Whether you’re attempting that inaugural switchback or mastering jumps and rock gardens, you can always find ways to tune up your riding skills.

Drop in for a free weekly ride

White Pine Touring (1790 Bonanza Drive, 435.649.8710, whitepinetouring.com) leads guided rides on Tuesdays (for women only) and Thursdays (co-ed). For the skinny tire set, Cole Sport (1615 Park Ave, 435.649.4806, colesport.com) leads a Monday night road ride for intermediate and advanced riders. Stay Park City (stayparkcitycycling.com) organizes a slew of guided rides throughout the week—MTB, gravel, and road—most of which start deliciously at Ritual Chocolate. Though a bit more sporadic in timing, Silver Star Ski & Sport (1825 Three Kings Dr, 435.645.7827,
silverstarskiandsport.com) leads a one-hour, easygoing cruise along the neighborhood’s paved trail system, starting and ending at the shop, as a part of the signature “Cruiserpalooza” festivities.

Take a lesson

Deer Valley Resort’s Mountain Bike School (2250 Deer Valley Drive South, 435.645.6648, deervalley.com) is essentially ski school for bikers, where seasoned coaches steer all levels of riders through the single-track and downhill learning curve. For small fries, Young Riders’ (youngriders.com) summer programs typically sell out early, but both Park City Recreation (parkcity.org) and Basin Recreation (basinrecreation.org) roll out dirt jump and children’s MTB camps, respectively. For a female-focused experience, Women in the Mountains (womeninthemountains.com) has clinics for all levels led by former pro and certified professional mountain bike instructor Erica Tingey and her fellow coaches.

Hail a guide

Plenty of local outfits offer expert-led rides (beyond the aforementioned freebies). For a unique adventure, check out White Pine Touring’s bike-and-fish combo that starts with a killer descent down the WOW Trail followed by a guide-delivered lunch, gear change, and fly fishing on the Provo.

Try out some new wheels

Demos, offered at most cycling outfits, are a great way for gearheads to get their fix or for newbies to see what style best suits their needs. Storm Cycles (1153 Center Drive, Suite G140, 435.200.9120, stormcycles.net), offers free demos on June 2 (also the shop’s grand opening at its new home), June 30, Aug 11, and Sept 29.

Don a bib

If you want to soak in local, zany (and challenging) tradition, register for the costume-bedecked Tour de Suds (mountaintrails.org). Fear not, you have all summer to train for the 2,700 feet of vertical (and pint-hoisting). For an all-levels race, check out the Midweek MTB Series (midweekmtb.com). Cross-country and mini-enduro racers are divided by class, so newbies won’t be steamrolled by the pros, plus there are free kids’ races packed into the fun. For a supported ride, the National Ability Center’s Summit Challenge (summitchallenge100.org) is a feel-good, all-inclusive event with a choice of four courses, ranging from 16 to 100 miles. If you really want to test your mettle, gear up for the annual, grueling, 75-mile Park City Point 2 Point (thepcpp.com), or sign onto The Ultimate Challenge, which allows amateurs a 94-mile or 44-mile sniff of the Tour of Utah experience, tourofutah.com.   

Hit the bike park

See our picks in the Bike Park's article.