johang
Race Dog
IF you are serious about four things:
a) Radically improving your riding skills and confidence levels.
b) Growing as an individual.
c) Having a serious amount of fun.
d) Operatig as a team
THEN you should go on the Country Trax Advanced course.
Let me rather say it in another way, this was my personal experience over the past weekend. I booked months ago for this course at Amersfoort and then eventually the weekend arrived. On arrival it was good to see a bunch of familiar faces.
The course commenced the Thursday evening with arrival at six and finished the Sunday at about 11:00. This is a clear indication that a high level of fitness and bike seat time is required, because if you do not have it, you will certainly not get the fitness during the course, it is too late.
Jan “Staal” and Gerhard, the two instructors at Amersfoort, are serious about the level of competence to be attained by the students during the course. Enough repetition is allowed to ensure that everyone has the utmost opportunity to make the grade. What was soon a key realisation was that some horror stories of the course directed at braking bikes and riders was absolutely not true. The focus is constantly on the “right” things to do, building skill levels gradually whilst providing more and more challenging terrain and exercises to stretch ones imagination. The principle was always to provide proper warm-up and build up towards any exercise.
Here is some photographic evidence. We were also lucky to have a dedicated photographer available for the weekend that ensured that no moment was lost – Thanxs Louise.
The group:
Photo: Louise Botes
There was a comprehensive set of exercises ranging from a night ride that confirmed the learning from the predecessor course. Then building towards mastering similar and more techniques in more strenuous circumstances such as with greater speed and more accuracy and even doing emergency stops in a serious “sand” trap. Some photos below:
Cornering:
T-junction emergency stops
Keep on moving
Elephant turns
Photo: Louise Botes
Playing in the sand with great support from the team mates
Going down the hill, with control
Jumping
Photo: Louise Botes
Practical application in the most beautiful “bos” – Great fun!!!!
Jan and Gerhard making some new “plannetjies”
And much much much much more, to much to mention – To experience it you have to go there, you cannot talk about the course on hear-say, this is a personal experience!
And then it was all over, toooo soon and it was time to hit the road back home.
To Jan, Gerhard, and Elsie – You guys did a great job. Jan your concern for the individual’s well-being and your commitment to the sport is remarkable. For the new friends made, hope to see you on the road somewhere in the future. It was a privilege to be part of a group of “gentleman” that was focussed on what they wanted and worked for it.
P.S. From the Blue Team to the Orange Team (relating to the Cheetah rugby team – not that other type of bike), you did well!
a) Radically improving your riding skills and confidence levels.
b) Growing as an individual.
c) Having a serious amount of fun.
d) Operatig as a team
THEN you should go on the Country Trax Advanced course.
Let me rather say it in another way, this was my personal experience over the past weekend. I booked months ago for this course at Amersfoort and then eventually the weekend arrived. On arrival it was good to see a bunch of familiar faces.
The course commenced the Thursday evening with arrival at six and finished the Sunday at about 11:00. This is a clear indication that a high level of fitness and bike seat time is required, because if you do not have it, you will certainly not get the fitness during the course, it is too late.
Jan “Staal” and Gerhard, the two instructors at Amersfoort, are serious about the level of competence to be attained by the students during the course. Enough repetition is allowed to ensure that everyone has the utmost opportunity to make the grade. What was soon a key realisation was that some horror stories of the course directed at braking bikes and riders was absolutely not true. The focus is constantly on the “right” things to do, building skill levels gradually whilst providing more and more challenging terrain and exercises to stretch ones imagination. The principle was always to provide proper warm-up and build up towards any exercise.
Here is some photographic evidence. We were also lucky to have a dedicated photographer available for the weekend that ensured that no moment was lost – Thanxs Louise.
The group:
Photo: Louise Botes
There was a comprehensive set of exercises ranging from a night ride that confirmed the learning from the predecessor course. Then building towards mastering similar and more techniques in more strenuous circumstances such as with greater speed and more accuracy and even doing emergency stops in a serious “sand” trap. Some photos below:
Cornering:
T-junction emergency stops
Keep on moving
Elephant turns
Photo: Louise Botes
Playing in the sand with great support from the team mates
Going down the hill, with control
Jumping
Photo: Louise Botes
Practical application in the most beautiful “bos” – Great fun!!!!
Jan and Gerhard making some new “plannetjies”
And much much much much more, to much to mention – To experience it you have to go there, you cannot talk about the course on hear-say, this is a personal experience!
And then it was all over, toooo soon and it was time to hit the road back home.
To Jan, Gerhard, and Elsie – You guys did a great job. Jan your concern for the individual’s well-being and your commitment to the sport is remarkable. For the new friends made, hope to see you on the road somewhere in the future. It was a privilege to be part of a group of “gentleman” that was focussed on what they wanted and worked for it.
P.S. From the Blue Team to the Orange Team (relating to the Cheetah rugby team – not that other type of bike), you did well!
