

Getting people of all ages and genders into mountain biking is Ridgway’s ultimate goal. “Drift draws my love of mountain biking and my desire to bring more mountain bikers into the world together. I can’t really imagine a better way to invest my time on the planet right now.”

You may be wondering about that rock ledge I mentioned earlier—my nemesis. I spent an enjoyable afternoon with Ridgway in Village Park, where she helped me to correct my stance. I also rode the wooden ramps which were set up to simulate the rock ledge. After my session with Ridgway, I knew just how to approach and ride over the rock ledge. I had confidence, but that confidence was based on knowledge—and I was ready to face my nemesis. I took a deep breath and I rode over the feature just as I visualized myself riding it. And just like Ridgway predicted, it wasn’t as hard as I expected it to be.  In fact, it was a lot of fun.

 

For more information call 250-650-RIDE (7433) or visit www.driftbiking.com