Art for Art’s Sake – Ryan Draper, cycling coach and instructor

Ryan Draper runs a enterprise doing what he loves. He’s an knowledgeable biking coach and teacher with an arms size of teaching certifications and years of expertise in all features of biking.

“My full time job is being the proprietor and operator of Biking-101 Inc. right here in Canmore,” Draper mentioned. “It’s a full time job planning and executing a season full of camps, clinics, one on one teaching and journey.”

Initially from Sudbury, Ontario, Draper has lived in Canmore since 1999. He fell in love with biking at an early age.

“I feel the mechanism that triggered inside me as a younger boy was the liberty that the bike introduced me,” Draper mentioned. “It actually is a tremendous method to escape the hustle and bustle of actual life and uncover the world round you.”

Now a coach to critical mountain bike racers, Draper was once a top-level competitor himself.

“I used to compete in longer mountain bike occasions just like the 24 Hours of Adrenalin within the solo class in addition to quite a few home and worldwide stage races like Trans Rockies, BC bike race, Breck Epic, Trans Alps, La Ruta, The Cape Epic, Brazil Journey and Trans Andes,” Draper mentioned. “I nonetheless do the races however in recent times I’ve centered extra on fats bike races throughout the winter months when I’ve extra time. I nonetheless do mountain bike race however it’s often with purchasers in companion kind races at a vacation spot occasion or objective race they might have.”

At Biking-101 Inc., Draper and his workers train a quantity biking associated programs and clinics.

“We information, instruct and carry out street, fats and mountain bike suits, (becoming a motorcycle to somebody), and setups frequently,” Draper mentioned. “I focus a big a part of my time on teaching youth and masters degree athletes in mountain bike racing.”

In addition they have shorter programs that cowl the fundamentals of mountain and fats biking, he mentioned.

“However we actually excel in creating customized experiences for our purchasers,” Draper mentioned. “Our objective is at all times to create classes and excursions that cater to our purchasers’ wants and expectations.”

They train riders of all ranges.

“In reality, we do a big chunk of our enterprise with very new riders,” her mentioned.

“All of our clinics and choices can be found to be booked on-line through our web site on our reserving platform,” Draper mentioned. “Nonetheless, I do advocate that folks contact us instantly through e mail so we will help them e-book acceptable classes and actually get a really feel for his or her wants and expectations.”

Draper derives a variety of satisfaction from teaching others.

“Teaching and instructing is extraordinarily satisfying for me as a result of I get to assist others obtain issues they might have deemed not possible,” Draper mentioned. “At its core educating the fundamentals to newcomers is rewarding as a result of you’ll be able to assist them construct confidence, be safer riders and in the end they’ve extra enjoyable.”

There are nice advantages to biking.

“Biking has been touted because the healthiest exercise on the planet by many and I can’t argue with that,” Draper mentioned. “One motive that is perhaps is that biking innervates the whole physique, thoughts and all of your senses. It is without doubt one of the greatest actions for mind well being and could be very low influence.”

Covid-19 has affected the biking enterprise.

“Like virtually everybody, Covid-19 has pressured companies and people to pivot and suppose outdoors the field,” Draper mentioned. “If you’re a enterprise that wasn’t a vital service and made it by the previous six months, you then have been most likely pressured to make some dramatic modifications to your choices and supply of your product. That’s actually what we needed to do and our purchasers have been very receptive to these modifications.”

With the elevated uptake of the game of biking throughout the previous six months, his enterprise has been steady and he’s very optimistic concerning the influence it’ll have on his enterprise mannequin within the years to come back, he mentioned.

The out of doors provide business on the whole appears to be thriving by these instances, he mentioned.

“The bike business falls in the course of that class and primarily based on the knowledge within the media and native insights it appears to have been an excellent yr for many bike retailers,” Draper mentioned. “I do know the provision of bikes, components and equipment has been a problem for a lot of bike retailers world broad.”

He loves dwelling in Canmore.

“I like adventuring with my wonderful spouse Kristen, spending time with our rescue canine and dwelling in such a fantastic place,” Draper mentioned. “There are such a lot of issues to like about Canmore however my prime issues can be its location, magnificence, world class trails, the entry to the backcountry, the Bow River and the way energetic the group is as a complete.”

Go to cycling-101.com to examine their providers.