Dirt Clinic
Dirt clinics – that’s how we refer to our mountainbike riding skills clinics.
Hitting the dirt for the first time
Recently we held mountainbike clinics at Tampines MTB park for some secondary school classes as part of their PE curriculum. It took me back to my own schooldays when we had few choices for PE: football, basketball or track & field. Kids these days are very lucky!
Kit giving some pointers
Entering the "sandpit" to learn how to control the bike in a sticky situation
Anyway, teaching secondary school kids mountainbike skills is really different from adults, that’s for sure. Nothing beats the satisfaction of seeing a smile lighting up their face though as they hit the trails for the first time. For some of them who have never really had the chance to learn to bike properly, the joy is doubled when we see them cruising around happily on two wheels for the first time in their life. The newfound sense of confidence and freedom is clearly written on their beaming faces. Its as though they just got a pair of new wings.
HM observing one of the students going across the triple
Giving a little pep talk before attempting the triple
Another thing we realized is that some of the better riding kids have got serious potential to be competitive mountainbike athletes in the near future. We never thought a mountainbike clinic could turn into a random talent ID exercise, but that’s precisely what happened. We’re very sure there are some potential national champions lurking somewhere in the pack, given the right training and direction.
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