A few weeks ago, MBA?s assistant editors Ryan Cleek and John Ker went through a weekend mountain bike coaching workshop with Blair Lombardi, who is recognized by the United States Cycling Federation as one of the top cycling coaches in the nation. Lombardi has coached and trained numerous top mountain bikers including Gary Fisher, Missy Giove, Colin Bailey, Caile Noble, Marla Streb and Jimena Florit, working with them to improve their riding skills. Lombardi is one of the most sought-after mountain bike coaches in the world, taking everyone from beginners to world-class riders, and teaching them bike handling techniques that will allow them to ride even better. Does the training work? Absolutely. We?ve interviewed the pros mentioned above about her training, and all gave Blair glowing reviews. Amateurs can also benefit from her coaching (and probably much more so than the pros). MBA assistant editor John Ker went through the class while shooting the photos for the story and reported that the weekend workshop made a huge difference in his own riding abilities, bringing about significant improvements in his technical skills, speed and confidence.
If you?re interested in learning some of Lombardi?s techniques, check out the April issue of Mountain Bike Action. It hit the newsstands on March 6th. Blair?s training techniques and riding tips were unlike any we?d ever heard before, but they work.
Blair Lombardi was a national cross-country champion in 1990 and a member of the national downhill team before beginning her coaching career. For more information on her classes, send an e-mail to inbalance@earthlink.net or call her at 415-456-4251.
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