There are hidden benefits to a deliberate MTB sessioning group ride
Ride a little, talk a little, ride a little, talk a little, ride ride ride, talk a lot, ride a little more
It’s officially winter here in Minnesota, but late autumn-like weather persists. The freeze-thaw cycle keeps the local MTB trails closed most of the time to prevent muddy ruts. But there’s one all-weather MTB trail designed to withstand conditions like this: the Xcel Energy MTB trail in Shakopee.
Last Friday, I met with two RLC Online MTB Skills Coaching colleagues, Pat Mitzel and Travis Brown, for a deliberate sessioning group ride. That’s a type of group ride in which participants know ahead of time (deliberate) that 90% of the time will be spent either sessioning the obstacles and terrain or talking about the attempts (a type of reflection), especially the fails (partial Strava ride map here.)
As you can see from the photos above (click for a larger view) and videos below, we had fun creatively riding some obstacles in ways the designers probably hadn’t intended. That’s one of the many cool things about sessioning: figuring out how to make obstacles that are too easy for you more difficult, for example, making turns tighter, riding obstacles backward, and changing the approach to minimize momentum.
I see sessioning as a low-stakes practice and performance environment where you’re testing your existing skills on novel obstacles to see how much you’re progressing, giving you information on what you need to work on. The group conversation about everyone’s attempts is a type of reflection that can deepen the learning. And the brain boost from socializing and bullshitting about whatever is icing on the cake.
If you want to go deeper about sessioning, take my MTB Sessioning Online Challenge.
When we were sessioning, I didn’t have it in my head that I would create a post about it. So, our video clips were few. But here’s a taste:
Just 3 of our many boring fails (14-second video):
A few successes (37-second video):
Got comments or questions?
Looks like a fun ride! When I ride with my regular mob we still spend around 50% of our time talking, but it never extends beyond socialising & bullshitting. Both of which are hugely important to my well-being of course, but I may need to track down a practice buddy too.
Nice trail! I may be visiting friends in Minneapolis next fall, so I marked this trail on my maps. I’ve been riding with a local group, and while I enjoy riding alone, I appreciate the company sometimes.