Itinerary: Group Coach and Ride

After an introduction and briefing to the day, you will get started on your off-road skills-building:

10.00am to 12.00pm – up to two hours will focus on structured coaching, but with plenty of fun riding on the Surrey Hills trails. The content will be adapted to suit riders’ needs, but is likely to cover:

• Bike setup – including tyre pressures and suspension settings
• Safe and effective braking
• Gear selection
• The ‘Ready Position’ – for perfect off-road posture
• Line choice – selecting your way through the trail

12.00pm – 12.30pm – Lunch break. Enjoy a drink and snack at the Hurtwood Hideout cafe or the Peaslake Village Stores – or bring a packed lunch.

12.30pm – 2.30pm  – The fun continues, this time with a real emphasis on enjoying the swooping singletrack and putting your new skills to good use on the famous woodland trails of Holmbury and Pitch Hills. Your coach will customise a route specifically designed to give you opportunity to build your confidence, with plenty of additional coaching tips to build on your learning.

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 non-electric mountain bikes are all welcome, whether you bring your own or hire from our friends at Just Pedal – Hurtwood.

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 the Hurtwood Hideout car park in Holmbury St. Mary.

Friends of the Hurtwood

This private area of Surrey is a special place, protected by the guardianship of a registered charity. Away from the public rights of way there is a vast network of unmarked mountain bike trails on private land. Through responsible and professional mountain bike leadership and coaching we are proud to be a supporting partner of Friends of the Hurtwood, with full permission to operate here.

Clive Andrews
British Cycling MTB Coach

Clive has been mountain bike guiding since the late nineties, on the trails of Greece, Turkey, the Alps and the Caribbean. Now back in his native Sussex, he has delivered mountain biking experiences across the South Downs and the Surrey Hills for Marmalade MTB since 2019.

Clive’s biggest passion is working with novice off-road adventurers and loves nothing better than providing a balanced and relaxed introduction to the sport that has provided him with a lifetime of enjoyment.

Clive is qualified as a mountain bike coach with British Cycling, alongside his leadership qualifications. He supports Paul and Jim with our popular coaching sessions.

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.

Paul Bishop
British Cycling Level 2 MTB Coach

Paul was always destined for a life of cycling and it is no wonder his profession heavily involves all forms of the humble bicycle. His parents had a tandem instead of a car when he was born and they rode everywhere as a family – from everyday trips to the shops or multi-day holidays.

This deep love and affinity to cycling has led Paul to become qualified across multiple disciplines across BMX, road, gravel and mountain biking. He has been trusted to take this passion and attention to detail to plan and deliver a number of charity sportives from the UK to various European destinations.

Paul brings a wealth of biking and personal training expertise to our coaching team. The breadth and depth of his mountain biking experience is truly impressive and a real asset that complements our team perfectly.

• Duration: around 4 hours
  • with a 30 minute lunch break
• Distance: 9-11 miles (14-18km) approx
• Elevation gain: 1,300 ft (400m) approx
• Technical Grade: Novice
  (any questions, please contact us)
• Meet time: 9.30am │ 10.00 am on bikes
• Meet point: Hurtwood Hideout, Holmbury St. Mary

E-bikes or manual mountain bikes are all welcome, whether you bring your own or hire from our friends at Just Pedal – Hurtwood.

There will be fun bumpy descents, rooty forest trails and wide-open double tracks. So a hardtail (front suspension only) or full suspension (front and rear) mountain bike would be perfect.

This ride can be enjoyed on a conventional or electric mountain bike. If this ride is right for your level of experience and fitness, then bring your choice of machine. Marmalade rides have a friendly welcoming atmosphere, and e-bike riders who find themselves first up the hill are always patient and understanding of those relying on human-power alone.

Ensure your bike of choice is maintained and ready to ride, and please pack a spare mech hanger with your usual trail pack spares.

• Our beginner Group Coach and Ride day is aimed at the novice off-road cyclist and the regular beginner mountain biker looking for a sociable and informative group activity to learn the core skills and fundamentals of mountain biking
• To take part, you’ll need to be an active person who has the personal fitness to ride for at least 2 hours at a social and comfortable pace
• You should be confident riding a bike on roads or smooth terrain, able to operate it safely, before joining us to look at off-road skills
  • For more basic instruction on learning to ride, try a Bikeability course
• The trails may include features such as roots and loose rocks, along with small rollable steps – all of which can be easily ridden or avoided
• This session may contain undulating trails – and in places, climbs that may 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 a little beyond your current skill and fitness level, please contact us and we’ll help you look at other options

Equipment, kit and clothing

Essentials:

• Suitable mountain bike in good working order (bikes can be hired in advance)
• 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 eyeshields
• 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

How to book a bike:

1. From the system below select the dates to match the open group ride you have booked with us
2. Select the 4 hour option
3. Select Hurtwood Hostel as the location
4. Select ‘MTB or ‘E-MTB’
5. Choose the size of bike, based on your height
6. Go to checkout and complete the bike hire reservation for each rider

These fantastic bikes, and this booking system, are provided by our friends at Just Pedal – Hurtwood. If you have any questions or problems around booking your bike, just contact the Just Pedal team and they’ll help.