Group Coach and Ride: Advanced
From £120.00 inc. VAT
Level: 6-9
Advanced
Coaching
Guided ride
Location
Group Coach and Ride: Advanced
From £120.00 inc. VAT
Coaching isn’t just a great way to improve your mountain biking skills: it can also be a load of fun. That’s why we’re introducing our new group mountain bike coaching for advanced riders. It’s a simple formula:
- 3 hours of expert coaching, in a group of up to five other mountain bikers at the same level as yourself
- after a short break, a 2 hour guided ride, so you can put your new skills into practice
This combination makes for a great mix of learning and fun, with one of Marmalade’s expert coaches.
This advanced session will be optimised to suit you and the other riders, but you can expect to cover things like:
- Jumping fundamentals
- Confident riding down drops
- Wheel lifts, manuals and other advanced techniques for mixed terrain
- Steep, technical terrain
Not the right level for you?
Beginner and intermediate level options are also available for our Group Coach and Ride days.
If you need to hire a bike, check availability first and book using the bike hire selector below.
Or, for some private guidance…
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- Our private coaching is flexible and focused, so you (or you and your friends) can really focus in the skills you want to master.
Itinerary: Group Coach and Ride – Advanced
After an introduction and briefing to the day, you will get started on this day of advanced off-road skills-building:
10.00am to 1.00pm – Three hours of structured coaching will be adapted to suit riders’ needs, but is likely to cover:
- Jumping fundamentals – getting comfortable in the air as you move from blue-level to red-level terrain
- Riding drops with confidence
- Wheel lifts, manuals and other advanced techniques for mixed terrain
- Riding steep, technical terrain with confidence
1.00pm – 1.30pm – Lunch break. Enjoy a drink and snack at Peaslake Village Stores or the Hurtwood Inn – or bring a packed lunch.
1.30pm – 3.30pm – Now it’s time to practise your new skillset on a fun and progressive guided ride on the famous woodland trails of Holmbury and Pitch Hills. Your coach will customise a route specifically designed to give you opportunity to use your new skills and build your confidence.
The area and the trails
The lush woodland that smothers these green sandstone hills is festooned with ancient bridleways and trails that have made the Surrey Hills famous. This ride will perfectly link together the best introductory trails of Holmbury Hill and potentially Pitch Hill, depending on our progress on the day.
Your choice of bike
E-bikes or conventionally-powered mountain bikes are all welcome, whether you bring your own or hire from our friends at The Riders Hub.
How to get here
By train – The nearest station to Peaslake is Gomshall which provides easy connections of around an hour from London via Dorking and Guildford stations.
By road – From London and the south you’ll likely use the A3 or A24 and the A25. Head for Hurtwood’s No.1 car park at the top of Holmbury Hill.
Jim Barrow
Cycling UK, Technical MTB Coach
Jim’s two-wheeled journey began in the early 80s on a BMX, then progressed onto mountain bikes in the 90s. He fine-tuned his bike skills across the whole off-road racing spectrum: XC, enduro, endurance, cyclocross and BMX.
Having built this deep love of biking, Jim now devotes himself to sharing it with other riders, as an experienced leader and coach. And when he’s not mountain bike coaching or shredding in the woods, he’s camping in them – adding bikepacking to his enormous biking portfolio.
Jim guides Marmalade rides all over the UK – and is our skills coaching specialist and bikepacking expert. So whether you’re looking to finesse your trail technique or discover the joys of sleeping under the stars, Jim’s looking forward to riding with you.
Andy Pittson
MIAS, Technical MTB Coach
Andy spent most of his early days and his twenties as an accomplished climber – taking him all over Europe. As mountain biking became more popular in the 90’s it wasn’t long before this adventurer was exploring the great outdoors with pedal power.
Swapping ropes for tyres, mountain biking became Andy’s new passion. Never one to turn down an exciting opportunity Andy headed off to southern Spain to work overseas as head guide for one of the world’s leading mountain bike holiday providers, where he spent seven amazing years delivering multi-level experiences for their global community.
These days Andy is settled with his family in the vibrant city of Brighton, and has been guiding and coaching for Marmalade since 2019. Andy still races enduro – keeping his bike-handling skills finely tuned.
Just like Jim, Andy boasts a wealth of UK wide and overseas experience and is passionate about sharing his knowledge to improve your skills.
- Duration: 5 hours
- 3 hours coaching
- 2 hours guided ride
- Distance: 12-14 miles (19-22km) approx
- Elevation gain: 2,000 ft (600m) approx
- Technical Grade: Advanced
(any questions, please contact us) - Meet time: 9.30am │ 10.00 am on bikes
- Meet point: Hurtwood car park no.1, Holmbury Hill, Peaslake
- Our advanced Group Coach and Ride day is aimed at the experienced mountain biker looking for a sociable and informative way to make progress with their riding skills
- To take part, you should be a confident upper-intermediate-level rider, used to riding red-graded trails
- You should have good have good cornering technique, and be able to maintain good flow in singletrack
- You should be able to ride upper-intermediate-level trail features and obstacles, including steps
- You will have some experience of riding on challenging terrain
- The trails will include features such as drops and jumps
- This session will include descents and climbs that will be challenging
- This session requires a suitable mountain bike (Hybrid and budget bicycles are not suitable)
- See the ‘Bike Hire‘ section below if you need to hire a bike
- Riders should be aged 18 and over
- If this ride sounds too advanced for you, check out our beginner- and intermediate-level Group Coach and Ride options
Equipment, kit and clothing
Essentials:
- Suitable mountain bike in good working order (bikes can be hired)
- Helmet (in good condition, with no damage)
- Clothing and shoes appropriate for cycling and weather conditions on the day
- Personal choice of drink and ride snacks
Recommended:
- Gloves
- Glasses, sunglasses or eye-shields
- Backpack
- Spare inner tube
- Puncture repair kit and bicycle pump
- Padded cycling shorts for comfort
What’s not included
- Bike hire – this can be booked via the ‘Bike Hire‘ section
- Personal clothing & equipment
- Overnight accommodation
- Pre, during or post activity refreshments
- Personal travel or accident Insurance
Private coaching
Base price of £180 is for one person for 2 hours. Add more riders for a group of four using the ‘Extras’ drop down menu.
Need to hire a bike? Then after you have booked your coaching, scroll down or click here to reserve your bike with our friends at Surrey Hills Bike Rental.
Still not sure what experience is for you or have a question? Then please send Sean an email or call on +44(0)7840724611.
(All prices include VAT)
Bike hire (extra information)
Bike hire selection
- From the system below choose the date and time to match our itinerary
- We recommend the six hour option as a minimum from 9.30 am
- Select normal mountain bike or electric mountain bike
- Choose the size of bike, based on your height
- Add a helmet if you need one
- Go to checkout and complete the bike hire reservation
- Book your place on your desired coach and ride session with us
Please Note:
The bike hire system below can sometimes have a delay before it has fully loaded. If it fails to show, then visit Surrey Hills Bike Rental direct to reserve your bike. Then return to this page to confirm your place on our guided ride.
(** Marmalade MTB is not responsible for the provision of these bikes. By using the system below you are booking direct with Surrey Hills Bike Rental.)
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