ECP,

The 2022 ECP Mountain Biking School is doing a day trip to Ray's Indoor MTB in Cleveland on Saturday, January 11.  Everyone in the club including family and friends is invited to this public !

2024 MTB School students: Your school registration fully covers this event pending remaining school funds coverage for the number of student attendees.

Some useful knowledge nuggets about Ray's:

• Carpool: Save the environment yinz! It's a 2 hour drive each way from Pittsburgh.
• Directions: If you're driving, make sure you know exactly where the park is because you will enter an industrial complex and Ray's is just one of the otherwise nondescript buildings that does have a sign but easy to pass up
  
• Attire: Ray's is like a cave in the sense that the inside temperature is in the upper 50's, so bring an extra layer for sitting around, otherwise, shorts and t-shirt are fine attire once you get riding.  Bring an extra set of dry/warm clothes for the ride home or just hanging out when you're done riding
  
• Pads: Bring whatever you have. You can rent them as well. I have two extra sets of shin/knee pads and one extra set of elbow pads if anyone would like to borrow them, let me know
• Pedals: If you ride clipped in, this is a good pace to consider riding on flats given the amount of features
  
• Rentals:  If you're interested in renting a dirt jumper or bmx bike (not covered by school funds), please call Ray's ahead of time - they tend to get busy on Saturdays and may run out if you wait until the last minute. If you want to try one of my BMX bikes, let me know to bring it
• Lunch: (around 11:30am-ish) is on the school (for students and instructors only, if school funds remain after covering student entry).  We may also provide a later meal if people are still hanging around.  They have a water fountain but it's a good idea to have a water bottle or 2 handy & filled and have some electrolyte drink mix
  
• Tools: I'll bring a toolset and pump but they have those tools available, and bring an extra inner tube for your bike
• Helmet: Don't forget your helmet - it's required!
• Laps with the school: Instructors will lead a casual lap or two through the park to show you all around, after that you're on your own!  Most of us tend to gravitate to the pump tracks, some smaller jump lines, and the technical MTB lines
• Have a plan: The key to getting the most out of your day is to REST, HYDRATE, EAT, STAY WITHIN YOUR LIMITS, and HAVE FUN!  If you do lap after lap without stopping, you'll be spent in the first 2 hours. Do a lap, high five everyone, and share some stoke before the next lap.  It's easy to dehydrate because of the cool conditions and forget to eat because it's so much darned fun!  Nearly every feature can be rolled and inspected ahead of riding it - know your capabilities and how much you want to push yourself without being at a complete loss for how to negotiate a feature (a warning sign that your confidence and experience aren't up to that feature)
• Departure: If you have commitments later that night, you will likely be pretty pooped by 4pm or so, but you'll have plenty of time to return home.  Just be careful of your energy - you might need a coffee IV drip to stay awake if you rode hard all day!

More details to follow a few days before the event.

Lenny