Interview - Tony Williams of Evolve MTB Coaching

We caught up with Evolve MTB's Tony Williams and had a chat about his experiences in the Mountain Bike Industry and about how coaching could improve you as a rider.

Tell us a little about yourself?

My name is Tony Williams or Oldmantone, the cheek of it! Anna (my partner) and I are fortunate to be living in rural Devon nr. Bishopsteignton, a stone’s throw from bridle paths & green lanes; Ace for a quick thrashing (of the bike).

I have the pleasure of gracing two cracking bikes at the moment; a Specialized Demo 8 in a medium & a Nukeproof Mega in small. Both bikes are unbelievable to ride, the Demo is oh so balanced and plush and will handle anything you can throw at it. As for the Mega? This bike is the dogs dangalies, It rides uphill, jumps with extreme confidence, and downhill’s like a demon on steroids, it is possibly the most fun bike I have ever ridden.

I currently hold a MBLA Trail Leader & I’m a trained OTC Technical Mountain Bike Leader, which means I can lead groups up to the dizzy heights of 500m & within half an hour of a road/track/refuge, which is ace for pretty much 75% of the UK for riding!

How did you get into the world of Mountain Biking?

I got my first mountain bike from a catalogue in 1987, as the bike shops round here didn’t stock them. We used to break so many square tapered chainsets back in those days, it was insane!

My brother and I would go to Decoy Woods & ride the MX trails up there and then go to the BMX track and totally finish off the bikes! We would bodge them back to life with bits of coke can just so we could ride them the next day! We would experiment and make parts you’d see in magazines, some would break after one ride, others would last a little longer.

Since I got my first mountain bike, there hasn't ever been a time that I haven't had one; I've always been involved with MTB’s since they graced our shores back in the day!

You must of ridden your bike in some pretty cool places... Where's your favourite spot a mountain bike has taken you?

In 2006 I went with some friends on a road trip to Les Arcs in the French Alps for a week, it was simply stunning. Brilliant people, amazing natural back country trails and absolutely stunning scenery. We rode this one track that took an hour & a half to get down, bloody crazy too… Mind you café side at Haldon is awesome and I enjoy doing skids out on the lane, but the Alps have it by a country mile.

What made you want to start coaching mountain biking?

Sat on the chair lift in 2006 thinking about stuff, a little light bulb flickered in my head and hey presto. I used to be an Area Youth Worker for Devon County Council and we used to run bike trips in the summer for the young people that I would lead. I saw a gap in the market down here & thought, sod it you only live once. Took a gamble from going from a nice salaried job & here I am still going 5 years later.

How long have you been coaching?

I started Evolve Mtb in 2008.

What does an average session of your coaching involve?

Most of the people that come to me for a coaching session are in the 30 – 50 year old bracket, with a massive range of abilities & experience. I run the sessions totally based on their needs as a rider, so that could be wanting to learn lifting the front wheel, how to do bunny hops, wheelies, drop offs, line choice, bike set up, cornering etc.

Best and worst bits about being a mountain bike coach?

My job is amazing, I get to ride in some of the most stunning locations in the South West, with enthusiastic people; you can’t beat it when it's a warm summer's day on Dartmoor & the group are up for it.

The flip side of this is when you get up in the morning & it's hooning it down & you can't even see the moors, then motivating 30 primary school children for a day means you have to be full of beans & energetic but once everyone's out and involved, it’s always a blast. Having to clean 20 odd bikes & all the kit isn't what it's cracked up to be though!

We have seen you have a fleet of bikes to lend out for coaching... talk us through those bikes?

Yep, I've got 32 Specialized bikes, a mix of Hardrocks & Hotrocks which fit nicely onto a Burtec 18 bike trailer. The bikes are spot on for what I use them for, a massive thanks to the guys at Hot Pursuit Cycles for sorting me out with them. These bikes are used 98% of the time for groups who book me out for an activity with a school, they very rarely get used for coaching sessions, but we normally do some basic skills tuition as part of the group ride.

How much progress can you expect to see from a few sessions with yourself?

Mainly confidence in what the bike is capable of & trusting yourself when your brain is telling you otherwise. It’s great to see when people suddenly "get" what you're asking them to do & it works.

What’s the most common problem you come across in your coaching?

It amazes me how many people sit down when they're riding, the other big thing is people not looking far enough down the trail, especially around corners (there's free tip right there!).

People spend a lot of money on new bikes or components to make them a better rider. Would it be a better investment to spend it on coaching?

Without selling myself… most definitely!! Having someone watch how you ride, where you transfer weight, where and how you brake and showing someone how to ride a section of trail that looks near impossible helps massively. It's so easy to get stuck in a rut with your riding, a bit like car driving where you pick up bad habits, having a coaching session will help progress you as a rider.

Any last words?

Why walk, when you can ride!

A big thanks to Tony for giving up his time. You can find out even more info on Evolve MTB over at www.evolvemtb.co.uk