Dirt School Opens for Business in Wales
News Posted: 24 April 2008
Rider, trail builder and mountain bike journalist Rowan Sorrell joins the common room for classes in South Wales.
Chris Ball, founding Director of Scotland's leading mountain bike coaching company, announced that Dirt School Ltd, will be offering professional Downhill, Freeride and Cross Country coaching classes at some of the best trails across South Wales from May 2008. This summer Rowan Sorrell, an elite downhill racer, a respected trail builder with some of the most exciting and inspiring trails around Wales and the South of England in his portfolio and a seasoned mountain bike journalist, will join the Dirt School Common Room to run the Welsh coaching sessions.
Chris Ball, Director of Dirt School Ltd, said: 'It's great to have Rowan on board at Dirt School. Having been his team mate for years and having always respected his riding and trail building he is a real asset to the team. Rowan is one of the most well-rounded riders I've ever met. His background in coaching fits perfectly as Dirt School only uses experienced elite riders with an ability to teach and pass that knowledge on to others, at all levels.'
Sorrell will offer Freeride, Cross Country and Downhill group classes and private sessions. He has chosen some of the best trails in the UK, not just for their excellent riding but also for their suitability to teaching. The trails include Cwmcarn and Rheola (Downhill), Brechfa (Freeride) and Afan / Glyncorrwg (Cross Country).
Dirt School's Freeride courses have been designed to teach riders the basics of jumping. The Cross Country High School skills days will give riders the necessary skills needed to navigate around any cross country trail; including nailing jumps, rocks and singletrack, railing berms and roots just like the elite. For those addicted to gravity fed riding, the Downhill High School classes teach everything there is to know about all things downhill; from little psychological tricks to specific technical skills coaching.
Rowan Sorrell has a top drawer CV in all areas of mountain biking. Having worked his way through the senior and expert classes and into the elite downhill category where he has stayed ever since, racking up podiums around the UK and competing in the UCI World Cup over the last 5 years scoring several top 30 finishes.
In 2004 Rowan, set up Back-On-Track, a mountain bike trail building company. He used his passion for bikes together with his experiences from racing and riding around the world to set about building trails in Wales and the South of England, including the Energy Trail in Glyncorrwg, the Brechfa trails and the Gawton Woods Downhill centre in Tavistock. As a journalist Rowan has been one of the longest running contributors to Dirt Magazine, a popular mountain bike specialist magazine.
Summer 2008 sees the launch of the guide book that Rowan has been working tirelessly on since summer 2007. Titled ' Mountain Biking Europe' it captures the evolution of the European ski resorts as mountain bike centres in the summer season and features in excess of 100 of the hottest places to ride in Europe, across all disciplines from xc and trail riding, to freeride and downhill.
Dirt School's Classes in Wales in 2008
- 3 May: Cwmcarn - Downhill High School
- 4 May: Brechfa - Freeride School
- 14 June: Afan / Glyncorrwg - Cross Country High School
- 15 June: Rheola - Downhill High School
More dates for the rest of the summer to be announced soon. All classes are for 6 people max. Go to www.dirtschool.co.uk for information and prices. There will also be limited private sessions available In South Wales over the summer. Riders need some prior riding experience on red route level terrain. Ages are 14 and above for all classes. Each class is a full day starting at 10am.
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