Mountain biking is one of the UK’s fastest growing sports and with good reason too. It is sociable, exhilarating, and addictive and keeps you fit and healthy.
At Ascent Sports all instructors are experienced riders and are qualified through the Scottish mountain bike leaders association (SMBLA). We have a vast knowledge of the trails in the mountainous areas of the UK and can take you on one to multi day trips, which will keep you grinning for weeks.
Why not try the tour of the lakes, for example. A five-
unfrequented by most riders. Troutbeck and Kentmere, with the (in)famous
Garburn Pass at the head of the valley, are easily accessible from both our Bed and
Breakfasts in either Ambleside or Staveley. Garburn Pass is almost a rite of passage
and once you have ridden it you will never forget it. In a good way, of course.
There are a multitude of equally excellent singletrack, climbs and descents, too many to mention, but whichever your guide takes you on we're sure you will agree that the Lake District is a mountain bikers paradise.
All of these routes require a reasonable level of fitness and technical competence. There is no easy way to say it, they’re tough, and you and your bike should be in good working order.
For the MTB beginner weekends, Claife Heights and Little Langdale valley are areas we use for training purposes. Surrounded by stunning scenery and less technically challenging routes your coach will find areas to demonstrate and teach specific skills.
The emphasis for these weekends is kit choice, bike set-
NB. For the tour of the Lakes and the Cairgorms, a good level of fitness and technical
ability is required. These are long days in the saddle in mountainous terrain, covering
30-
Lakes weekends, by the very nature of the surroundings you will be in, can also be technically challenging but we will take you on routes that keep the whole group happy. Don’t however be afraid to ask, if you want something a little easier or more challenging, we will be more than happy to accommodate your requests.
Tel: 07964 405525 Email: chris@ascent-
The venue for the TCL courses is in the heart of England, The Long Mynd in Shropshire. It is a relatively small area with a multitude of excellent bridleways and beautiful rolling hills up to 516 metres. The accommodation is a YHA which has trails on the doorstep and a room available for an evening lecture but better still, a fantastic pub next door!
The fee for the two day TCL course, which is set and governed by Scottish Cycling, is £110 per person. This does not, however, cover accommodation, which is a further £16.95 per night and includes an English breakfast.
The fee for the one day assessment is £60 per person, this can be held anywhere and it is preferable to do it in a different area to your training course.
The course itinary covers navigation, kit choice, group management, basic maintenance,
skills coaching and the legal aspect of the award. Click on the scuonline.org link
and go to SMBLA to view the pre-
Ratio’s for the courses are 1:6 for the training and 1:4 for assessment. We do however need a minimum of four people to run the courses.
2009 DATES
March 7-
March 21 22 TCL Training Course
April 11-
April 25-
May 10-
May 30-
June 6-
June 13 -
June 20 21 MTB Skills Coaching
June 27 28 Lakes weekend
July 12-
July 26-
August 8-
August 15-
August 29-
September 5-
September 12-
September 19-
We can now provide SMBLA Trail Cycle Leader and Mountain Bike Leader training and assessment courses. The training course is held over two days,then,after a consolidation period, you are eligible for the one day assessment. Both the TCL and MBL qualifications are recognized by the Adventurous Activity licensing Authority(AALA).
