Published: 04 September 2013
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We are currently looking for some experienced mountain bike leaders who are ready to take the next challenge and would like to attend the pilot course of our brand new Level 3 Mountain Bike (MTB) Leadership Award.
Who should attend the course?
The Level 3 MTB Leadership Award is aimed at highly experienced mountain bike leaders who wish to extend their remit to include remote terrain and trails of severe technical difficulty. Leaders at this level are expected to be proficient in all areas of mountain bike leadership.
The three day training course builds upon the skills and knowledge gained at Level 2, with expansion on specific topics that are covered in more depth. Particular focus will be on group management in technical terrain, navigation in challenging conditions with few navigational features, and incident management in remote environments.
The course is very practical; the majority takes place out on the trail, with plenty of opportunities to practice.
What does pilot course mean
“Pilot course” means that this is the first Level 3 MTB Leadership training course to be run for paying customers.
You will receive the same high level of information, tutoring and support as on any of our other courses and the qualification will be valid once you have completed all aspects of the course including the assessment.
“Pilot course” also means that we will be asking course learners to provide extensive feedback to British Cycling on course content and delivery, and to thank you for doing this, learners on the pilot course will receive a 20% reduction on the normal cost.
We will also be utilising the pilot course to gain feedback from learners who currently hold a Trail Cycle Leader (TCL) or Mountain Bike Leader (MBL) qualification, as well as the course tutors. This information, combined with a mapping exercise, will be used to determine any future conversion requirements from the MBLA scheme to the Level 3 MTB Leadership Award.
Pre-requisites
To attend the course, learners will need to:
- Be a qualified British Cycling Level 2 MTB Leader, Trail Cycle Leader (TCL) or Mountain Bike Leader (MBL)
- Be a member of British Cycling and registered with the British Cycling Mountain Bike Leadership programme
- Complete and return a course booking form
- Hold a current two-day Outdoor First Aid Certificate issued by an HSE registered provider, or equivalent, and provide British Cycling with a copy
- Provide British Cycling with logbook evidence relevant to the Level 3 Award (you will be provided with a logbook prior to the course)
Personal standards
To attend Level 3 training, it is essential that learners are:
- Well practised and fully competent in all aspects of the Level 2 MTB Leadership Award (or TCL or MBL Awards as appropriate)
- Committed mountain bikers prepared to ride all day in challenging, up to black graded terrain with energy in reserve
- Skilful riders, competent at negotiating the typical trail features found in Level 3 terrain where obvious line choices and rollable options are often not available. Required techniques include step-up, bunny-hop and drop-off techniques
- Comfortable with setting a map, taking bearings and creating flow in a trail environment
- Equipped with a working knowledge of the variety of mechanical systems on current mountain bikes and have a desire to increase your knowledge
Course dates, venue and cost
The three day course will be held from 3rd to 5th October 2013 at Glenmore Lodge, Scotland's National Outdoor Training Centre located in the heart of the Cairngorms National Park.
To account for this being a pilot course and the expectations for enhanced feedback from learners, the cost of attending the course is significantly reduced, from the usual course fee of £295, to £235 (a 20% reduction).
TCLs and MBLs will also need to register onto British Cycling’s Mountain Bike Leadership programme. This will be offered at a reduced price of £28* for non members (to cover the cost of British Cycling Ride membership). For existing members, registration will be free of charge.
*Please note that the registration fee has been waived for the purposes of the pilot course. The normal cost of registration onto the programme is £95 for non British Cycling members, or £67 for existing members.
Please also note that spaces are limited to 10 learners on the pilot course.
Further information
Frequently asked questions, specifically related to the Level 3 pilot course, can be found on British Cycling’s website:
Please click the following link to download a booking form:
Alternatively, please contact the Recreation Education team on:
Tel: 0161 274 2063
