Skills and confidence
You can ride. Now you want to ride better and feel more confident doing it.
It doesn’t matter whether you’d describe yourself as nervous or fairly competent — it’s the same work. A parent wanting to ride with their kids, a recreational rider who finds descending frightening, and a roadie chasing better cornering are all doing the same thing. The skill builds the confidence, and the confidence lets you use the skill.
Find the bit you want: Braking · Gears · Cornering · Hills · Descending · Riding around others · Road riding · Riding further · Getting back on · Event preparation
Braking
Most people brake too late and avoid the front brake, which is the one with the power. Learn how much, how early, and which lever — and everything downhill gets less frightening.
Gears
Nobody teaches gears, so most people guess. Which one, when to change, and why your chain complains when you shift under load.
Cornering
Where to look, when to lean, and how to pick a line. The difference between surviving a corner and enjoying it.
Hills
Climbing technique and pacing, plus starting and stopping on a slope without panic.
Descending
With control rather than hope. Body position, braking, and where your eyes should be.
Riding around others
Holding a wheel, signalling, taking a turn, and riding predictably so nobody else has to guess what you’re about to do.
Road riding
Positioning, traffic, shared paths, and reading what’s about to happen before it does.
Riding further
Pacing, fuelling and building distance without wrecking yourself.
Getting back on
After a fall, or after years away. Usually more about technique than nerve, which is good news — technique is teachable.
Event preparation
Training toward a specific ride or race you’ve committed to.
Ways to work on it
Free — Adult Skills sessions
Council-supported group sessions covering the fundamentals: braking, cornering, starting and stopping with confidence, and reading the paths around you. Any bike, all levels.
Coaching with me
If there’s one specific thing holding you back, this is faster than a general session. One-on-one, or bring friends and it costs less each.
Put it into practice
Social rides and the Thursday bunch are where skills become habits.
I gained the confidence to take my bike onto the road. I didn’t realise how much you can learn, and learn the right way, rather than going through trial and error.
Alethea — hadn’t ridden in 30 years