We had a bunch of reasons for deciding to start this challenge up: Many of the people we work with (and us!) are in Ontario, which just got placed under another serious lockdown and we needed some personal motivation, especially for those of us training solo. It’s also spring, which means a lot of people are transitioning to riding outside for the first time in months and skills may be rusty. And finally, why the heck not? Doing 10 minutes of skill work daily is a great habit to keep up, even after the month is over. So, put it on your schedule and give it a try! (And tag us on Instagram to get entered to win some prizes over the month.)
What kind of bike skills count for your 10 minutes?
It could be anything! We don’t just mean rad singletrack and wheelies. It could look like:
- Wheel lifts using parking lot markers (the paint strips or curbs)
- Taking your water bottle in and out of the cage
- Remounts and dismounts
- Cornering of literally any kind (for cyclocross video here)
- Trackstanding (you can even do this inside!)
- Taking off armwarmers (or legwarmers!)
- Log hops – 5 steps video is here
- Wheelies / manuals
- Mechanical skills like practicing fixing a flat tire
- Riding a pump track or rollers (video)
- Learning to Jump on a small ramp or kicker jump (video)Â
- Learning to hop barriers on a cyclocross bike
To get you thinking, we’re dropping a few of our favourite Bike Skills Project videos here, but feel free to do other drills, and keep an eye on our Instagram for more suggestions throughout the next 4 weeks.
And remember to grab a copy of our book, Becoming A Consummate Athlete, right here: