Alison Dunlap Adventure Camp

Last Saturday, I had the pleasure of instructing at Alison's Level 1 mountain bike camp here in Colorado Springs. We had a great turn out and tons of fun and learning were had by all. The group started "shredding" at 9am and learned the finer arts of body position on the bike, braking, cornering, wheel lifts, navigating switchbacks, and climbing the wonderful "pea gravel" we have in Colorado Springs.

The group also learned to get your ass WAY BACK behind the saddle when dropping into a steep descent. One special obstacle that presented a challenge for my buddy, whose initials are Mary Barry, was the ditch transition. Like the true spitfire she is, she dropped in and shredded the ditch like a champ! I might add, she was rockin' her new Maverick M7 for the clinic. Every time I turned around, her and her speed demon friend Kay were rocketing down the hillside, scaring the living crap out of yours truly.

One thing that thrills me about working with Alison at her camps and clinics is watching the breakthroughs people make in such a short period of time. I just love seeing those "lightbulb moments" when people just get it, and things start to click. They're riding obstacles they never thought they'd ride, getting their bike to move in ways previously unimaginable. Just looking around at the group, I was treated yet again to a number of smiles and wide eyes as people just kept raising the bar on their skills.

I've coached and instructed at a lot of camps and clinics with various groups over the years and I gotta say, Alison's expertise, down to earth personality, patience, and teaching style are world's above anyone else in the business. For information on riding with the Champ, check out www.alisondunlap.com. A level 2 clinic is being offered in Colorado Springs on May 5 & 6.