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Check out this video of BetterRide Alumnus Joey Schusler ripping trails and having fun in Columbia!
As someone who spends 12 months a year traveling the world coaching mountain biking, mountain biking and racing I have my favorite spots! I will start with the continental United States and deep winter (Mid-December through Feb.). When 90% of the country is freezing there are a few spots I love to ride in. We will start with South Mountain. At over 16,000 acres (for comparison Vail Resort is the largest single mountain ski resort in the US a 5,289 acres) and over a thousand vertical feet it has great trails for advanced beginners to pros. South Mountain is my favorite place to ride in Phoenix as it has some of the rockiest, most challenging trails in the country that always keep me on my toes. North of Phoenix off of I-17 is the Black Canyon Trail which has several trail heads and will one day go from Flagstaff to Tucson. It has quite a few fun sections all not for from I-17. For late fall and late winter riding (Mid-November through December and mid-February through April) all of the above are great with Sedona and Boulder City warming up quite a bit. Other favorite late fall and late winter destinations are Austin, TX, Albuquerque, NM, Saint George/Hurricane, UT and most of California. I have purposely left out a lot of great trails and areas near those above has we live in a big, beautiful country, go out and explore!
Just wrapped up my Ellijay, GA camp held at Mulberry Gap (.com) and still can't get over the size and beauty of the mountains way down South! Mulberry Gap is a great place to stay, start or finish your ride in the heart of North Georgia mountain biking. Less than a mile from the Pinhoti Trail and very close to many other great mountain bike trails it is a true ride in/ride out destination. A fun place to stay, eat, ride and meet other passionate mountain bikers from all over.
Now that the 2010 season is over (for most of us) and you have had a few weeks off from serious training, riding or competition it is time to prepare for next season. If you are serious about becoming the best rider or racer you can be now is the time to act. Do you keep a training and racing diary? A diary is a big help in the following exercise and though out the season for finding factors that lead to changes in performance. Step One: Assess your racing season and your riding ability. Were you confident and riding to your potential or did you find yourself racing below the level that you know you are capable of? Step Three: Act on your training program! Ride! Workout! Visualize! Constantly update your goals and training program based on improvement or lack of improvement. Remember, unwritten goals are just dreams, goals you write down you will commit to and strive to reach. Good luck next season and feel free to call or e-mail with questions, suggestions or to start a personal coaching program.
