Mountain Biking for Beginners

I chose to take the responsibility for all that out of my hands and joined the Rideability/Synergie VTT Mountain Bike School for a half day First Time Ride session. We met at Twinner Morz'na Sport in the centre of town where I was quickly kitted out with shin pads, elbow pads, gloves and a helmet, (I was greatly relieved to be given just a regular bike helmet - the full face number implied an element of extreme that I was just not prepared for!) The group of nine was split into two at the top of the Pleney gondola, with one group intending to move a little faster.

If you’ve never been on a mountain bike before then blind faith, with as little research into the matter as possible, is probably you’re best approach. After a quick introduction to the bikes, the brakes (which are the opposite way around in France) and basic technique I found myself wobbling down a rocky path that I would of never considered riding a bike down before. Our guide, Lionel, calmly instructed me from behind, “Stand up, feet level, look ahead…. Gentle on the brakes!” These sentiments echoed around my head for the next two and a half hours, as I slipped and bumped my way down narrow muddy tracks, over roots, rocks and through ditches.

The rain that had thrashed through Morzine the day before did not make this challenge any easier, so I would advise taking your first crack at MTB in dry weather. However, Lionel was a wonderful, cheery coach, giving us just the right amount of instruction for each little obstacle and keeping things interesting on different blue and green routes around Morzine and Les Gets. Our route took us from Le Pleney down a blue route called the Tour du Golf, which brought us into the Mini Jump Park above Les Gets. From here we continued down a green route to the foot of the Chavannes chairlift. At the top of the lift we took a mix of fire roads, tracks and greens back down to Les Gets before heading back around to Morzine via a fantastic blue track. By this point I was amazed how much my confidence on two wheels had grown and I eagerly sped down the final run to Morzine, enjoying the bumps and turns (and the significantly fewer roots and ruts that had obstructed my flow back over on the main resort).

So it turns out I’m not much of a thrill seeker on two wheels but I’m eager to get back out and try it again, considering the leaps in my level from the beginning of my time with Lionel. Here are some of his top tips for beginners:

• Stand up with feet level, with your weight in the middle of the bike.
• Keep your legs straight over gravel sections and allow them to bend when absorbing bumps and troughs.
• Keep your arms in a horseshoe shape, with elbows soft.
• Look ahead.
• Use both breaks softly, try not to lock out the front brake although this is your most important brake for slowing down.
• Speed is your friend, for balance and flow.
• Have fun.

If you would like to give mountain biking a whirl then check out Rideability or Synergie. Their team of fully state qualified cycling instructors have a range of guiding options to suit all levels. The First Time Ride package costs 55 euros for a half day and includes bike hire, protection and lift pass.

For the more experienced rider the Super Morzine Downhill Cup is taking place on Friday 29th August. For more information check out www.supermorzinedhcup.com. It’s just six euros to enter and for an extra two euros you can enjoy a BBQ at the bottom, the whole event will be followed by a party with DJ at Chez Roger.