On 7/15 at Barber, I made a last minute decision and decided to participate in Jason DiSalvo's Ride University. What a great decision. There were 4 of us in the class, and 3 coaches including Jason. The format was classroom session, riding session with a coach following and taking video, and then video review session. We repeated this process 5 or 6 times during the day. My riding improved dramatically after the first classroom session where the topic was body position. Jason explained it very clearly, and in a novel way. In addition to the usual discussion of why it's important to use your body, Jason discussed *how* to use your body. Your inside leg should form a triangle (foot, knee, hip), with the quadricep acting as a load-bearing muscle. Your upper body should extends out over your inner leg, and the leg should supports the weight of the upper body, which in turn removes weight from your hands. This made so much sense that I felt more comfortable with body position after my first lap than I ever have in 4 years on the track. Other topics were lines and trail braking. Jason showed us some great lines through Barber that really helped me improve my speed and confidence, while feeling safer. He said that the chicane after museum corner is actually the most important turn on the track! His advice on that chicane not only helped me gain a ton of speed, but forever changed how I will approach all chicanes. The use of video as the primary pedagogical tool really helped hammer home the skills we learned in class, and allowed for very personalized and specific guidance. Usually, when coaches and other riders make observations about your riding, they ask you to recall something you did, e.g. "remember your line through Charlotte's web?" The video not only helps you remember, but allows you to see details that you otherwise wouldn't notice. Jason and the coaches had eagle eyes and noticed and commented on very subtle things that most wouldn't notice. I remember thinking that my front tire hit a piece of debris in turn 2, and I almost went down. During the video debrief, the coaches asked me what happened. I said I thought I hit something. They rewound the video and noted that the only thing I hit was a patch of water. Luckily, I had such a relaxed grip on the bars because of Jason's body position teachings that my front tire slipped, adjusted, recovered, and I barely lost any time. In summary, I can't recommend Ride University enough. I have taken levels 1 - 3 of the Keith Code school, but felt like I got something truly unique here. Jason and his crew are great teachers and great guys. Oh, and ask Jason to tell you some of his stories from Europe.
Agreed, thanks for the great write up. I've been thinking about doing a school sometime in the future - this sounds like a solid option.
Thanks! I have also taken 1-4 of Code's CSS, and loved it. Got great info, and coaching. They are top notch in terms of customer service too. That said, I know just like many other things, sometimes a different perspective, or teaching method can make all the difference, or can sometimes just "click" with you personally. I've done the online classes of DiSalvo's school, and learned from them. I met Jason and his staff at Barber a few weeks ago to inquire, and they were very helpful. I intend to take his school on track at some point as well. Thanks for the review.