Our latest skills masterclass with Cam Orr
It’s almost here, our latest skills masterclass with MTB maestro & current u23 GB rider Cam Orr takes place on 5th December. Have you booked your place yet?
Suitable for 10-16 year olds with a good level of fitness, this all day session will deliver a comprehensive day of off-road skills and techniques.
In advance of this epic class, we thought we’d introduce you to the man himself!
Hi Cam – we’re delighted to welcome you to the CB academy for our December masterclass. What are you looking forward to the most about the session?
I’m looking forward to having a good time and putting smiles on the kids’ faces. Hopefully, they’ll come away having learned a thing or two and having enjoyed themselves.
Who is the masterclass for?
It’s for the kids who are interested in either discipline - CX or MTB – to help them build on their existing skills and have fun doing it.
You’re currently riding for the GB U23 team on the MTB, but how did you get into cycling in the first place?
I mucked about on bikes around with my mates when I was a kid, played out a lot and went on rides with my parents. My dad used to race when he was younger so was really encouraging.
I was always really active, into lots of sports, and I had a friend at my swimming and running club who suggested I give CX a go at the age of 12. I enjoyed that and then did a few cross country MTB races. I was playing football a lot and cycling was something to do if I didn’t have a match. It just kind of built up from there.
What’s your current training schedule like?
It varies quite a bit depending on the time of year. There is a lot of time on the bike, but as I came from a multisport background I enjoy doing different things in other sports such as strength and conditioning in the gym. When you sit on a bike it’s really repetitive and you’re not moving around too much so it’s important to do work off the bike to avoid injuries.
The majority of my training is by myself so it can feel a bit lonely - you’re not interacting with many people - so I find if there’s a group ride going out at the weekend even if not exactly what I’m trying to do I’ll try to do that for the social side. Same with other sports, a kickabout with my mates to have that social side. These kinds of sports where you’re changing directions such as football and basketball are great for keeping you strong in different ways, not just like a robot.
What are you the most proud of in your cycling career so far?
Being on the programme with British Cycling since I was 16 and all the experience and support I’ve had, how I’ve managed to keep that going.
I’ve also had a few top 10s in the World Cups.
Last year I had a bad back injury. For around 9 months I was unable to train and unsure If I’d get back into it again. I've managed to build my fitness back up which I'm really happy about. A big thank you to British Cycling for their support and sticking with me through this period which was pretty challenging.
What’s your ultimate cycling goal?
I would love to sign for a pro team on the MTB circuit that would be the ultimate goal. The Olympics in a few years in Paris or LA they are big targets with GB. If I got to represent GB that would be awesome, hopefully I can keep working towards qualification for that.
What advice do you have for youngsters interested in following in your footsteps?
Enjoy what you do, have fun doing it, but you don’t want it to be all consuming. Try to dial in and focus when you need to, but away from that switch off, have fun, park it and do other things so you don’t burn out. I’ve seen other people burn out and get dropped or not get the results they want and they’ve had to call it quits. Stay in the sport because you love it and enjoy it.