MotoVentures

www.motoventures.com
951-767-0991

Class: Motocross, trials riding and other forms of off-road biking

Who Runs It: Gary LaPlante, six-time Arizona state trials champion, four-time world speed record holder and Baja 1000 racer with nearly 40 years of competition experience

Where It Is: A private dirt bike ranch in Temecula, California and now the Glen Helen Raceway Park near San Bernadino. LaPlante also leads guided adventures throughout the Southwest.

What You Ride: You can bring your own bike or ride one of the school's 10 Yamaha models.

What You Learn: Off-road riding, in all its forms. The school teaches basic dirt skills, motocross, trials riding, single track and hill climbs. The school is a three-ring circus on two wheels. On our first visit, we listened to adventure tourers describe the traction challenge of shell beaches in Peru and the slick mud on the other side of river crossings in Thailand. During this discussion, near our group, motocross kids sailed by 20 feet in the air, and trials riders crept up boulders like rock climbers. It was surreal. LaPlante teaches balance, active body positioning and traction -- the skills necessary to maneuver through and over ruts, mud, sand and other obstacles. On a road or track, you make maybe 10 decisions a lap. Off-road, you make a decision for every rock and terrain change. The bike becomes a balance beam or vaulting horse, and active body position is everything. The workout has you sweating through your gear after a half-mile.

Crux Move: LaPlante shows students how to negotiate sand. Shift to a higher gear, hit the gas and lift the front wheel onto a plane, using power to the rear wheel like an outboard motor. A light touch on the handlebars suggests direction, and the bike goes where you look. It's a good idea to look up.

Cost: $295, $195 (if you bring your own bike) for one-day basic skills course; $550 or $395 (your bike) for two-day "ultimate" course

Photos: Courtesy MotoVentures