Mountain Biking Skill & Fitness Levels Explained

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Mountain Biking Skill & Fitness Levels Explained

Awesome! You’re all set for an amazing adventure! You’ve got your gear, and your passports all ready to go! But hey, we know that when it comes to the assessing your fitness & skill levels for a mountain biking adventure, it can be a little tricky. Don’t worry, we’re here to help!

While it’s not an exact science, we want to make sure that every rider who books a trip with us is matched up with an experience they’ll love. That’s why we offer detailed descriptions to help you discern which adventures are the right fit for you. To make things even easier, here is a complete guide to all our skill and fitness levels. This way you can compare and find the best match for your mountain biking or e-mountain biking experience. Keep in mind, these are the minimum requirements, so you can expect to be pushed both technically and physically at certain points during your riding adventure. Don’t worry, though – that’s all part of the fun!

If you have any questions about your skill or fitness level for a particular trip, just shoot us a message on our chat channels we’ll be happy to assist you!

Skills Levels

Novice

  • You have experience riding a mountain bike / e-mountain bike off-road and feel comfortable.
  • You own a mountain bike / E-MTB and ride it at least once per month.
  • You can change gears, understand braking and can pedal efficiently.
  • You’re comfortable biking on undulating (climbing and descending) dirt tracks or trails, forest trails, double track and occasional single track.
  • You like riding and are comfortable spending 3 – 4 hours in on the saddle.

Intermediate

  • You are comfortable riding most types of terrain in different conditions: single track, double track, muddy tracks, dry, loose trails, loose rocky trails.
  • You can brake, anticipate when you need to change gears, and are comfortable cornering of various trail conditions.
  • You enjoy moderate technical features, such as small rock gardens, small drops and steeper sections, but may get off and walk some technical features
  • You mountain bike / E-MTB two or three times a week throughout your biking season.
  • You enjoy learning and the challenge of tackling more of those moderate technical features.

Advanced

  • You are a very confident rider and can handle most types of riding and obstacles, including drops (of up to 1 foot), rocks, logs, switchbacks, larger rock gardens and sustained technical singl etrack
  • You can brake, use gears and corner instinctively
  • You have excellent bike handling skills and can lift front and rear wheels, do small jumps, corner, climb and descend steep trails
  • You have considerable experience of riding on a wide variety of technical terrains including: rocky, roots, muddy slick or loose, fast single track, exposed trails, bedrock for extended periods
  • You ride at least three times a week and rarely get off and walk sections
  • You can climb and descend comfortably on technical single track, for as long as required
  • You are ok with the challenge of long hike-a-bike climbs and long, technical descents, potentially in difficult weather conditions.

Level 1

  • You exercise at least once a week for more than 45 minutes.
  • You can ride a mountain bike at a relaxed pace for up to three hours a day, with snack and photo stops, for three consecutive days.
  • You can manage mountain bike climbs up to 200 meters each without walking.

Level 2

  • You have a reasonable level of mountain bike fitness, riding at least twice a week for one hour or more, throughout the whole year
  • You can ride a mountain bike for up to five hours per day at a moderate pace, with snack and photo stops, for three consecutive days
  • You are capable of tackling moderate mountain bike climbs, of up to 400 meters.

Level 3

  • You have a good level of bike fitness, riding at least three times every week throughout the year, for an hour at a time or more.
  • You can ride a mountain bike for up to six hours a day at a moderate pace, with snack and photo stops, for three or more consecutive days
  • You can tackle a few fairly significant climbs a day, up to 600 meters each.

Level 4

  • You have an excellent level of bike fitness, exercising four or five times every week throughout the year, for at least an hour at a time or more.
  • You are comfortable mountain biking up to six hours a day at a moderate pace, with snack and photo stops, for four or more consecutive days.
  • You can tackle several serious climbs a day, up to 600 meters each.

Level 5

  • You are in peak physical condition and exercise or ride your bike nearly every single day for at least 90 minutes at a time.
  • You can ride and work seriously hard on the trail for 8 hours each day and for up to 7 days in a row.
  • It doesn’t matter how many steep climbs you have to tackle in a day, you view them as just another mountain you have to get over.

Level 6

Your ready to conquer Alto de Letras, and be crowned KOM!