Downhill Coaching

Downhill Mountain Bike Skills Training

Learn the Skills to Get Faster Guaranteed

“Wow, after years of racing professionally in the US and on the World Cup you (Gene Hamilton) really improved my understanding of cornering. I am cornering faster and with more confidence”. Chris Van Dine - Cannondale factory team, after just one 6 hour session

With over 20 years of coaching experience including 12 years coaching downhill mountain biking, BetterRide Head coach Gene Hamilton knows how out to get you riding at your best. Gene is a pretty good racer too, in 16 seasons as a pro downhill racer he has won a Silver (2002) and two Bronze Medals (2006, 1999) at the UCI World Masters Championships.

What You Will Learn
Camp Overview
Camp Goals
Pro Racers Review

You will learn the core, fundamental skills of downhill mountain bike riding and racing. These core skills are not intuitive, unless someone taught you them it is unlikely that would know and understand them.

Few US racers know the core skills and even fewer can do them well (which is the main reason the U.S do poorly at the international level) BetterRide Head Coach Gene Hamilton did not learn many of these skills until his sixth through tenth seasons as a pro racer. Our BetterRide coaches really get the rider to understand these techniques with drills and then on trail application of the skills. You will also learn drills that you can take home with you for further practice and improvement.

Core Mountain Biking Skills Learned In Camp

Correct Body Position
Balanced Weight Placement
Vision - How to Look Ahead Correctly
Bike Set up for Optimal Riding and Control
Cornering Technique with Take Home Drills
Advanced Cornering Technique
How to Brake Effectively
How to Use Your Brakes for Speed
Correct Technique for Uphill and Downhill Switchbacks
How to Clear Large Obstacles
How to Interpret the Trail to Ride Fast and Smooth
How to Pump the Trail for Free Speed
How to Clear Obstacles and Smooth out the Trail with Bump Jumps
- How to ride in balance, in control and efficiently. Learn correct body position, balance and weight placement for climbing and descending
- How to set-up your bike for optimal riding: tire pressure, tire type, stem length, bar height, seat height, brake level reach/adjustment, suspension set up to riders weight and riding style
- How to look ahead correctly- Everyone one knows to look ahead but few actually do it! No matter how rough and rocky the trail you need to be looking ahead with both the trail and your goal in focus. This is easier said than done! We will teach you where and how to look ahead, how this effects your riding and how to improve your vision skills.
- How to wheelie over small obstacles, up and down, two efficient wheelies relying on technique, not upper body strength and how to use them over different obstacles
- How to fall safer
- Break for lunch and hit the trails to work on morning skills
- Wrap up and reveiw of the days skills
- Review of day 1, questions?
- How bikes corner, how to corner in balance, using vision to corner faster, easier with more control
- Advanced cornering with drills
- How to brake effectively (no skidding!)
- how to use your brakes to go faster
- How to start/restart on an uphill
- Break for lunch and hit the trails to work on morning skills
- How to Pump the trail. Gain free speed from pumping through and over obstacles
- Wrap up and reveiw
- Review of both days and questions, review drills
- How to balance on a bike, how to improve your balance, how to trackstand
- How to do downhill switch backs in balance and in control with my 100% technique (as opposed to the popular momentum method that works well 50-60% of the time)
- How to clear larger obstacles, lift your rear wheel correctly and easily (not yanking up with your cleats), clearing logs/log piles, doing drop offs safely and smoothly
- Bump jump, teach you how to see past obstacles using a bump jump technique
- Campers’ choice, skills the campers want further work on
- Break for lunch and hit the trails to work on morning skills
- Wrap up and reveiw

This is the most fun and informative downhill skills coaching you will ever attend

Starting in a safe learning environment we explain the skill, demonstrate the skill and have you practice the skill utilizing drills that you will continue to use long after the camp. Once you understand the skills we then apply them on the trail. Here at BetterRide we really enjoy helping others and would love to share these techniques and the drills for practicing, getting good at and eventually mastering these techniques with you.

Day 1

Day 2

Day 3

We have designed our Downhill Mountain Bike Camps to help you with both the mental and physical sides of downhill mountain biking. Our goal is to help you reach your potential whether you are an just getting into the sport or an experienced pro racer. You will be taught the core skills of mountain biking and the drills to master these skills. Learning and becoming proficient at these skills will allow you to ride in balance and in control making you a more efficient and confident rider.

Dirt Magazine to 2009 Pro 4x and Jr. Cat 1 Downhill US National Champion Mitch Ropelato in a interview in the Oct. 2009 issue:

Dirt Magazine: “You seem to be able to turn amazingly, what do you put that down to? Got any special tires on there?

Mitch Ropelato: “Ya, Gene Hamilton is to thank for that, I took is clinic last December in Bootleg Canyon and he was able to show me the correct technique I needed to pull them off.”