Shine & SheJumps South Shore MTB Clinic

For a little background: Meghan Kelly of SheJumps and I (Robyn) have been trying to plan something like this for at least a couple of years. Finally this time it came together, and along with Gretchen we planned a whole weekend of mountain bike fun for the ladies on the south shore of Lake Tahoe on June 7 & 8. I had originally wanted to race the Battle Born Enduro in Reno that weekend, but lacking a proper bike, that idea got scrapped in favor of the clinic.  I didn't know what lay ahead at the time but I wound up riding way too much trying to get into shape this spring and causing some painful inflammation in my left hip. Despite Gretchen having moved up to the Shasta area to go back to school, she was able to make it back down to Tahoe for the clinic, and I am so thankful! She did most of the skill demos and led a short ride at the end of the clinic, which I never would have been able to muster with a gimpy hip.

   On Saturday morning I kept having to run back into the house after remembering things, so I didn't make it to South Shore Bikes until 9; a bit later than we had planned on meeting. As I pulled up to the parking lot I saw a row of cars with bikes all around and women putting helmets on and pumping up tires. Impressive, to say the least, considering I had told Gretchen the day before that I wasn't sure how many people to expect, 5 or 6 maybe... I scrambled around for a pen and paper to make a sign in sheet. 15 names, wow! This being the first time I was actually in charge of such an event, I couldn't help but feel a little discombobulated. I have assisted with the Marla Streb clinic at Northstar a couple of times, and done a few clinics with Lindsay and Shine, but not really on my own. Still in a bit of a daze we gathered everyone around my truck for introductions, then started bike checks while chatting with the ladies and getting to know them a little more.

   We ran through a number of skills in the parking area, from basic body positioning to braking, cornering, and even got into front wheel lifts, bunny hops, and riding off a curb. There were lots of laughs and smiles, and we could see each and every woman getting their skills dialed and gaining confidence. With about an hour left we took a snack break for some Nature's Bakery fig bars, and Gretchen led everyone on an easy ride to Fallen Leaf Lake and back to practice and put it all together. A flat tire was the only casualty, and the group came back all smiles and asking about more clinics in the area.


   Meghan took the lead on Sunday's ride up Tahoe Mountain, where some of our students tested out their newly learned skills from the clinic, and a few new faces came out to join the all-abilities ride. I dropped by the Pearl Izumi outlet around noon for a short bike maintenance/trailside repair session with the group. We went over fixing flats, broken chains, adjusting derailleurs and suspension, when to replace tires and how often to clean your bike (hopefully every ride)

    I didn't have a definite answer as to when we will be holding more clinics but told everyone to keep checking the Shine Riders Co. calendar and email newsletters, and the SheJumps Facebook page for updates, because with the success of this clinic Gretchen and I definitely want to be doing a few more! When Lindsay recovers from her spleen incident we hope to get her up here as well. I'm hopeful that I can come up with the funds to become a certified mountain bike instructor because it is so much FUN and I'd like to improve my coaching skills and start leading group tours!