Ryan Leech Connection, based out of Vancouver, BC Canada,
offers adult-oriented, comprehensive and effective online mountain bike
skill training courses with interactive coach and ambassador support.
We believe in mountain biking as a lifelong passion, so incredible care is taken to combine
step-by-step theory and drills with physical and mental fitness practices.
Our mantra, Trail - Bike - Body - Mind - Flow, informs and inspires all the content we produce.
Ryan Leech established this online coaching platform in 2012 as a place to share the skills he developed during his 20-year career as a professional mountain biker.
Through his 20 year-long career as a pro mountain biker, Ryan performed thousands of stunt shows around the world with clients such as Cirque du Soleil, IMBA, and Crankworx. Ryan has been coaching mountain bikers since age sixteen. As an avid explorer of human potential, Ryan earned his certification as an Integral Master Coach™ which has radically influenced his ability to design adult-oriented mountain bike skill curriculums. Ryan created the Trials-of-Life school presentation, sharing his passion for riding at hundreds of schools. As a certified yoga instructor, he designed the Ride & Reach program, blending yoga & mountain biking with a retreat-style learning vibe. Ryan’s dedication and love of mountain biking is stronger than ever, and with his world-renowned and versatile riding abilities and reputation in the industry, it makes him one of the strongest ambassadors for the sport.
Carl first tried mountain biking in 2007 and immediately abandoned the peloton. For 7 years he attacked the trails with roadie zeal, Lycra clad, spinning circles and clipped in tight. In 2014 he discovered skills training and was reborn. He’s now rocking flat pedals and no longer thinks a manual is an instruction booklet (#lovesbackwheel). His favorite riding companion is his wife, who shares his enthusiasm for both trail and trials riding and enjoys hours of post-ride technique analysis. He enjoys year-round riding in single-track-rich southeastern Australia.
Rob is an avid mountain biker and enjoys personal exploration and growth through cycling. Within his local community he is deeply involved with local trail advocacy, development and maintenance, digging at the local bike skills park and is the President of the Provincial Cycling Association. He is a husband and father, and has been an active member of Ryan Leech Connection since its inception in 2013.
Tom is a self-confessed bike geek, map geek and lover of wild places who has been mountain biking for over 30 years, exploring pretty much every rideable trail in the United Kingdom. He contributes to a number of UK mountain bike and adventure magazines and is the author of several guidebooks. He runs a small company offering mountain bike holidays, guided riding and skills coaching in the mountainous areas of the UK. He's also involved in a number of trail advocacy projects.
Kai is a fanatical rider that when not in the saddle is dreaming about the trails. Living within the South Downs National Park in the UK, she spends her time riding natural trails and features. When looking for an extra adrenaline rush, she hits a bike park to smash out runs and enjoys the bonus of an uplift. Kai takes frequent trips to Wales where she can enjoy the big mountains and solitude and has had some big adventures, meeting amazing people along the way. She deeply enjoys the mountain biking journey and continues to grow in both physical and mental strength. ‘Riding to live the Dream’.
Get to know Kai better by reading her Quickfire Questions interview here
Griff Wigley, well-known as the Mountain Bike Geezer, is an avid year-round mountain biker, and dedicated practicer who learns alongside those he teaches. He has worked through most of the content on RLC and is always excited to guide members based on his experiences and success. Griff is the founder of the Dyrt Nation Facebook group, creator and host of the MTB Practice Lab podcast, and is a certified instructor, both IMBA ICP Level 2 and PMBI Level 1.
Get to know Griff better with his Quickfire Questions interview here
Dyrt Nation: MTB Skills for the Rest of Us (Facebook Group)
MTB Practice Lab (podcast)
Roxy has been a Full-Time Guide and Coach since 2009. She's originally from Northern Cyprus and runs the Mountain Bike School and Bike Rental Station, Roxybike in Mallorca, Spain. She is an International Instructor Trainer for the BICP and a Level 3 Certified Instructor (BICP + IMBA Germany = DIMB) and a licenced Mountain Bike Guide (WRSV). Roxy loves to inspire others to lead a happier life, to become safer, more confident riders and to empower others to reach their ultimate goals. She is also a graduate Mental Trainer, a Certified Hypnotist, and Fear and Phobia Coach.
Get to know Roxy better with her Quickfire Questions interview here
At age 51, Jeff came across a promo for Ryan’s 30 Day Wheelie Challenge and decided – why not! Three months later he was riding wheelies through the streets of Washington and was an early member of Ryan Leech Connection. Besides being a physician, Jeff is a proud ‘conqueror of fears’ and is taking up trials riding in addition to his daily trail rides and skills training (now in Georgia). Not to compete, but because he has found that balance is the key to living with joy— whether it be in mind, body, spirit, nutrition, or on the back wheel of a bike!
Russ is an avid traveler throughout North America, riding all the best bike parks and trails – mountain biking has fueled his life since 1988. He is a certified PMBi mountain bike coach and guide for Cog Wild in Bend, Oregon, USA, plus a certified Pilates (15 years), TRX and Spin instructor. He is constantly combining his knowledge of fitness and biking to help his students excel, as well as being a student and learning from others.
Elaine discovered mountain biking late in life by racing but found her true passion was helping others ride safer, faster and with more confidence. She’s a certified professional mountain bike skills coach and is an instructor trainer for the BICP. Find her at The Lumberyard Indoor Bike Park, grinning, or having fun on a trail near Portland, Oregon and throughout the Pacific Northwest.
Get to know Elaine better with her answers to our Quickfire Questions here
Peter is a highly-respected Certified Cycling Coach who has been instructing MTB skills since 2000. His coaching clients are mostly busy, masters-aged athletes with families. Most of his riding is XC and he is still racing XCO, but increasingly more time between races is being spent on his Trek enduro bike. Peter holds the Canadian Leadville 100 record and has placed consistently in the top 10 nationally in XCO, XCM and CX for 10+ years. He has also dabbled in road, enduro, downhill and dirt jumping and is a regular at Joyride150 indoor bike park in Marham, Ontario. As a Registered Kinesiologist he loves all types of movement. Peter co-hosts The Consummate Athlete Podcast with his wife Molly Hurford. In 2017 he is even giving Ironman a go!
Consummate Athlete Podcast
Skye is the owner of Mocean365 which is a PNW based Movement and Adventure coaching business. His focus is split between teaching outdoor functional movement skills and adventure sports like MTB, to a steady clientele of students and coaches ranging from 13-75+ years old. He is also an instructor for Ninja MTB Performance and teaches 2 day skills clinics all over California and Oregon as well as serving as an instructor trainer, developing and amplifying coaches skills. Skye is a dedicated trail builder working in both commercial and volunteer roles and is in the midst of some new projects as we speak. He has been an ambassador for Guerrilla Gravity Bikes since 2015. He enjoys MTB almost as much as surfing and loves to play drums and build with his hands and explore new zones far and near especially with his partner Meg. Skye strives to learn as much as possible each and every day and helps others do the same. Stay in Mocean, 365 days a year!
Get to know Skye better with his Quickfire Questions interview here
Mocean365
Lindsay is a mountain biker, mountain unicyclist and yogi. After 12 years of trials competition, he now enjoys MTB with trials thrown in for style. He took up mountain unicycling with the goal of being able to ride to the local shops, but things soon got out of hand - he soon embarked on a 950km (590mil) off-road unicycle tour into the Australian Outback. Lindsay operates his own bike workshop and occasionally supports bike expeditions.
Jeff has been teaching yoga for over 15 years and lives at the intersection of art, science and spirit. Based in Canmore, Alberta, Canada, he runs the Yoga Lounge studio and is avid mountain biker. His classes are a unique blend of biomechanics and yoga, and he has a knack for making material relevant to people's individual needs. Keep on exploring!
Yoga Lounge
Wacek shares his passion for mountain biking through loads of riding, but also through artwork and writing. His runs a great instagram account.
He's well known on Pinkbike and on his popular Facebook page, Waki-Leaks. All great content!
Matt has performed over a thousand mountain bike trials demos, across a ten-year career, at events such as the Tour De France, the Scottish FA Cup Final, and BBC TV. During the latter five of those years, he ran his own demo team whilst completing his PhD examining the Psychology of high-risk sport participation. More recently, his academic work has focused on Super-Elite performance including research projects with the Tour De France winning Team Sky riders, England Cricket, and some of Team GB’s most decorated Olympic athletes. Matt’s idea of bliss involves waking with his wife to watch the sunrise from their self-converted campervan before exploring new technical riding trails and rock climbing together.
Scott Givens has over 25 years of riding and competing under his pedals. After achieving the globally recognised BICP Level 2 Certification in 2013, he launched PedalTherapy.com, now the go-to coaching provider in the Phoenix area. He’s an active member of his local trail advocacy organization (DFMBA) and co-founder of Pedal With Warriors, a not-for-profit dedicated to getting veterans on mountain bikes. For over 10 years, Scott has provided his services to Magura's annual press camps in Sedona (where he's known for delicious sourdough pancakes). His latest project, Bike Paradise Vacations, offers bespoke off-season training vacations to enthusiasts escaping the cold. To sharpen his skills, Scott is actively pursuing the top BICP Level 3 Certification (to instruct advanced skills) and Level 1 Instructor Trainer (to train Ride Guides).
Get to know Scott better with his Quickfire Questions interview here
Kate fell in love with mountain biking in 1992 and is a professional MTB instructor, backcountry guide and Trek Bicycles Women’s Advocate. Kate started BMX racing as a kid and has since raced cross country, 12 and 24 hour events and XTERRA. Kate and her wife, Danielle, own an adventure company that focuses on women's empowerment. When she's not on the bike, she's backpacking, climbing or practicing yoga. She also leads local weekly rides and offers bike camps and clinics across the USA. Kate loves the smile that accomplishing skills and overcoming challenges on the bike brings.
DNK Presents
Gareth's love of the outdoors has manifested itself over the years (in no particular order) with rock climbing, snowboarding, kitesurfing & of course mountain biking. Gareth started his love affair with the sport around 2005 and has since savoured trails right across the UK and Europe. His attitude to bike ownership is very much N+1 and feels no bike stable is complete without at least: a hardtail, long travel full susser and now (controversially?) an e-bike. Over the past 2 years, Gareth has qualified to level 3 mountain bike coach and leader, and runs his own coaching and guiding business in the UK.
Molly Hurford is an outdoor adventurer and professional nomad obsessed with all things cycling, running, nutrition and movement-related. When not outside, she’s writing about being outside, travel, and athletic style on TheOutdoorEdit.com, or interviewing world-class athletes and scientists for The Consummate Athlete Podcast, which she co-hosts with her equally-active husband. Molly is obsessed with getting more women psyched on adventure and wellness, and hosts talks and coaches clinics and camps for cyclists. She’s also the author of multiple books on cycling and nutrition, and writes for fitness and fashion magazines and sites. Her most recent project, Shred Girls, is a young adult fiction series focused on getting girls excited about bikes.
The Outdoor Edit
Consummate Athlete Podcast
Saddle, Sore book
Shred Girls
Olly is a Physiotherapist so loves learning new movements and training in a smart and sustainable way. A perfect fit for RLC! He discovered bikes in his 30s and over a decade later is still obsessed with riding for both endurance and learning. Olly lives in Berlin, Germany (which is nearly completely flat), so hones his skills on the street and can often be seen wheeling on his commute to work. RLC courses help keep his skills sharp for weekends or holidays, when he cuts loose and does what he most loves, blasting down gnarly trails as fast as possible and hitting jumps for some sweet airtime.
Graham’s took his first flight over the handlebars at age ten. Nearly five decades later he continues to hone his skills and can often be found dragging a bike up a hill in Scotland, Wales, or the Lake District, before barrelling down with a grin from ear-to-ear. Happiness is the self-reliance of being miles from the nearest road, having bitten off more than he can chew and with dusk fast approaching; it reminds him of his days as a climber. Bike parks are a good laugh, a place to hone skills and play with mates, but he prefers the full package that only natural trails provide. There are numerous big routes on his bucket list, which tend towards technical, rocky terrain, rather than big jumps. To fend off age and the consequences of flying a desk all week, Graham hits the streets for skills practice, play being the central focus. He is also a runner and road rider.
Get to know Graham better with his Quickfire Questions interview here
Roger is in his mid-50s and a self-confessed ‘athletic nerd’ obsessed with learning. By day he manages software engineers and then moonlights on the trails of Oregon and SW Washington State. He was a Cat 2 road racer up through his early 50s. Road racing challenged him mentally, but road riding didn't, so he eventually retired and went stale on biking. Buying a mountain bike changed all that. The skills development and connection to the outdoors reignited his passion and he hasn’t looked back. He owns 11 bikes and lives by the universal rule of N+1. His current favourite trail is any that challenges him to explore new techniques. He also skis, hikes, fly fishes and spends time in Alaska enjoying the midnight sun.
Kim is a lifelong rider across a variety of disciplines, including mountain biking, cyclocross and road cycling. More recently he took up BMX just for the fun of it and dabbles in street and urban riding on his commute to work. Despite living on the Canadian prairie, he prefers rough, steep and raw terrain, so summer trips to British Columbia are mandatory. Kim has led a skills-based, kids MTB program for the past 8 years and possesses PMBIA Certified Level 1 and has completed Endless Biking Level 2. During the winter months he can be found snowboarding and running to balance out the brain-drain of working in healthcare data analytics.
Charles Lopez
Charles transitioned to mountain biking from skateboarding aged 50 and joined RLC almost right away. He’s now 53 and has had a busy, fun-filled 3 years acquiring skills. He says he has a hard time just dipping his toes in the water and tends to dive straight in and get fully immersed. Charles rides mostly trails, but also loves the bike park. In the winter he fatbikes and skis too. Most of his riding has been in and around his home in New England, US, but he loves to discover new trails and has ridden in Europe as well as other parts of the States.
Charles is involved with two local bike clubs, and has just become a board member of one of them, he also helps with trail building/maintenance. Like many of the RLC team, he has also taken to building features to practice on, as well as trails on his own property.
He describes himself as curious about coaching and is considering taking a PMBIA course. Away from bikes, his work has been in sailboats, and he currently works in the marine industry.
Sally regularly transforms herself from a diminutive uptown hairdresser to a singletrack-shredding she-beast. In her first season as a professional mountain-bike racer, she stood on the podium of the 24-Hour Solo Elite World Championships held in Monterey, California. In 2008, Sally returned to the 24-Hour Solo Elite World Championships (this time in Australia), competed in Canada’s TransRockies race, and finished third in the Coed Division of the Race Across America (RAAM). A love for education and instruction led her to become certified with both the International Mountain Bike Association (ICP level 1 and 2) and the Professional Mountain Instructors Association (Level 1). She is the owner and Chief Enthusiasm Officer of Sundance MTB Skills Clinic & Adventure.
Pat started mountain biking back in 1990 on a BridgeStone MB-5. He rides year-round near his Minnesota home, switching to a fat bike and a 27.5+ bike with studded tyres in winter. He also enjoys riding a road bike. He first discovered RLC in 2017 when he was learning to bunny hop and this led to a fascination with trials skills, that sees him constantly building different backyard features to test himself on. He really enjoys converting these skills for use on the trail. He also enjoys working on bikes and has a full workshop set up in his basement.
Known as TimFromWales, Tim posts regularly on most social media platforms. In a sport full of adrenaline junkies and global locations that many of us will never get to ride, he tries to spread the word that its OK to be OK at mountain biking and encourages other riders to make the most of their local trails and, in a lot of cases, limited time. He loves to mess about, practising baseline balance skills rather than sitting still while waiting for riding partners. Tim mostly rides a short travel but aggressive hardtail, but he also has a full suspension trail bike and a gravel bike. He likes nothing more than a day in the hills, exploring, maybe getting lost and taking lots of photos.
Get to know Tim better with his Quickfire Questions interview here
Matt has been casually mountain biking since 2013 but in 2018, everything changed when he attended an in-person clinic taught by Ryan Leech. This was a pivotal moment for him and he became a full-fledged MTB and bike skills junkie. He has been practicing skills or riding trails pretty much every day since then. Matt enjoys the trails of South Mountain, Phoenix but also makes regular trips to Sedona where the raw, technical terrain provides an endless playground of creative line choices over natural obstacles - perfect for nurturing his trials to trails aspirations. He is also a father and an assistant coach for 3 National Interscholastic Cycling Association athletes, so hopes to pass on his love of MTBing to the next generation.
Get to know Matt better with his Quickfire Questions here
Michelle has been mountain biking for over a decade and enjoys the climbs as much as the descents. She loves nothing more than watching an RLC video before heading outside for a skills session, padded up like a storm-trooper. She alternates between full-sus trail rides and DJ street sessions, keeping the boys (and her skills mad husband) honest with continual improvement. An avid flat pedal convert, Michelle has been known to combine Five-Tens with business attire for just the right mix of professionalism and ride readiness. She knows nothing about bike maintenance.
Born in Ontario and settled in British Columbia, Canada, Josh has been a casual bike rider for most of his life. He spent 15 years in the culinary industry before being offered an opportunity to join the team at Freedom Bike Shop in Penticton B.C, a move that forever altered his life through rediscovering a love for bikes and biking. He now lives, eats and sleeps bikes, spending countless hours at the skatepark and dirtjumps with his young son and putting in endless miles leading youth trail rides. Josh is constantly challenging himself to go further (and sometimes faster!) whether it’s on a trail bike, a road bike or a fat bike. He is a PMBIA certified bike instructor and guide and teaches and guides through the Freedom Bike Shop.
Virginia got into mountain biking by riding their kids bike in the woods behind their house, and got hooked by riding instead of studying in college! A competitive, pedal-y rider (short track, cross country, and ultra distance), Virginia spends most of their free time either on the trails around their house in Park City, Utah, or playing with one of their 4 dogs. A few years ago they realized that being more skilled was more fun and also offered free speed, and that's when regular practice started to get incorporated into structured training! Clearly a teacher at heart, Virginia coaches with Ninja Mountain Bike Performance, the Trek Dirt Series, and locally in PC with Women in the Mountains and WomenMTB, and also teaches art history at the University of Utah.
Get to know Virginia better with their Quickfire Questions interview here
Gianluca is always on the lookout for steps, stairs, walls, sidewalks and natural trails to hone his skills. Obsessed with challenging himself and fascinated by what is possible when regular training and technology are combined, Gianluca has been known to spend hours and countless attempts on a single skills problem, playing like a kid until well after dark. He has been riding for over 8 years and enjoys the balance that yoga brings to his MTB lifestyle. The vineyards of Italy is home, although he loves the mountains and has been a climbing instructor for 15 years. He often drifts off to sleep replaying skills sessions in his head before dreaming of his steel hardtail.
Hailing from California Wine country, USA, Ira values a growth mindset for all aspects of life. He applies this to learning Banjo, Guitar, Swimming, and of course MTBing. A lifelong athlete, Ira was involved in swimming, water polo and windsurfing through high school and college. He continues to swim on a master swim team. After college, Ira bought his first mountain bike and shortly after took his wife out mountain biking for their first date. But the thrill of riding to work every day caused him to seriously ride road bikes for a number of years. Eventually, he came to his senses, took a MTB skills course in 2018, joined RLC in 2019, and is now hooked on learning everything on the site. He still has the road bike but it really needs a set of gravel tires at this point!
Ryan has developed long term partnerships during his time as a pro mountain biker, and those relationships have continued with this awesome online learning community.
In my senior years as a cycling industry pro athlete, ambassador, and advocate, I have the freedom to choose who I represent. I choose Shimano. I have visited their factory in Japan, have conversed and partied with their engineers, and experienced the pride and love they put in to their product. It shines through not only in the jewerly like appearance of their product, but in the crisp and unarguable functionality of their equipment. Though Shimano is a large company, they maintain a family vibe, and I am proud to continue contributing in my own small way to the big family company that drives most bikes on this planet.
Norco has supported my journey from young hot-shot trials kid to the introspective bicycle loving man I am today. Their staff have groomed me, influenced me, shared their passion for bikes with me. This company has been a family for me, they’ve opened doors, created opportunities, and co-created the Ryan Leech brand with me. Young bicycle talent simply cannot carve a career from their skills without dedicated industry support, Norco has done that for me, and I am forever grateful.
As a mountain biking grom in high school, I’d dream about having a Marzocchi suspension fork. Now, I have the privilege of inspiring that dream into the next generation of young rippers! My riding interests have exploded in recent years, so I’m delighted to drape my trials bikes, enduro bike, XC 29″ hard tail, 650b hardtail play bike, and All Mountain 4″ travel ripper with the best suspension platform on the market. It’s a delight to strengthen the Leech/Marzocchi connection after a few years of riding other companies products.
An all-access pass to hundreds of tutorials. High quality, step-by-step mountain bike skill coaching that works. 30 day money back gaurantee. Monthly cost less than a few post ride beers.