Don Valley Evening Skills Sessions
Ride Highlights
- Expert instruction with our trained, certified instructors
- Beautiful urban wilderness riding on a wide variety of singletrack
- A massive confidence boost
Leave your fear behind without leaving the city.
Want to build up your riding confidence and skills, right in downtown Toronto? Most people don't know that in the Don Valley lies an incredible network of almost 100km of beautiful singletrack. Not only are they amazing trails, but they're also a great training ground for our evening skills sessions! You'll get fun, new friends, and newfound riding confidence - right in the heart of Toronto!
In 2012, we've partnered with Gears Bike Shop, the GTA's #1 bike store, to bring you these awesome evening skills sessions! The program comes as a series of 5 courses, on the same evening week.
Our Don Valley MTB U (Mountain Bike University) skills sessions take place all summer long on weeknights from 6 to 8 pm, and cover a wide range of mountain biking skills, from the fundamentals all the way up to advanced riding techniques. You'll ride with our certified instructors and receive hands-on instruction in a friendly, no-attitude environment. We'll encourage you to push yourself and try new things, but we'll never take you out of your comfort zone - your safety is of paramount importance to us!
UPCOMING SERIES
(all programs consist of 5 courses)
May 29, 2012 (Tues. nights): B.A. (beginner) level
May 30, 2012 (Wed. nights): Masters (intermediate) level
May 31, 2012 (Thurs. nights): Ph.D (advanced) level
Ready to give yourself and your riding a big boost of confidence? Select your level and dates from the dropdown menu on the right and click 'Book It!'
n.b: We also offer weekend camps at Hardwood Ski and Bike and Buckwallow Cycling Centre. Click here for more details.
Interested in a private lesson? Drop us a line at ride@sacredrides.com!
Is This Ride For You?
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"Your Don Valley course has been challenging, fun and incredibly rewarding so far!"
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"I attended one of your Don Clinics this past summer, and wow, was I impressed. I had never taken a mountain bike lesson before, but still considered myself an advanced rider, having done Whistler, North Shore, etc. My riding was elevated after your clinic. Great feedback, individual analysis, it was awesome. Even though I was on my cross country bike, and clipped in, your coaches had me doing lines and stunts I would not have considered unless on a freeride bike and flats. I was inspired"
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"My instructor was fantastic. He had a clear way of explaining skills and he was with me every step of the way, on a personal level."
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"The instruction was excellent. I learned and improved a lot thanks to both "Dereks". They provided great explanations, encouragement, positive feedback, constructive criticism and respected limitations. Every week was a challenge and fun. I hope to ride Sacred Rides again!"
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"We had a good time during the BA course and learned so much from the instructors we had!"
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"The Don Valley ride was excellent, Ted is a motivating rider and it is a treat to be able to explore trails I have never ridden with someone like him. We all had a wonderful experience and look forward to hopefully arranging more group rides."
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"I am really enjoying these classes - mindbending fun!"
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"Keep up the great work Derek! You are doing a great job getting us to progress one step at a time. Merci."
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"Just want to say we had a great time at our skills session - Ryan is a great teacher and really patient. We will be recommending a skills session with you guys as something to do in Toronto on Trip Advisor!"
B.A. (Beginner Level) Courses
Our B.A. LEVEL program is designed for beginners with no experience or less than 1 year of mountain biking experience.
Courses take place on Tuesday nights.
Series 1 starts May 29, 2012 | Series 2 starts July 24, 2012
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Week 1 (Fundamentals I): body positioning, setting up your bike properly, using your brakes and gears.
Week 2 (Climbing/Descending): proper body positioning for climbing and descending, gearing, weight transfer
Week 3 (Braking/Cornering): how to use your brakes effectively, how to take corners with confidence
Week 4 (Technical Riding: introduction to riding technical terrain such as roots and rocks
Week 5 (Obstacles): how to handle small trail obstacles such as logs, bridges and ramps.
Masters (Intermediate) Level Courses
Our MASTERS LEVEL program is designed for intermediate mountain bikers with 1-3 years of mountain biking experience.
Courses take place on Wednesday nights.
Series 1 starts May 30, 2012 | Series 2 starts July 25, 2012
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Week 1 (Fundamentals): covering the basics, such as body positioning, setting up your bike properly, using your brakes and gears optimally
Week 2 (Climbing/Descending): proper body positioning for climbing and descending, gearing, weight transfer
Week 3 (Braking/Cornering): Using your brakes properly, how to enter and exit a corner properly, switchbacks
Week 4 (Trail Reading and Technical Riding): How to properly read a trail, preparing for technical sections, riding technical sections and trails
Week 5 (Stunt Riding and Small Jumps/Drops): How to ride basic 'North-Shore' style obstacles (bridges, skinnies, teeter-totters, etc...) and ride over jumps and drops.
Ph.D (Advanced) Level Courses
Our PH.D LEVEL program is designed for advanced mountain bikers with at least 3 years of mountain biking experience.
Courses take place on Thursday nights.
Series 1 starts May 31, 2012 | Series 2 starts July 26, 2012
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Week 1 (Fundamentals): ensuring you have a solid ground in body positioning, neutral/ready position, proper gearing
Week 2 (Climbing/Descending): proper body positioning for climbing and descending, gearing, weight transfer
Week 3 (Braking/High Speed Cornering): Using your brakes properly, how to enter and exit a corner properly, switchbacks
Week 4 (Trail Reading, Technical Riding and Racing): How to properly read a trail, preparing for technical sections, riding technical sections and trails, race techniques.
Week 5 (Stunt Riding and Jumps/Drops): How to ride advanced 'North-Shore' style obstacles (bridges, skinnies, teeter-totters, etc...) and ride over medium jumps and drops.
To book your skills sessions, select your level and dates from the dropdown menu on the right and click 'Book It!'
Starting Point
All Don Valley skills sessions begin at Gears Bike Shop parking lot.
Start Times
Start times for the evening sessions vary, due to available light, as follows:
June - August sessions: 6:00 pm
September Sessions: 5:30 pm
Please try to be 10 minutes early, so that we can get started on time. If you are going to be late, please call us at 647-999-7955 - we can let you know where the session will be taking place so that you can catch up to the group.
Course Length
Courses last approximately 2 hours. Courses may end slightly early or late, but in general you can expect about 2 hours of riding and instruction.
Post-Course Socials
After each course, we'll be heading to the café at Gears Bike Shop for a few post-ride drinks and socializing.
What to Bring
Please hydrate and eat well in advance.
- bike
- helmet
- riding clothes, including wet weather gear in case of inclement weather
- hydration system (Camelbak or water bottles) with enough water for 2 hours of riding
- bike gloves
- snacks (e.g. energy bars/gels)
- portable bike tool
- spare inner tube, tire levers, and pump
- $ for apres-bike fun
Bike Rentals
Although we strongly recommend using your own bike, you can rent a bike at Gears Bike Shop if you'd prefer not to.
Group Size
There will be maximum 6 riders per instructor, and if the numbers allow it, learning levels will be further subdivided into skill level (e.g. B.A. level will be broken down into total beginners, beginners with a little bit of skill, beginners with a little more skill...)
Makeup Sessions
We allow 1 free makeup session if you miss a course. If you attend the 1st series, you can simply attend the same course offered during the 2nd series. If you attend the 2nd series and miss courses, then we will offer makeup sessions in September. After you 1 free makeup session, additional sessions will be charged at $40/course.
Weather Cancellations
Every now and then, the weather just doesn't go along with our plans. If the weather is iffy, please check your email at 4 pm the day of your session - we will let you know if we are going ahead or not.
If we have to cancel a session due to weather, we will be scheduling an appropriate makeup session at a later date.
Our Guarantee
We're so sure you'll have an amazing time on this camp that we're offering a satisfaction guarantee. View more information about our guarantee.
Lead Instructor.
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Lead Instructor.
Derek's passion for cycling has allowed him to make a living completely in the cycling world. He is a NCCP Level 3 coach and learning facilitator. Derek has also been running a successful high end mobile bike service business for 10 years allowing him to influence the riding experience of many. |
Lead Guide, Lead Instructor and Owner.
Owner and founder of Sacred Rides, Mike now lives in Toronto with his wife and 3 kids after spending 10 amazing post-university years in the Canadian Rockies. He takes great delight in spreading the 'gospel' of mountain biking around the world, and believes bikes can change the world. He is also the founder of Bikes Without Borders, a nonprofit using bikes as a tool for development, and Project Wildfire, a Toronto-based incubator that finds, sparks and supports youth business ideas that serve the greater good. |
Lead Instructor and Assistant Instructor.
Racing has been a big part of Dave's life for the last fifteen years: he is a two-time national cyclocross champion and two-time provincial cross champion, as well as three-time provincial mountain bike champion and silver in the Ontario road bike provincial championships. He's currently enjoying semi retirement in the single speed category at the ontario cup race series, and has a passion for 24 hr races. Currently planning to ride a tour from Vancouver to Calgary with his wife - they also own a tandem and can be spotted the odd time leading out a sprint into King city on the infamous "donut ride". |
Lead Instructor.
Jason is a multi-talented rider! Riding and racing anything with two wheels since 1994 including cross country, downhill, dirt jumping, road, trials and his true love … single speed. When not riding, his time is spent as a bike mechanic or out in the bush cutting new trail. As an NCCP certified instructor he has the ability to teach any level of rider, from those new to the sport to the elite racer looking for an edge. Jason loves to share his passion for riding and his enthusiasm is infectious and if possible he will have you hopping on your back wheel by the day’s end. |
Lead Instructor and Assistant Instructor.
Have bike, will travel. |
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Lead Instructor.
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Lead Instructor.
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Airport
What's Included
- 2 hours of instruction with our friendly, certified instructors
- Riding snacks
- Discounts at Gears Bike Shop
- Discounts on Sacred Rides trips
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For More Information
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