“Jamie is an essential piece of my mountain bike success.”
“Jamie’s mountain biking lessons are a blast!”
These are some of the comments you’ll hear when talking about Mountain Bike instructor Jamie O’Hern. In Jamie’s 5th year of living in Eagle she’s already made a name for herself as a dominant and knowledgeable rider in the mountain bike scene.
Jamie is a PMBIA Certified Level 1 MTB Instructor and offers private and small group mountain biking lessons. If you know Jamie it seems like she’s always on the move. We recently got a chance to sit down with Jamie and get to know her a little bit more. Here’s what we found out.
DZM: What’s the best part about your job?
JO: Watching people do things that they thought they never could.
DZM: What’s your favorite thing about living/working in Eagle County?
JO: The weather! The long shoulder seasons, drier weather and 300 days of sunshine make it an easy place to live, and have an outdoor job.
DZM: What do you look forward to when you wake up in the morning?
JO: If George doesn’t go to work, I get to hang out with him. He reminds me that I don’t need to be doing and accomplishing all the things, all the time.
DZM: What are your hobbies?
JO: I love to cook, except when it’s too much work. I like to garden, both to watch things grow and have fresh food to eat. And mostly I like to hike and bike and run with my dog.
DZM: Share with us a recent rewarding experience you had involving one of your students?
JO: Part of my feedback to riders includes little tweaks that they can make in their technique to improve their riding. They’re quick little cues like “eyes up!” that a rider will focus on, and often repeat to themselves while riding even long after the lesson is over. The problem is, a phrase that works for one rider might not resonate with another, so as a coach you’re constantly working to figure out what is best for each individual student.
Last week, a student of mine was riding toward a feature that was challenging her. As she rode by me I heard her mumbling under her breath “My eyes are tractor beams. My eyes are tractor beams.” SHE CRUSHED IT!!! It’s moments like these that are always rewarding and makes me, as a coach, feel successful.
It’s not just about getting more people on bikes and improving their skills, it’s showing them that they’re capable of doing challenging things. Mountain biking has brought a lot of confidence in my life, even off the trails. It’s really cool to watch and help other people develop those skills for themselves.
DZM: Any pieces of advice for people looking to get into Mountain Biking?
JO:
• Don’t wait until you’re “in shape” to start. And don’t think learning as an adult is easy, for anyone!
• Bikes are expensive, but trails are free! It’s a one-time investment for years of fun and improved health. We have unparalleled access to trails in this valley.
• TAKE A LESSON – It’s cheaper, easier and less painful to learn proper riding technique from the start than to figure it out over time. Formal instruction can reduce your risk of injuries, increase the speed at which you learn and lead to more fun, sooner!
Eagle, Colorado is a meca of mountain bike enthusiasts and Jamie O’Hern is one of them. Her knowledge of mountain biking is 2nd to none and takes huge pride in sharing her skills to others. Jamie makes her classes fun, engaging, challenging, and educational. You’ll walk away from one her lessons thrilled and wanting to ride more.
To learn more about Jamie or to book a lesson you can email her at jamieohernmtb@gmail.com.
For more news, photos, and updates follow Jamie’s Facebook Page.
Thanks for reading.