The first of the training sessions for Under 14 and Under 16 year old riders took place on Saturday 28 April 2018 at Tollymore Forest Park. There were nine Under 14s (6 boys and 3 girls) and nine Under 16s (7 boys and 2 girls). The sessions were lead by coaches Gareth McKee, Mark Harvey, Robbie Smyth and Graham Boyd.
The morning session was based around bike handling skills similar to those tested at the Inter-regional MTB Championships. Lots of bike hopping, wheelies, chicanes and riding skinnies. After lunch the groups were escorted along the course for the XC race which was taking place on the Sunday. Riders were shown the correct lines, gear choice and allowed to session the tricky sections of the course.
