Page 39 - The Wish Stream Year of 2021 (Crest)

Exercise DOWNHILL DRAGON
From the 12th to 17th December 2021, six OCdts led by Staff Corporal Martin (instructor) departed RMAS on Ex DOWNHILL DRAGON,
consisting of five days mountain biking in South Wales. With top of the range bikes, kitted out with full suspension, and full-body dirt suits, we were ready for anything the trails could throw at us.
The week was spent either hurtling down trails at Bike Park Wales or the Black Mountain Cycle Centre, or challenging technical climbs at Afan Forest Park and the Forest of Dean in Glouces- tershire. The downhill routes typically consisted of incredibly muddy conditions. Lessons had to be learnt about the “line” one took through the corners, balancing our weight on the bikes. Fur- thermore, we learnt how to “push” the bike away from us and lean back so as to land both wheels on the ground at once. Our main learning points on the second day included: trying to generally relax whilst riding, tips on braking, and using speed to cross difficult obstacles/jumps. One
OCdt Knight
of the more helpful tips when cornering was to shift your weight into the corner by turning your hips. Most importantly we learnt that, more often than not, speed was key, as well as focusing on where your bike was going rather than staring helplessly at the front wheel. In terms of climbing, this presented a real challenge; however, many of the skills learnt on the downhill sections were applicable here, including looking round the cor- ners and maintaining speed and momentum. In particular, Day 5 saw us climb roughly 1000ft up to the top of the W2 trail which took us along the tops of the fells past the windmill farm overlook- ing the valley. Uphill surprisingly was the most lethal and saw us falling off regularly due to our lack of momentum over some tricky tree roots.
Overall, the trip was a resounding success and thoroughly enjoyable, seeing the entire group stretched out of their comfort zones and improving in all aspects of their mountain biking proficiency!
SANDHURST 37
stcudorp demeht
yratilim & SAMR
gro.tsurttsruhdnas.pohs
pohS enilnO
tsurT
tsruhdnaS