Page 43 - Bugle Autumn 2024

7 RIFLES
Mountain bike instruction
Ex BUGLE PURSUIT
Mountain Bike Adventure Training
In March, G Company were able to get away on a weekend of Mountain Bike (MTB) Adventure Training (AT). Running to a tight budget, eighteen Riflemen from across the Company were able
to participate in a skills development weekend which saw the least-experienced move from complete novices to confident, tackling a red route in just 48 hours. The ‘Rifles family’ ethos proved up to the challenges of delivering Company AT in the context of intense funding cuts to budgets at the start of this year, with sister Battalion 6 RIFLES kindly offering up the use of their accommodation, free-of- charge to enable 7 RIFLES to deliver some quality MTB training in the Forest of Dean.
Riflemen from G Company spent two days being introduced to the fundamentals of Mountain Biking, completing basic skills training before tackling the increasingly complex trails available across the cycle centre. The use of crown feeding, RIFLES training estate, and in-house instructors allowed the limited budget available to be spent on hiring high-end mountain bikes directly on-site – maximising the experience for the Riflemen and reducing the G4 burden considerably.
Consequently, we were able to focus
on delivering some challenging AT, with all students confidently attempting red-graded routes by the end of the weekend. With most of the Company based in London, the experience of downhill MTB proved a novel one for most– and the controlled exposure to risk was a great opportunity to work outside individual comfort zones. Watching a Rifleman who leads house raids for the Metropolitan Police Service in ‘civvy street’ scream at the top of his lungs careering wildly down the first slope is an experience that will certainly stay with me and proves the value of stretching AT!
Lt Tom Smith
G Company
On the Red Route!
RIFLES The Bugle 43