TREAD Skills, South Africa’s largest mountain bike skills improvement company, supported by Volvo, the world’s most human-centric motor vehicle company, has launched Upskill Spring, an initiative aimed at encouraging more mountain bikers to attend skills clinics in order to improve their confidence and reduce the risk of injury.
Upskill Spring will incorporate 12 TREAD Skills Clinics in Gauteng, Western Cape and KwaZulu-Natal. Most are Confidence Clinics, structured for relative newcomers, nervous riders and those struggling to reclaim confidence following a bad fall; and some are Speed Clinics, geared to teaching experienced riders how to tackle more formidable trail obstacles and improve speed.
“With the increasing growth of mountain biking each year, there are thousands of riders on the trails and at races every week. Through our contacts at various trails parks and events, we’re getting reports of an increasing number of falls and injuries, many of which can be avoided simply with some education and skills training,” said Sean Badenhorst, TREAD Skills Chief Instructor.
“Unlike golf, where you can get a sunburned neck, mountain biking is a high-risk activity, where you could, in a serious fall, break your neck. It’s a rather extreme example, but it’s a reality. However, when you have control of your bike, mountain biking is a most enjoyable and rewarding activity. With so many expected to take advantage of the great South African weather, trails and races this summer, we want to ensure they’re as prepared as possible – hence our Upskill Spring campaign.
The Upskill Spring campaign will run through September and October. Because mountain biking is more fun with a friend, those that book a TREAD Skills Clinic with a friend (or family member over the age of 15) will get a discounted rate for both.
For Confidence Clinics, instead of R450 each, the pair will pay R350 each. For Speed Clinics, both riders will pay R500 each (instead of R600 each). TREAD Confidence Clinics are limited to a maximum of 10 riders, while the Speed Clinic capacity is 6 riders.
The clinics take 3-4 hours on purpose-built mountain bike trails and follow a progressional sequence under the instruction of experienced TREAD Skills instructors, who place significant emphasis on rider safety, while developing rider confidence and/or speed. Each pupil also gets a Volvo goodie bag after each clinic, which contains over R180 worth of useful items for mountain bikers as well as a discount voucher on Volvo cars and accessories, such as bike racks and roof boxes.
Almost 2000 South African mountain bikers have completed a TREAD Skills Clinic since 2010, making it the country’s leading mountain bike skills improvement company.
The following clinics form part of Upskill Spring:
SEPTEMBER
Saturday 3
- Speed Clinic, Thaba Trails, Johannesburg South
Saturday 10
- Confidence Clinic, Buffelsdrift, Pretoria North
Saturday 17
- Ladies Confidence Clinic, Buffelsdrift, Pretoria North
- Confidence Clinic, Meerendal, Durbanville
Saturday 24
- Confidence Clinic, Holla Trails, Ballito
- Confidence Clinic, Big Red Barn, Centurion
- Speed Clinic, Meerendal, Durbanville
OCTOBER
Saturday 8
- Speed Clinic, Thaba Trails, Johannesburg South
Saturday 15
- Confidence Clinic, Constantia Bike Park, Cape Town
Saturday 22
- Confidence Clinic, Big Red Barn, Centurion
- Confidence Clinic, Buffelsdrift, Pretoria North
Saturday 29
- Speed Clinic, Giba Gorge, Pinetown
To book a TREAD Skills Clinic, safely driven by Volvo, visit www.treadskills.co.za.
