This rock roll workshop ended in surgery (The Full Story)

I share the real story of a 66-year-old rider who trusted a coach during a rock roll workshop… and ended both the coaching session and her riding season with a broken arm. Learning mountain biking as an adult (especially as a cautious or older rider) should never mean being pushed into fear, speed, or features you’re not ready for. This video isn’t about blame. It's about creating AWARENESS for the responsibility mountain bike coaches have, because I hear these kind of stories literally ALL THE TIME!
Professional Mountain Bike Coaching is NOT about motivation. It’s about responsible progression, safe methods, and what beginner riders genuinely need before riding steep features, roll-downs or rock rolls.
Here's the videos I mention in this episode:
1. The science of learning movements, podcast:    • Spontaneously forget your skills on trails...  
2. The science of learning mtb skills, video and a playlist for people who want to learn how to learn:    • Why you will NOT Learn MTB-Skills Effectiv...  
3. Core Skills for Mountain Bikers:    • Core Skills for Mountain Bikers  

If you’re a beginner mountain biker, a returning rider, someone who struggles with fear, or a coach/instructor who cares about doing things right, this video will give you clear insights into:
• how adults learn MTB skills differently
• which fundamentals must be in place before riding rock rolls
• how to recognise safe vs. unsafe coaching
• how fear affects the brain and blocks learning

🎥 This video was filmed honestly, vulnerably, and with the hope to make MTB safer for all of us.
If this helps you, feel free to share it with someone who needs it.

Chapters/Timeline for easy navigation:
0:00 – Intro: This cost me a lot of courage but why I posted anyway
1:08 – MTB Crash during the clinic and the background story
2:30 – Why this crash should not have happened
4:40 – Coaches: Skills you must check before rock rolls
6:00 – Riders: trust your gut!
7:30 – What fear does to your brain (and why learning shuts down)
9:04 – Why it takes more than a 3-day coaching certification
10:08 – Why I see more progress online than in one-day clinics
11:40 – Surviving a section is not learning (and not coaching)
12:40 – What to look for in a mtb coach
13:25 – “Unknowing enthusiasm” and what you really pay a coach for
15:30 – Coaching is not PEOPLE PLEASING (Comparison to a Structural Engineer)
17:50 – Mistakes are necessary = you need a low risk LEARNING ZONE
19:00 – Good MTB Coaching is also about navigating expectations
20:15 – This video is NOT about blame and shame
21:37 – The quiet majority: cautious, older and slower riders deserve better
22:53 – Before you comment: a request for empathy and reflection






#mtbcoaching #realtalk #mtb #roxybike #mountainbiking #mtbtips #mtbfail #mtbfails #mountainbike #mtbfear