Fitness & Skills grading information for MTBiking/cycling holidays.
CYCLING HOLIDAYS FITNESS AND SKILLS GRADE
The ability grading system used for our holidays and courses has been developed out of client and guide feedback over many years. It is a bit more detailed than most people use, but we’ve found that it is much more useful.
We give grades for two different things:
•Fitness level required
•Mountain biking skill level required
Why separate the two?
If you look at a “Core Skills” mountain biking weekend you have to be reasonably fit, because we are riding in the mountains, but can have little or no previous mountain biking experience. To mountain bike in some destinations where we can provide vehicle uplifts might only require the same level of fitness, but the trails could be steep, rocky and demand high levels of mountain biking skill. How would we get this across with one grade? Badly, we think!
Do remember that grades are still just an indicator, and if you want to talk about your suitability for a certain trip please give us a call.
Fitness for all holidays
We use levels 1 to 4:
1 Basic fitness from exercise once or twice per week. Can ride on flat or gently rolling terrain at a steady pace. Usually have the stamina to spend 2-4 hours out on a ride.
2 Moderate fitness from two or three sessions of exercise each week. Can ride hilly terrain at a steady pace, or more demanding terrain but only for shorter rides.
3 Good fitness from regular exercise sessions and time spent actively involved in cycling. Can ride full days in any terrain at a steady pace.
4 Excellent fitness from regular training and a significant amount of time spent riding or racing. Can ride in any terrain at a demanding pace.
Skills for MTB courses and holidays
We use levels A-D:
A No experience of mountain biking or limited experience, mainly on gravel tracks or smooth trails, but can already cycle.
B Can ride with confidence on gravel tracks and trails, over loose stones and some rough ground. May have some experience of man-made singletrack trails and feel happy on blue and red routes (in the UK).
C Can ride over most normal terrain including steep, rough, narrow tracks with tree roots and other small obstacles forming part of the normal ride. Confident on all man-made singletrack trails and will be able to ride most small drops/step-downs or other technical trail features.
D Can ride over any terrain including very rocky, severe descents, 2+ foot high drop-offs and other more challenging trail features.
Mountain biking holidays come in all shapes and sizes – from quick weekend escapes in the UK or on the best Spanish singletrack to a Cuban journey or trans-Andean adventure.
In every case your holiday relies on careful planning to ensure that the rides are right for your level of skill and fitness. They also rely on us knowing just where to find the best mountain bike routes and mix them with great local sights, cultural interest, superb food and accommodation that you can really look forward to after a great day out.
Small group sizes are a key feature of all our holidays, as are multiple guides for many tours to improve flexibility and safety. When needed we’ll provide additional services like backup vehicles, uplift services, expert local guides or drivers and so on – whatever it takes to create the perfect holiday experience.
Guided cycle tours let you enjoy the best of a country with expert leadership and support from our highly experienced guiding team. Unlike many companies we do not rely solely on local guides, but prefer to send professional, Qualified UK guides to work with them.
This combination of skills lets you benefit from the highest standards of service and safety in the cycle holiday industry. Our commitment to local staff sees us spending time developing their leadership, mechanics and other cycle skills, while they help us – and our clients – to learn more about the country, the culture and so much more besides. The additional flexibility brought to you by having multiple guides allows us to offer many holidays with multiple trip grades, with flexible ride choices on many days. This is further enhanced by the presence of support vehicles that travel with many tours.
Self-guided cycling holidays let you enjoy some wonderful cycle rides while we transport your bags, organise accommodation and plan the best routes. Each self-guided tour is created with real care, so you get the best cycling and best service possible along the way. On many of the cycle rides you can book alone and meet like-minded cyclists, or come with friends or large groups and have the freedom to enjoy your cycle holiday at your own pace.