If you are an adventure rider, and you want to improve your riding skills, then you are at the right place! This series of 5 progressive adventure riding clinics will provide you with a world class trainer (Jules Huguenin), who will help you achieve your riding goals.

Jules Huguenin has been working with RemoteMoto to design this training clinic – specifically for New Zealand adventure riders.

As you work through each of the 5 clinics, you will learn a wide range of skills that will allow you to ride with more confidence, more control, and maximize your adventure riding experience.

These clinics focus on taking trials riding techniques and applying them to your specific adventure bike. As we all know, nearly all the great enduro riders around the world have a strong background in trials. This is because this century-old discipline develops your technical riding ability and improves your riding across all other disciplines.

Jules Huguenin is an experienced and highly respected trials rider, riding Expert grade in New Zealand, and having competed in the world trials championships and French nationals. Aside from being an exceptional rider, Jules possesses the ability to teach you riding skills, in an easily digestible way.

Training clinics Level 1 and Level 2 are excellent for adventure riders who feel they want to gain more control of their bike. These clinics are run in an off-road location on a private farming station. The sections you will ride include dirt tracks, small hill sidling, small hill climbs, small hill descents, line picking through obstacles, small creek crossing, bike recovery, etc. The training will focus on feet and body positioning, bike balance, clutch and throttle control, focus points, picking lines, etc. As you move through both levels, you will gain a number of skills to successfully ride a wide range of typical off-road terrain, when adventure riding in New Zealand.

Training clinics Level 3, Level 4 and Level 5 are for riders who want to take their skills to the next level, and become masters of bike control. If riding some of New Zealand’s remote and exciting adventure routes is what you want to do, then these clinics will help you achieve this. These clinics are run in different off-road venues on private farming stations. The sections you will ride include dirt tracks, steep hill climbs and descents, steep hill sidling, line picking, creek/stream sections, obstacles such as logs, rocks, gaps etc. The training will continue to polish your balance and bike control, improve your ability to process feedback from your bike, so your riding becomes precise, and poetic. A multitude of riding techniques will be gained as you move through each level – this is an exciting and rewarding time!

Notes and Considerations

These are not gravel road riding clinics, however the skills you gain will naturally improve your gravel road riding – considerably.

The Level 1 clinic is not suitable for absolute beginners. Riders need to be at a level where they are not distracted by simple bike operation, and feel confident to start learning new riding techniques.

It is a prerequisite to have completed Level 1 clinic, before being able to register for level 2, and so on.

The clinics are at an off-road venue meaning your bike does not need to be road registered to attend.

A lunch break of 1 hour will allow riders to rest, have something to eat, and drink. Riders will need to bring their own food and drinks.

Due to the remote locations of the venues, it is common to have no cell phone coverage.

This is an off-road clinic designed for adventure bikes of all makes, models and sizes (small to large bikes). However, this clinic is not designed or suitable for road bikes.

This is an all-weather event meaning the clinic will continue even if it is raining. We encourage all riders to bring wet weather gear so you stay dry, warm, and enjoy the day. Note: it adds an extra element of fun to the day when it is wet!

Learning new riding techniques, in any capacity, presents a possibility that your bike could be dropped, and damage could result. Please be aware of this and only attend these clinics if you are comfortable with this. Generally, the wear and tear on bikes is no more than a typical adventure ride.

Requirements

Due to the off-road terrain in these clinics, you will need off road capable tyres. As a minimum, good condition 50/50 tyres (front and rear) are required. The more off-road oriented the tyres you have, the better – especially if it is going to be wet. If your tyres are too worn, or otherwise unsuitable, there may be sections you will be asked to stand down from, to ensure your safety. If you are unsure if your tyres will be suitable, feel free to ask.

Depending on the venue, season and recent weather patterns, there may be a high fire risk. This means you will need to carry a small fire extinguisher with you. You will be notified in the email after registering if you need to carry one. The most common and convenient way to carry a fire extinguisher is in a small backpack. Small fire extinguishers can be purchased for around $20 to $30 from most hardware stores such as Mitre 10, Bunnings, etc and are a great addition to you adventure riding kit.

It is important to keep hydrated throughout the day. You should either have a backpack with a bladder system, or carry a water bottle in your backpack. This is especially important if a section takes you far away from the car parking area.

Safety and Extraction Plans

We want to make sure you learn as much as possible, have fun, and stay safe!

Because many adventure riders ride their bikes to these clinics, it presents a challenge to (a) get a bike back home if it becomes damaged, or (b) get a rider back home if they become injured. The easiest way to deal with this is to treat attending these adventure ridding training clinics, as though you are attending a group adventure ride. This means planning ahead for any scenario. This includes two plans:

Bike Extraction Plan

You need to have a plan to get your bike home if it becomes immobilised or has a mechanical failure. This could mean:

a) Attending the event with your bike on a trailer
b) Having an agreement with a riding buddy (that is also attending the clinic) who will help to get you and your bike back home
c) Arranging someone that you can call to come and collect you and your bike

Self Extraction Plan

You need to have a plan to get yourself home in the rare event you have a minor injury (non-life threatening) that means you can no longer ride your bike, or it is not safe for you to ride your bike home. This could mean:

a) Having an agreement with a riding buddy (that is also attending the clinic) who will help to get you and your bike back home
b) Arranging someone that you can call to come and collect you and your bike

Safety is important to us. In the case a bike is damaged, or a rider is injured, we will do all that is possible to work in with your extraction plan, and make the process as smooth as possible for you.

Even a minor incident can bring the clinic to a griding halt if there is no extraction plan. With consideration to all riders (especially those traveling from afar), the goal is to ensure any incidents can be resolved smoothly and safely for the best outcome on all parties.

Fun

The final note is that these training events are fun! You will be in a welcoming and friendly environment with likeminded people. There will be plenty of laughs throughout the day as everyone learns new skills. It is a blast, you’ll love it, come and join us!!

Contact the host of Adventure Rider Trial Clinics – Level 1