Words by Stuart Kernaghan

Cycling and activewear manufacturer Sugoi has partnered with Cycling B.C. and the Alberta Bicycle Association to put on a series of women's mountain bike camps, and dozens of female riders from both provinces are using these camps to take their off-road skills to the next level.

The Sugoi Dirt Series camps are two-day weekend clinics that feature expert instruction and a lot of hands-on learning in everything from basic riding skills to conquering technical stunts. Certified mountain bike coaches - all of whom are women - take the riders through a series of drills designed to boost skills and confidence, and then everyone hits the trails to try out what they've learned.

Organizers have gone to a lot of trouble to make sure that everyone from beginners to more seasoned riders get the most out of the experience. Participants provide background info on their level of mountain biking expertise and list the things they'd like to work on, whether it's riding switchbacks or hitting big drops on the Shore, and everyone is grouped according to skill level.

This is the third year for the camps, and Candace Shadley, technical director of mountain biking at Cycling B.C., says the response to the all-woman experience has been overwhelming. 365 people have gone through to date, according to Shadley, and they anticipate that between 550 and 600 will have by the end of this season. "I'd say that 70 per cent of people who participate are referred by a friend that has already done a camp," she notes. "And of course we have people that come back to take two or three."

What do the women get out of the weekend? Shadley says that part of it is improved technical mountain bike skills, but also "[c]onfidence with their riding, and that spills over into everyday life -- [it shows] that you can learn something new, the sureness that you can conquer your fears, the excitement at having done something that you didn't think you would have been able to beforehand."

Camps are generally limited to 35 people, with a student-to-instructor ratio of 6:1. Coaches for the 2003 season include Sylvie Allen, the current Canadian National Mountain Bike Downhill Champion; Kira Cailes, one of the featured riders from North Shore Extreme; Aleisha Cline, a former member of the Canadian National Mountain Bike Downhill Team and multi-time X-Games gold medalist; and Shadley herself.

The upcoming July 5-6 camp in Canmore is full, but there is a waiting list and there's still room in the July 12-13 clinic at Panorama. There are also two other camps and a reunion get-together later this summer, and there's plenty of time to sign up for those. Go to Cycling B.C.'s Dirt Series registration page for more details and contact info

Cost for the camp is $145 for Cycling B.C. or Alberta Bicycle Association members and $165 non-members; that includes two days of instruction plus lunches. Plan on bringing your bike, some armour, the usual riding gear, and a good attitude to the camps.

All of that is useful information, but the best way to get a feel for the Dirt Series experience is to let Jen Cox, a beginner/intermediate rider who has been mountain biking for the last few years, talk about the North Vancouver Dirt Series camp she recently attended. Here's her take on things.

Words and photos by Jen Cox

I went into the Dirt Series camp hoping to get enough skills and new tricks so I could kick my husband's ass next time we go out riding (just kidding, I can already do that), but I was also looking forward to being with a like-minded group of women who were enthusiastic, active, enjoy trying new things, and like the outdoors. I also was hoping their enthusiasm and encouragement would motivate and inspire me to try harder and ride better.

Seven female coaches from Cycling B.C. organized the entire weekend and supervised about 40 participants, most of whom were in their mid-20s to early 30s. The group met at Steed Cycles on both mornings to get organized into five skill levels, get our name tags, and most importantly coffee, muffins and Power Bars.

Mornings at the camp were spent practicing and learning new skills in a gravel park where the coaches had skills stations set up - there was everything from straight-line riding on a flat fire hose to wheelie drops off boxes - and afternoons were dedicated to trying out our new skills on the trail.

It was all about starting small and getting bigger

For the skills sessions, the coaches explained what was involved and demonstrated it in both the practice park and on the rides. We would take turns doing the skill ourselves while the instructors watched and coached us through it, giving us tips and taking us aside if we needed more work while the other riders kept practicing on their own. The exception was with big logs, bridges, ramps, teeter totters and boxes, which were never ridden unsupervised.

On the first morning, we practiced in our skill groups and went through all of the stations before stopping for a homemade lunch provided by Penny (one of the coaches), which we really needed by the time lunch came around - this was hard work. After we'd stuffed ourselves we went on the afternoon ride, which was technical but appropriate for each skill level.

Now imagine you're doing this on a bike...

By the second day, each group had progressed to the next level of riding so that people in group one were riding the trail that group two rode on their first day. We put the skills we'd learned in the morning into practice, and the rides definitely helped build confidence. That first evening we went back to the shop where they plied us with wine (an excellent boxed vintage) and cheese, and taught us things like weekly bike maintenance, how to fix a flat tire, and how to properly fit your bike. We also signed up for the skills we wanted to work on the next day. Bright and early Sunday morning we met at the shop again and it was off to the park for more practicing. This time we got to spend an hour on each of the skills we had chosen (I picked climbing, straight-line riding, and switchbacks) and it was a great opportunity to build confidence through repetition. Then a lunch break with more great food, and draw prizes. Names were drawn out of a box and we chose from a variety of products provided by the camp's sponsors, such as Sugoi clothing, armour, Power Bars, T-shirts and a fancy ultralight handlebar.

The ride in the afternoon on the second day was a little tougher than the first day because people were a bit tired and burned out by that point, and while everyone was riding better and more confidently we probably would have had a better ride if we were fresher.

In spite of that, I've never seen so many people so motivated to learn. Whether that was part of the group mentality or individual determination it's hard to say, but it was awesome. On the trail and in the practice area, everyone kept trying skills over and over again until they could manoeuvre around the pylons, get over that pile of logs, or across that ramp over the creek. There was a lot of cheering and clapping whenever anyone attempted a new stunt, even if they didn't do it successfully, and it was inspiring for everyone. The coaches were fantastic - professional, always supportive and encouraging, but also pushing us to try a little harder. Unless of course we didn't want to, which was perfectly fine too.

There was always someone there to catch you if you fell - including the guys who rode sweep on the trails