Following the success of the first DRE Adventure Academy in Umbria, Italy, Ducati has opened a brand new centre in Mid Wales. Based at the superb Sweet Lamb Adventure complex, riders have 6500 acres of prime Welsh terrain to explore, all under the watchful eyes of Mark Molineux and his team of expert Instructors. I was lucky enough to be invited to the official Press Launch for the DRE Adventure Academy and approached the event as a customer would do. The Adventure Courses are the latest addition to the Ducati DRE riding academy which also includes, Rookie, Road Track Warm Up and Racetrack. Since 2003, more than 30,000 motorcyclists from all over the world have chosen the Ducati experience to improve their riding skills, and the first Adventure centre is located in the heart of Umbria at the Park Hotel ai Cappuccini in Gubbio.
West Wales may not be blessed with the same weather as Umbria, but it’s certainly got plenty of awesome scenery and the Sweetlamb Complex is heaven for adventure riders. I must admit, I was kind of expecting a Portakabin and a couple of containers full of bikes, but I was surprised to find a state of the art Adventure Centre, with changing facilities, comfortable seating, TV’s, a kitchen and even a Lavazza coffee service. To be fair, this is Ducati, I shouldn’t have been that surprised!
After grabbing delicious Lavazza Coffee and a pastry, we were introduced to our team of instructors for the two day course. Led by Mark Molineux (affectionately known as Molly) the team would be taking us through all of the skills and techniques required to ride adventure bikes through all sorts of terrain. The main weapon of choice is of course the Desert X, but there are Desert X Rally models to choose from as well as some Multistrada V4 Rallys’ if you want to master a bigger bike. Once we were geared up it was time to head outside and choose our steed, I picked a Desert X Rally, which I thought may be a little tall for an off-road novice like me, but I found one that had been fitted with the standard double seat instead of the flat rally seat it comes with. This gave me just enough drop in seat height to make it comfortable. However you don’t have to ride the same bike for the duration of the two days, there’s plenty of opportunity to swap bikes throughout the course if you wish.
Once we were mounted we took the short run to the first training area where the instructors took some time to check out our riding and assess our skill level. As this was the level one course we started with the basics including correct riding posture particularly whilst standing, throttle clutch and brake control. It’s a fantastic little zone to start in and get familiar with the bike. The instructors spend time going through the exercises and the group is given plenty of time to practice and master each one before moving on. For example one of the first exercises was body position whilst cornering on the loose surface. After a period in the training area, the instructors took us off as a group onto the myriad of trails to practice what we’d learnt in real-world trail conditions. It’s a relaxed system that works well and grows confidence quickly.
The instruction is nicely paced, but learning new skills in an unfamiliar environment can be both physically and mentally tiring. After a few sessions, it was time to return to the centre for a drink and a snack. Refreshed, we headed back out past the training area and into the wilds of the Sweetlamb complex to practice what we had learned so far.
After a couple of hours out on the trails, we returned to the centre for a fantastic hot lunch. The home cooked food was delicious and just what everyone needed. Fabrizio Cazzoli (Ducati UK MD) and we were lucky enough to be treated to one of his signature pasta dishes. Well deserving of a ‘Chefs Kiss’.
Once lunch was finished we headed out for the afternoon session with full bellies and much more confidence. The nerves that were evident before the start had vanished and people were full of smiles and keen to learn and ride more. We stopped at the training area again to practice some new skills, this time we attempted to master uphill and downhill control. Moly and his team has a wealth of patience as well as experience. They made sure everyone was comfortable with the control element before we headed out even further into the beautiful Welsh countryside to finish the day.
After a hearty meal, a couple of beers and a good night’s rest at the Hafod Hotel in Devils Bridge, just down the road from the Adventure Academy, everyone was raring to go for day 2. Moly and his team gave us a quick recap over coffee of what we had learnt on day one, we then saddled up and headed back to the training area eager to learn more. After a few sessions and lunch, it was time to put everything we had practised into a longer ride, out to some of the more remote parts of the complex. This was a fantastic end to the course, where we felt like we were tackling the Welsh terrain out on a ride with mates, rather than on a training course. The route included what the guys called the ‘Yellow Brick Road’ which is essentially a track with a series of ever deeper puddles and water crossings. You could hear the squeals of laughter as each person got progressively wetter each time.
Eventually, the group headed back to the Adventure Centre Hub, full of chat and with excited but tired eyes. At this point we were presented with our Certificates by Fabrizio to recognise the completion of the course. I have to say it was a really fantastic two days. The centre is excellent and the instruction from Moly and his team is first class, and they are a fun bunch to spend time with too. If you’ve just bought or are considering buying a Desert X or Multistrada, or you just want to learn how to manage a big adventure bike off-road, I can highly recommend the Ducati DRE Adventure Centre. The two-day level 1 course costs £599 and includes Training, bike rental, lunch, refreshments, a welcome pack, a certificate upon completion and insurance. Accommodation needs to booked separately.
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