The Road to Golfie 2024
The Road to Golfie course is aimed to take a riders skills to the level needed to ride the trails in the famous Caberston forest (Golfie). This course is not for beginners. If this is something you want to work towards, it is recommended to attend a couple of our single day courses to build your skills first. Ideally you will already be riding Black grades at trail centres and technical natural routes, with a desire to up-skill your riding to the more off piste trails of the Golfie.
You may be riding technical trails and have a desire to visit the Scottish Borders to ride the now famous Golfie trails or be thinking of entering your first Tweedlove Enduro race but either way, the Road to Golfie will ensure you have the technical riding skills in place and a guide to show you the very best trails of the area.
The sessions start by building on the fundamentals of riding, ensuring you have the basics embedded and are using them on every ride. Sessions progress right through to more advanced techniques to ride steeper terrain with control, confidence and flow.
Sessions 1-3 are designed to ensure you, as a rider, have the skills to ride confidently and controlled in steep technical terrain, utilising some of Sheffield’s most iconic riding spots. Sessions 4 & 5 are a designated weekend of guiding up in the Scottish Borders. Each day we will ride around 20 - 30 kilometre, putting your new riding techniques into practice on some of the best trails the Scottish Borders has to offer.
Who will be delivering this series of sessions?
Your coach and guide for all 5 sessions will be Ben
"Ben knows his way around the Golfie from many riding trips as well as racing Tweedlove Enduro races so you are sure to be riding the best trails on the hill"
Session Details
SESSION 1 - THE FUNDAMENTALS
The first day the coach will start by understanding your current riding style and techniques. Focus will be on ensuring you have the correct techniques and movement to ride steeper trails. You will cover techniques such as body position, body movement, bike movement, foot placement, braking, bike setup, corners, pumping, bunny hops and overall control.
SESSION 2 - FAST AND FLOWING
Braking in the right places makes you a faster rider! We will cover techniques such as braking, flat corners, point of commitment, body positions, braking, point to point riding, finding flow, line choice, drops, jumps and how to carry speed.
SESSION 3 - THE TECH
Steep and technical trails need a different approach compared to trail centres especially when they are root infested, rocky, slippy and steep. You will cover techniques such as advanced braking, finding grip, control points, where and when to look, bike set up and advanced body positions.
SESSION 4 - START EASY
The first day on the hill will be a introduction to the Golfie, riding less intense trails, so you can put into practice the skills we have covered on the 3 previous coaching sessions. We will ride around 20k - 25k with a break for lunch and periodical stops throughout the day to refuel.
SESSION 5 - GOLFIE BEST BITS
The final session will be a full days riding taking in a number of the most famous and popular trails on the Golfie and in the valley. This day will give you the huge views which means some big steady climbs with descents lasting around 10 minutes+ to ride down.
The hardest part of riding at the Golfie is leaving the area, trails and locals - it's one of the best MTB riding areas in the UK.
PRE-REQUISITES
Comfortable riding black graded trails (not including any significant jumps or drops).
16+ years old
No accommodation whilst at the Golfie is included in the cost. ALine can make recommendations, but you will need to organise this yourself
No travel to the Golfie is included, thus you will need to be able to organise your own travel to and from the Golfie.
FOR EACH SESSION, YOU WILL NEED
A fully functioning bike fit for purpose
Appropriate safety gear including a helmet and knee pads.
Ideally, you will be comfortable riding, and have flat pedals and appropriate shoes. However, if you want to ride (and normally do) clipped pedals this is ok.
Appropriate riding gear to keep warm dry, especially on the Golfie residential!
Sessions 1-3 will start at Grenoside woods 9.30, finishing at approx 3.30
Cost £370 per person for all five sessions
Course Dates
Session 1 - 4th August
Session 2 - 31st August
Session 3 - 21st September
Session 4 and 5 - 5th - 6th October
For cancelations, a minimum of two weeks is needed for a full refund before session 1. If you are unable to attend any of the future sessions (2-5), no refund is able to be offered, however missing one session does not mean you cannot attend future sessions. Any queries, please contact ALine.
Note: * the Road to Enduro course refunds are subject to a small admin fee of £10.