Written by Elaine Bothe
Beginner Adults got camp time during our Gateway Green Bike Park summer series!
Why leave all the education to the kids? In July and August this last summer, the NWTA and Portland Parks & Recreation teamed up with Coach Elaine Bothe to offer adult classes for beginners on Monday evenings and Saturday mornings. The weather was on the warm side of fantastic, the blackberries were tasty and we got all our fun done before the pump track repairs started.
For many of the students, this was the first time getting lessons as well as visiting Gateway Green — or at least riding there. Some had ridden past the park but never went to explore.
The popular Monday evening class was designed as a series, the Saturday classes were stand-alone though a few folks signed up for more than one class. The evenings are a great time to ride at Gateway Green, after the heat of the day is past.
For each class we met in the Gateway Fred Meyer parking lot as usual. We started with Q&A about safety, bike fit, gear, brakes and more, along with basic fundamentals including body position, shifting and braking, ratcheting and cornering before riding down the 205 Multi-use Path to Gateway Green. We then learned about how to negotiate the pump track even if we were still working on pumping, rode the trails and worked on other skills including climbing hills, going downhill with control, rocky sections, berms and loose dirt. One student had some riding experience and this person got additional progressive skills to keep learning along with everyone else.
Everyone made significant improvements over the course of the month. We look forward to seeing these folks ride with new comfort zones and skills out on the trails! It’s sad to see summer end, but it is with a great big smile meeting and sharing the learning experience with such fantastic groups.
Big thanks to everyone at the Montavilla Community Center and Portland Parks & Rec who helped make this event happen, Fred Meyer for the use of their parking lot and the ongoing support of Trek Bicycles who donated our fleet of loaner bikes and the Trek Portland Westmoreland store with maintenance assistance, REI and all the other NWTA sponsors and trail builders!
Photos by Elaine Bothe