LVLUP training at Wolf Bike Park
The morning air is already hot and humid. Our mountain bike trio is on its way to the country, near Sutton. Just a few minutes from the American border, we arrive in Hansonville. We can’t believe our eyes, right there in front of us, a bike park! We finally reach our destination – a little late, an unfortunate classic for us – while Simon Drouin, seasoned mountain biker, trainer and founder of Wolf Bike Park, was waiting for us in the parking lot. We put our protective gear and helmets on and we’re ready for our 3-hour jump and drop training with LVLUP.
Simon runs the LVLUP mountain bike school along with his team of certified trainers. LVLUP’s mission is to make this fast-growing sport accessible by helping riders learn the right techniques and develop skills and respect their limits. Riders of all ages and all levels are welcome in the Wolf, the perfect place to learn and improve.
Newbies can build a solid base to ride consciously and securely or experts can to fine tune their jumping technique. LVLUP even offers clinics for those who want to perfect their jumping style. There are choices of private, semi-private courses or clinics.
Trails to Learn and Improve
With its six beginner to expert trails, including a soft uphill and a pump track, the Wolf Bike Park is the perfect place to progress. We learned that pretty quickly!
We set goals and communicate our expectations from the start to get the most out of our lessons. We reviewed the basics, such as position on the bike in order to progress as well as learn to evaluate our braking zones, drop technique, and analysis of upcoming obstacles in our path.
After a brief evaluation of our skills in the Artifact, we climbed the Portage and then practiced some techniques in the Drava. All the trails at the Wolf Bike Park are designed to achieve a good fluidity in the descents and to be able to apply the techniques learned during the training. As our coach would say: You won't impress me when you go fast. You will impress me when you have fluidity and consistency in your movements. We all agree: Simon is an amazing teacher!
Beyond our Expectations
The last hour of the training is devoted to drops. Three levels were set up in a section of the park to practice this technique. The hour passed quickly and we all managed to achieve our goals.
Beyond our expectations, we absolutely loved training with LVLUP at the Wolf Bike Park! So much so, that coming back for another level of training is definitely a possibility. Or simply to tackle the trails, the drops and the pump track again. The Wolf is open for free sessions according to the week's schedule with a maximum of 50 people.
Beer in hand and a bag of chips at our disposal, sitting in the sun on our camping chairs, we end our morning with a well-deserved tailgate – happy and impatient to hit the Laurentian trails to practice what we learned.
For more information on the Wolf Bike Park and LVLUP their Websites.
