Riding Levels

Before choosing a riding level, please read this!

When deciding on a riding level, know that we measure our skills against our membership. You may be an intermediate rider outside of our club and an advanced rider with our club or vice versa.

A big part of our group rides is that we’re out with a bunch of equally RAD individuals, to do this thing called mountain biking. We all have good/great rides and we all have rides where we’re a bit off. It’s totally cool to ride with a lower or slower group. If you do ride with a lower level than you normally do, please stay with the group and adjust your speed accordingly.

Everyone progresses at a different pace and that’s totally okay. When moving up in levels start with a slow version of that level, moving up as your skill/speed progresses. The important thing is to know your limits and ride within them.

Our ride hosts want to make sure everyone gets back to the parking lot in one piece and is able to ride with us again. If anything happens on a ride, we always have a buddy escort the rider out. Alternatively, if you leave to ride alone back to the parking lot, we ask you please message the host AS SOON AS YOU GET BACK TO THE PARKING LOT to let them know you got back okay.

Eleven ride levels are listed. Scroll until you find one that resonates for you!


Beginner
New to riding? New to the club? New to Hartland? These rides are a slow-paced introduction to South Vancouver Island Riding. It is highly recommended you take a solo or group lesson with one of the local bike coaches (listed under FAQs) if you have no prior mountain biking experience.

  • Years of experience: None to 1 year
  • Climbs: Easy
  • Descents: Easy/slow
  • Technical: Easy
  • Sessioning: Lots
  • Pace: Slow
  • Stopping: Lots

Experienced Beginner
This is for riders with 1+ years of experience with MNT biking, who are new to the area or are unfamiliar with the terrain. Experience riding single track, as opposed to double track or gravel trails, is required. Rides will focus on progressively working on climbing, descending, and technical skills.  These are slow to medium-paced rides with lots of time to stop and catch your breath.

  • Years of experience: 1+ years
  • Climbs: Easy
  • Descents: Medium/slow
  • Technical: Medium/slow
  • Sessioning: Some
  • Pace: Slow/medium
  • Stopping: Frequently

Experienced Beginner +
If you are slowly progressing with your climbing, descents, and technical skills, like to take your time with pace, and not be rushed, these rides are for you.

  • Years of experience: 1 to 2+ years
  • Climbs: Medium
  • Descents: Medium
  • Technical: Medium
  • Sessioning: Some
  • Pace: Medium
  • Stopping: Some

Cardio Climb Beginner
Want to progress your climbing speed? These rides will focus on staying in a harder gear on climbs, with enough stops to catch your breath.

  • Years of experience: 1 to 2+ years
  • Climbs: Medium/long
  • Descents: Easy/medium
  • Technical: Medium
  • Sessioning: Minimal
  • Pace: Medium
  • Stopping: Minimal

Sessioning
Having trouble with the tricky spots on the trail, need more time to practice, and try those spots multiple times until you get it? Try a sessioning ride.

  • Years of experience: 1 to 2+ years
  • Climbs: Medium
  • Descents: Easy/medium
  • Technical: Medium/hard
  • Sessioning: Lots
  • Pace: Slow
  • Stopping: Lots

Slow Intermediate
You’re working on the punchy uphills and comfortable on medium roll downs and technical areas however comfortable to just ride around as well. This is for those that like to take their time.

  • Years of experience: 2+ years
  • Climbs: Medium/hard
  • Descents: Medium/hard
  • Technical: Medium/hard
  • Sessioning: Some
  • Pace: Slow
  • Stopping: Frequently

Intermediate
For riders comfortable on most punchy unhills and technical descents and like to move at a medium pace with minimal stops, enough to catch your breath. We do stop at larger technical parts to learn and wait for everyone to get through them.

  • Years of experience: 2+ years
  • Climbs: Medium/hard
  • Descents: Medium/hard
  • Technical: Medium/hard
  • Sessioning: Some
  • Pace: Medium
  • Stopping: Some

Intermediate +
This is for riders comfortable on technical ups and downs but are a faster rider. Minimal stopping however the ride will stop at the harder areas to make sure everyone is okay.

  • Years of experience: 3+ years
  • Climbs: Medium/hard
  • Descents: Hard
  • Technical: Hard
  • Sessioning: Minimal
  • Pace: Fast
  • Stopping: Minimal

Cardio Climb Intermediate
Love to climb and focus on being fast and working on your cardio? These rides are for you!

  • Years of experience: 2+ years
  • Climbs: Medium/hard
  • Descents: Medium
  • Technical: Medium
  • Sessioning: Minimal
  • Pace: Fast
  • Stopping: Minimal

Multi-level and Multi-paced Away Rides
These group rides have two levels of ride hosts to explore different mountains on the island.

  • Years of experience: 1 to 2+ years
  • Climbs: Medium/hard
  • Descents: Medium/hard
  • Technical: Medium/hard
  • Sessioning: Some
  • Pace: Slow/medium
  • Stopping: Some

Advanced
For riders very comfortable with climbing, descents, and technical areas, want to be challenged, and don’t need to stop often. These rides will slow down enough to make sure everyone is okay and together.

  • Years of experience: 3+ years
  • Climbs: Hard
  • Descents: Hard
  • Technical: Hard
  • Sessioning: Minimal
  • Pace: Fast
  • Stopping: Minimal