Mountain Biking – Tour Grades

Tour Grading System

As we have different tours for different types of bikers, we have incorporated the following grading system.

All of our tours are graded using this system – example: The Best Singletrack is Tour Grade: 3 C

FITNESS LEVEL: 1

You are not a sports person. Even small climbs are challenging and you cannot ride for more than an hour on flat terrain at a time.

FITNESS LEVEL: 2

Basic fitness from exercising once or twice per week. You can ride on flat or gently rolling terrain at a steady pace. Usually you have the stamina to spend 2-4 hours out on a ride.

FITNESS LEVEL: 3

Moderate fitness from two or three sessions of exercise per week. You can ride hilly terrain at a steady pace, or more demanding terrain but only for shorter rides

FITNESS LEVEL: 4

Good fitness from regular exercise sessions and time spent actively involved in cycling. You can ride full days in any terrain at a steady pace.

FITNESS LEVEL: 5

Excellent fitness from regular training and a significant amount of time spent riding or racing. You can ride in any terrain at a demanding pace.

SKILL LEVEL: A

You have never ridden a mountain bike before. This level is restricted to our skills camps.

SKILL LEVEL: B

You have no experience of mountain biking or limited experience, mainly on gravel tracks or smooth trails, but you can already cycle.

SKILL LEVEL: C

You can ride with confidence on gravel tracks and trails, over loose stones and some rough ground. You may have some experience of man-made single trails and you feel happy on blue and red routes.

SKILL LEVEL: D

You can ride over most normal terrain including steep, rough, narrow tracks with tree roots and other small obstacles forming part of the normal ride. You will be able to ride most small drops/step-downs or other technical trail features.

SKILL LEVEL: E

You can ride over any terrain including very rocky, severe descents, 2+ foot high drop-offs and other more challenging trail features.