Progression Pathways: a Coaching Container AND a Bucket-List Riding Experience
- Jake Johnstone

- Oct 1, 2025
- 3 min read
Not just for locals... Full Circle is for progression-hungry Mountain Bikers, irrespective of their home base.
And that's exactly what this week's Progression Pathway is here to highlight. Take Chad, one of our awesome clients from the East Coast, USA, who has been riding since '87, has owned more bikes than he can remember across all disciplines, and still gets out 4 - 6 times a week while 'loving the steeps and tech'. - If that's not an impressive intro, I don't know what is.
Chad found me via the podcast and originally dipped his toes in the water with a Remote Coaching Membership. Here, we got started on his goals of being able to 'let go' and ride free of overthinking, overgripping, and overbraking.
Pretty quickly into that journey, Chad realized the power of feedback and started asking - how would it work if I came out to ride with you in BC...
"I've had all kinds of coaching over the years, from Mountain Biking to guitar, and work stuff, but the way you've been able to explain things in the simplest of ways has really been a game-changer for me."
As a lifelong mountain biker, BC had naturally always been on the so-called bucket list of dream riding destinations, so combining that with a high-level coaching program was a two birds one stone, win-win scenario.
One of the cool things about a longer term coaching program like Full Circle is that we're able to get started right away, this fall, continuing with the remote coaching via Sportsense, and also diving into the mental side with our exclusive Online Skills Library, Winter Webiniars, and Telegram Community, all designed to bring members up to speed on the mental and technical skill foundations so that we can hit the ground running when we ride together in person next summer.
Along with that, and perhaps one of the most powerful parts of the program that Chad is now experiencing, are the regular check-ins, providing accountability and ensuring that no questions go unanswered. With this, I really seek to create the feeling of really having your coach in your corner for that entire year together.
Take for example, this week, Chad is on a riding trip on the other side of the continent...
"I am riding North Conway this week and did a steep technical pro line. With my chin over the stem and extending into the compressions, I had much more control and confidence"
"I went back to a slab you gave me some feedback on a while back. Today I managed to stop and reset afterwards, in half the distance I could before."
As always, when coaching experienced riders, it isn't always about adding more information in the form of new skills or techniques - sometimes simply providing that outside eye allows a rider to know if what they think they're doing matches what they're actually doing.
'This is exactly what I was looking for. You put words to my actions so I can better replicate what I am doing right."
And the best part, all of these quotes and all of these wins have come from the first month alone. With 11 more and the best part yet to come... (5 Full Day Private Lessons with me on the trails here in Squamish), I'll leave it to the reader to imagine what he's going to be saying, and more importantly, how he's going to be riding, in one whole year.
So, if you're looking for something to keep you excited and motivated about your riding through the winter, you're ready to progress, and you're sick of 'waiting until the spring' every year but never actually pulling the trigger on that dream coaching/riding experience - regardless of if you're local or not, this is your nudge. Apply for Full Circle.







Comments