Bike
MTB
Behind the scenes at the Red Bull Mountain Bike Performance Camp 2023
The stars of downhill, freeride and enduro were at Dyfi Bike Park for three days of riding, physio and fine-tuning their set-ups. Find out what went down in Wales here.
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In May, Red Bull held a Mountain Bike Performance Camp in Dyfi Bike Park, Wales, the second such event, following its debut in 2022. It was the perfect build-up for some of the athletes in attendance ahead of Enduro World Series rounds and the start of the UCI Mountain Bike Downhill World Cup in Lenzerheide this coming weekend.
Offering a vast range of riding, the Athertons' mountain biking mecca caters for all disciplines with its flat-out downhill race tracks, floating freeride jump lines and backcountry enduro tracks that branch out into the surrounding mountains. Combined with the bike park's expanding infrastructure, you've got the perfect venue for an elite-level progression camp.
The Performance Camp was about hard work but there is always fun to be had
© Dan Griffiths
The camp saw some of the biggest names in mountain biking come together to train, ride and, notably, have fun on some of the best tracks in the UK. With a gym set-up, on-site coaches and physios, timed racing, massive trail variety and shuttles running late into the evening, it proved the perfect opportunity for riders of all disciplines to make fast, effective progress on the bike ahead of the season.
"It's about getting a load of sick riders together, looking after them and giving them everything they need to perform," explains Dan Atherton. "We wanted to give the athletes the facilities and options without pressuring them with too much structure. The riders know what's best for them, so we wanted to create a space where they could use the opportunities as they see fit to best progress their riding."
The Welsh weather was on good form throughout the camp
© Dan Griffiths
The Mountain Bike Performance Camp is everything an elite-level rider could ask for, but how did it all come about?
01
Humble origins
The Performance Camp was a who's who of mountain biking royalty
© Dan Griffiths
Anybody familiar with the Atherton family knows their undeniable passion for progression. From early trail building in the woods to their race team academy, the creation of Red Bull Hardline, Atherton Bikes and Dyfi Bike Park, it all comes back to improving the sport.
The first Mountain Bike Performance Camp landed in Dyfi in 2022, but its roots go way back. In 2012, a group of young mountain bikers were handpicked for the Red Bull Junior Progression Camp, which saw the likes of Tahnée Seagrave, Manon Carpenter, and Mike Jones descend on Crogen Estate for a week of coaching and development with Gee and Dan.
The Athertons have been instrumental in unearthing talent over the years
© Dan Griffiths
Dissatisfied with the amount of support downhill racing was receiving at the time, the main motivation behind the camp was to connect with the next generation, and identify and nurture future talent moving into downhill World Cup racing.
"Inspired by the lack of support that the British federation [British Cycling] was supplying to downhill at the time, and a fundamental misunderstanding of what the sport was about, it was that which drove us to create a platform that allowed the riders to work through the ranks, and give back to the sport that had served us," says Dan Brown, founding director of Atherton Racing and Dyfi Bike Park.
The worlds of downhill and enduro came together at the Performance Camp
© Dan Griffiths
Stoked about how things went in 2012, the Athertons have been eager to put together another camp and carry those opportunities over to the pros ever since. In previous years, they've lacked the infrastructure to make it happen, but the opportunity has slowly begun to arise as the bike park has taken shape.
"We've wanted to do this for a long time, but we also knew it was only worth doing if we could do it right," says Gee Atherton. "If you're going to do this for elite athletes, it's got to be a good set-up, and everything needs to be prime, otherwise, it's not worth them doing it. Food, physios, coaches, riding and infrastructure - it's hard to get all those things in one place, but now with the bike park, we can make that happen."
It has been a long time in the making, but the wait has been well worth it, as the Red Bull Mountain Bike Performance Camp 2023 showed.
Two-time EWS champ Richie Rude was in attendance in Wales
© Dan Griffiths
Kade Edwards was on hand to do what he does best
© Dan Griffiths
02
The disciplines and their differences
The Performance Camp is an entirely inclusive affair and sees riders from downhill, enduro and freeride travel to Wales for three productive days on the bike.
Enduro saw the likes of Greg Callaghan, Richie Rude, and Martin Maes, while downhill brought names like Tahnée Seagrave, Jackson Goldstone, Kade Edwards, and Vali Höll, to name a few. Even some of the freeride athletes made an appearance, with Matt Jones, Thomas Genon, Kaos Seagrave, and Hannah Bergemann dropping in to make the most of the opportunities on offer.
Rachel Atherton and Martin Maes swap notes
© Dan Griffiths
"The Performance Camp was exactly what I needed to prep for the year ahead," says Jackson Goldstone. "Full days of unlimited bike park laps with timing available and a great physio and workout zone helped me iron out the last kinks and set me right for the season."
Each riding discipline requires a different approach, so their focuses at the Performance Camp vary accordingly. Where a downhill racer like Tahnée Seagrave would set up her bike for speed and take advantage of the timing system on the fast downhill tracks, a freeride athlete like Thomas Genon would opt for a firmer set-up, and focus his efforts on one of the floating jump lines where he can find the airtime to work on his tricks.
Genon focused on nailing the tricks and techniques required for freeriding
© Dan Griffiths
Taking advantage of tracks, the physios and the trainer's advice, I'm returning home knowing what I need to work on for the coming months
"It was sick being there riding my bikes with no real pressure," says the Belgian freeride specialist. "Taking advantage of tracks, the physios and the trainer's advice, I'm returning home knowing what I need to work on for the coming months."
Putting down consistent laps on World Cup-level tracks in a timed environment is super effective for the racers getting in that racing headspace, and riding alongside each other quickly brings on the pace.
Vali Höll and Tahnée Seagrave share a joke before the serious stuff starts
© Dan Griffiths
On the final day, a mock race day was run, allowing riders, mechanics and staff to go through the motions, dial in their set-ups, and ensure they were ready to head into the first UCI World Cup in Lenzerheide, Switzerland all guns blazing.
The Austrian will be aiming to add to her collection of race wins
© Dan Griffiths
Getting to ride with some of the other pros was a lot of fun, and having timing on track was super helpful and motivating
"It was my second time at the Performance Camp, and I took a lot more advantage of it this year," adds the 2021 UCI Downhill MTB Overall World Cup winner Vali Höll. "I brought along my mechanic, and we played around with different suspensions and settings throughout the week. Getting to ride with some of the other pros was a lot of fun, and having timing on track was super helpful and motivating."
For the downhill racers, their World Cup season is just on the horizon, but it's a different story for the enduro crew. They've already tackled two races in Tasmania and are heading into the bulk of their season, with the summer block of World Cups approaching fast.
Greg Callaghan and Richie Rude's enduro seasons are already underway
© Dan Griffiths
The longer downhill trails at Dyfi allowed them to get up to pace, acclimatise themselves with the long descent stages they'll face at the races, and get in a final tune-up before heading to Europe.
Besides offering fantastic views, the backcountry enduro loops gave them the platform to build on their fitness and condition themselves for endurance on those long, gruelling climbs.
Athletes could test themselves against the backcountry's undulating terrain
© Dan Griffiths
Jess Blewitt shows how it's done in Dyfi
© Dan Griffiths
Martin Maes perfecting his flow on one of Dyfi's many berms
© Dan Griffiths
"This camp has been brilliant for me to work on some speed and bike set-up, and it's been cool to ride with the other athletes, learn from each other and push ourselves against the clock," said Callaghan. "Without the consequences of it being a race, we can use the runs to learn, try different approaches or techniques and even follow each other."
Dyfi's jump lines made the ideal playground for the freeriders to hone their skills on the big jumps while dialling in their tricks for various projects and events that will follow during the year.
Matt Jones dropped in for a session at the Performance Camp
© Dan Griffiths
There's little margin for error in competition, and muscle memory needs to be on lock. Floating down the jump lines, the freeride crew could be seen dialling in their tricks and finding comfort in the airtime.
The Performance Camp allowed the freeride athletes to stack the content and refamiliarise themselves with an event environment. Without a race series to bring them together, catching up and riding with other riders who they wouldn't otherwise see was certainly appreciated.
Thomas Genon and Kaos Seagrave plot their next move
© Dan Griffiths
"I used the Performance Camp to help my preparation for the season by getting a lot of quality skills training on the bike," said Bergemann. "Getting to ride with other Red Bull athletes was super helpful for my training, and it was amazing to connect and ride with them in such a fun setting, and working with the physios helped me feel even more supported and prepared for the season."
03
Training and physio
As tempting as it would be to spend their entire time on the trails, almost every rider's training is split between time on the bike and time in the gym.
Ahead of the season, riders will spend a lot of time on strength training, mobility, cardio and bike time, and each rider will have a tailored approach dictated by their discipline, riding requirements and personal needs.
The camp was as much about off-bike fitness as riding
© Dan Griffiths
Charlie Hatton gets put through his paces on the Wattbike
© Dan Griffiths
"My training is pretty varied," explains Höll. "From training in the gym to road biking and skiing, we put everything in to make it fun. I ride up to five different bikes for training in a good week. In winter, we focus more on endurance and gym training to build a good base. When it gets closer to races, we put shorter, more intense sessions in."
To ride at the highest level, you need to train at the highest level, and when the smallest margins can separate you from a win or a loss, no stone can be left unturned. Seldom will an elite-level athlete train without the guidance of a tailored program or, better yet, a dedicated coach.
Alan Milway has coached some of the best riders over the years
© Dan Griffiths
Alan Milway has trained elite mountain bike racers for the best part of two decades and has been the Atherton's go-to man for over 10 years. He still helps keep Gee and Rach at race pace today and looks after a roster of other household names, including Greg Minnaar, Danny Hart, Ronan Dunne and Joe Breeden.
Equally inspired by the sport's progression, Milway constantly looks for new ways to help give his athletes that edge. He was on-site at Dyfi discussing protocols, training, research and rehab with the other medical staff, with the view of improving delivery and support to all of Red Bull's riders.
He also spent much of the week researching the performance demands of downhill racing and collecting various data fields from riders as they did their timed runs. Using a modified accelerometer, heart rate and blood lactate reading, he was able to give a more detailed insight into the physical strain of the discipline.
Milway was also researching how physically intensive downhill riding is
© Dan Griffiths
"Lactate testing is a useful way of showing how hard the body is working and quantifying how physically demanding an exercise or session is," Milway explained. "It can be carried out in a performance lab or the field – and I have the equipment to do this trackside. A small blood sample will show us the accumulation of lactate in the blood and essentially the higher the lactate, the harder the athlete is working."
Downhill racers focus on short, intense three to five minute runs, so their training matches accordingly. Aside from strength work, much of their training will see them working towards those top-end cardio zones, putting in sprints on the Wattbike or elsewhere.
Jackson Goldstone returned to Wales after his 2022 Red Bull Hardline win
© Dan Griffiths
Working outside of the aerobic zones, the body requires a rapid source of energy, and it does so by breaking down glucose in a process known as glycolysis. Under high-intensity load, the body fails to deliver sufficient oxygen to the muscles, and as a result, lactate is produced as a byproduct.
Milway's lactate testing set-up
© Dan Griffiths
Readings revealed how hard a rider had been pushing
© Dan Griffiths
The accumulation of lactate contributes to the burning sensation and fatigue felt in the muscles during exercise, but by consistently working within those high-end zones, the athletes can condition themselves to deal with this process better.
"We're seeing blood lactate figures similar to those you would see at the end of a rowing event – which is extraordinary, as downhillers have to maintain focus and control on a very challenging skill – not just bury their head, close their eyes and push!" says Milway.
For enduro racers, it's a slightly different story. Although they'll quickly hit those top-end cardio zones on the race stages, they can face between five and eight of those stages on a given day, covering a distance of 30-60km with a lot of climbing in between, so as the name would suggest, they also need to be conditioned for endurance.
Callaghan spreads his riding across a variety of bikes in the off-season
© Dan Griffiths
Naturally, the racers spend a lot of time on the bike, and a typical training week can be between 15-20-plus hours, spread over six days, with one rest day. The variation between the enduro races can be massive, and the discipline combines a lot of different riding styles, so there's a wide range of training to consider.
"Our races can be really varied, so the training is too," adds Callaghan. "I like to ride all types of bikes, so I'll often mix it up, riding everything from gravel to motocross. In winter, there's quite a lot of time spent in the gym, and as the season kicks off, that gets replaced with more bike time."
For freeriders, the variation of riding they might face throughout the year is endless, and the approach to training differs again.
Much of their time will see them digging lines and carrying their bike up mountainsides before they even swing their leg over the bike. Staying fit is essential for them to keep pushing daily and ensuring they're strong enough to take some of the huge hits is non-negotiable.
Dyfi's giant jumps meant riders could practise their air time
© Dan Griffiths
Thomas Genon gets things sideways
© Dan Griffiths
Aside from the physical training, freeriders also have to consider the technical element. Whether for a competition or a video project, their skills need to be on lock and a large majority of their training will see them practising their tricks time and time again, developing that muscle memory.
"For me, it depends on what's coming next: shooting or competing; slopestyle or big bike. In general, though, I aim to stay fit and pain-free while riding my different bikes, working on new moves and keeping my favourite tricks on a routine," says Genon.
When riding at the highest level and pushing yourself to the limits daily, something is bound to give. The body can only take so much and physio is vital in recovery and ensuring the athletes can keep performing.
Höll stretching out that day's riding
© Dan Griffiths
Without a fundamental understanding of its importance, it can easily be overlooked. Most physio involves small movements and incremental gains, which are often invisible, but it all adds up over time and it's a process that needs to be trusted.
Whether nursing an injury or improving mobility, it creates a solid base for athletes to build on, keeping them in good health for the bigger stuff that follows and regardless of discipline, every athlete reaps its benefits.
04
Moving forward
The racing year is just beginning for most riders, and the Performance Camp offered the perfect opportunity to tie up those final loose ends before things kick off. For those already deep within the season, the camp provided a refreshing break from the noise and an opportunity to recharge before things speed up again.
The camp was perfect for fine-tuning settings ahead of the first World Cup
© Dan Griffiths
Riders came away from the camp ready and raring to go
© Dan Griffiths
Using the camp and its facilities as they saw fit allowed riders and teams to focus on their needs under a structure that suited them and having everybody in one place, with everything they needed to hand, made the athletes' time at Dyfi productive and effective.
"You can get a session in the gym with Milway, work with mechanics on bike set-up, ride a huge variety of trails alongside some of the fastest riders in the world and wrap things up with some TLC with the physios all in one day. Being able to jump from one to the other quickly makes things productive, and you pick up a lot over the three days," concludes Gee Atherton.
Leaving Dyfi, everybody appeared to be in high spirits and happy with what they'd achieved over the three days. The Performance Camp has proven its value as an effective means of rider progression and judging by its success, we can assume this is only the beginning.
Seagrave was all smiles ahead of the season opener in Lenzerheide
© Dan Griffiths
Getting that load on the DH was just what I needed
"The Performance Camp came at just the right time as I was finally ready to do full days back-to-back on the DH bike. I was nervous to return to an environment surrounded by fast and focused people, but everything went great. I rode every day and had the physios there to recover properly. Getting that load on the DH was just what I needed." revealed Tahnée Seagrave.
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