What To Expect From Our Mountain Bike Skills Clinics
- Good Time Ride Co.
- Mar 25
- 6 min read
Updated: Apr 23
Mountain bike skills clinics can feel a bit mysterious if you’ve never done one before. Emma and Katie both went into their first clinic as participants feeling a bit wary, and not totally sure what level they were even riding at.
You might have a general sense that clinics are helpful, but not a clear picture of what actually happens once you show up. Are you riding the whole time? Standing around? Getting coached one-on-one? Watching others? Doing things you’ve never done before… with other people watching you?!
This post walks through what a skills clinic is really like, what you’ll learn, and what you’re likely to get out of the experience.
Is a Good Time Ride Co. skills clinic the right fit for me?
If you’ve ever thought about signing up for an Edmonton mountain bike skills clinic, there’s a good chance you’ve also had at least one of these thoughts:
What if I’m the worst one there?
What if I slow everyone down?
What if it’s too basic and I don’t make any progress?
Totally fair questions. You might even have some of those questions rolling around in your head as you drive to the meeting point for your first clinic session.
People come to skills clinics with a wide range of experience and goals. Maybe you’re comfortable riding flatter trails but feel a bit unsure on descents. Maybe you avoid certain features (like skinnies… why are they so narrow sometimes?!). Maybe you’ve been riding for years but have never actually been taught the fundamentals.
That’s a really normal place to be, and it’s exactly what these clinics are built around. You won’t be the only one figuring things out, and you definitely won’t be the only one feeling a bit nervous (or a bit sweaty) about riding with a group of new people. (If it helps, our coaches still get a little sweaty in the pits on the way to meeting new groups too.)
And if you’re already a fairly confident rider? There’s still so much value here. Small adjustments to body position, gearing, or line choice can make a huge difference in how smooth, efficient, and fun your riding feels.
A good skills clinic isn’t about starting from scratch or proving anything. It’s about learning how to ride better, whatever “better” means for you.
What your first clinic actually looks like
When you arrive, you’ll park, get your bike unloaded, and gear up like you would for any ride.
From there, you’ll roll over to your group. We’re usually pretty easy to spot (our GTRC shirts with a bright orange logo do the heavy lifting here).
We’ll start with some quick introductions. Nothing awkward, no forced icebreakers, probably no trust falls just yet, just names and a bit of context so we know who’s in the group. We’ll talk a little about your goals and what you hope to get out of your time on the trails over the next few weeks.
Then we’ll do a bike safety check. This is something we’ll show you how to do so it can become part of your regular pre-ride routine too!
From there, we’ll introduce the skills we’re focusing on for the session. We’ll break it down, demonstrate what it looks like, and give you simple elements to focus on. Then we start putting things into practice, riding on low-consequence terrain to get the basics right, progressing onto the trails to apply those skills in “real singletrack world” riding scenarios.
You’ll spend time doing drills, riding, watching others, reflecting, asking questions, and trying things again. There’s usually a bit of sessioning, where we repeat a section a few times to build comfort and consistency.
You’ll get individual feedback along the way, and you’ll also learn a lot just by watching how others approach the same thing.
We’ll often offer a “next step” for anyone who’s ready to push things a bit further, while also making sure there’s an option to keep practicing for anyone who wants to build up to it.
As things start to click, we’ll begin linking sections of trail together so you can feel how the skills carry over and start to flow.
There’s a mix of drills, focused riding, questions, small wins, and a fair amount of cheering each other on. It’s structured, but it never feels rigid.
What the vibe is like
Supportive, encouraging, and not nearly as intimidating as you might be imagining! Most people show up not knowing anyone and leave feeling a lot more comfortable, both on their bike and with the group.
There’s a mix of focus, questions, small wins, and a lot of “you’ve got this” energy. You’ll see people trying things, stepping back when they need to, and then coming back to it again.
We’ll be cheering each other on as we figure things out together. Riding something new? Big energy. Deciding today is not the day? Also fully supported! It’s wild how one day something feels easy, and the next it’s a hard no. Sleep, stress, mercury in retrograde… who knows. No need to force it, it’ll still be there next time!
We take the learning seriously, but not ourselves, and there are always some laughs mixed in along the way. We’re all here for a good time, right?
And when we’re working on something particularly challenging and can feel frustration starting to creep in, we’ll switch gears. Sometimes that means heading to a fun section of trail we know people love, just to reset, take a breath, and remind everyone why they’re out there in the first place.
How the weeks build on each other
Each session builds on the last, but not in a way where you have to “get it” right away each time to keep up.
We introduce skills in a way that gives you time to come back to them, practice them on your own, and see how they show up in different situations on the trail. We’ll also share trail suggestions for you to check out between sessions if you have the time.
You might work on something one week and think, “okay… I think I kind of get it,” and then come back the next week and feel it click in a completely different way.
It can be that thing where you spend 30 minutes working on one skill near the end of a session, and then come back the next week and BAM, you do it first try.
Emma had that exact experience on a long skinny in Fort Saskatchewan a few years ago!
As the weeks go on, things start to come together. You’ll be linking skills without thinking about them as much, and sections of trail that once felt a bit stressful start to feel smoother and more manageable.
By the end of the clinic, most riders aren’t just riding better, they’re enjoying it more. Confidence builds gradually, and then one day you’re just out there riding and having fun without overthinking every little thing.
What you’ll get out of our time together
Most riders leave feeling more confident, more in control, and a lot clearer on what to actually do when the trail gets a bit more technical.
You’ll notice changes like:
You’re braking with more intention, not just hoping for the best
You have a better sense of where to look and where to go on the trail
Corners feel smoother (and less like a surprise every time)
Descents feel more manageable and less like something to just survive
Features start to feel more approachable, even if you’re not quite riding all of them yet
You’re not overthinking every little thing quite as much
You’re slightly concerned about how often you’re wearing your Good Time Ride Co. t-shirt
You’ll also leave with a better understanding of how your bike works, how your body position affects things, and what to focus on when you’re riding on your own.
It starts to feel like your bike is working with you instead of against you.
And maybe most importantly, you’ll have a clearer sense of what you’re capable of, and you’ll be having a lot more fun when you’re out riding. So much in fact, that you’ll probably feel ready to come join us for our social ride club!
Ready to give it a try?
If you’ve been thinking about signing up, hopefully this gives you a clearer picture of what to expect.
Whether you’re feeling excited, a little unsure, or somewhere in between, that’s all part of it. Most people show up not totally sure, and leave wondering why they waited so long.
