Adelaide Dirt League

Adelaide Dirt League (ADL) is our signature and most popular junior mountain biking program. Riders learn new skills and hone techniques in the ultimate development environment, combining expert coaching with exciting competition. Participants also have the opportunity to represent their schools, collecting points toward the prestigious ADL Schools Trophy awarded at the end of the program. ADL is a fantastic stepping stone to club and state racing as well as higher-level development opportunities.

Ability/Experience: Beginner ‑ Intermediate Pathway Level: Development Ages: 11 ‑ 15

Learn more

Program Information

Adelaide Dirt League consists of 16 sessions, grouped into 4 blocks. Generally, each block consists of three 1.5 hour coaching sessions and culminates with a friendly competition day (3 – 4 hours) based on a specific discipline of mountain biking.

Riders are grouped based on their skill and experience level and led by professional coaches. They will learn and develop a broad range of skills such as risk management and decision making as well as practical bike handling and control skills during each coaching session.

The competitions are points-based and riders must demonstrate riding with good control and accuracy to collect points. Only minimal points are awarded for speed. Riders who focus on speed, without considerable training and experience, tend to display and reinforce poor technique which leads to sub-optimal, and often dangerous, outcomes. ADL’s competition structure incentivises riders to slow down and focus on executing precision riding. It gamifies the most challenging aspects of mountain biking to give riders a greater appreciation of the sport as a whole and promotes a prolonged engagement with sport through their teenage years by giving them the necessary space to grow over time.

Adelaide Dirt League prepares young riders for higher level racing, in its full form. It ensures that they have a solid understanding of the basic skills required to compete safely and achieve the results they desire.

Skills sessions and competitions are delivered at various locations around Adelaide, giving participants an opportunity to experience, ride and explore a diverse collection of trails.

Age Categories

Adelaide Dirt League is specifically designed to cater for riders aged 11 – 15 and we offer two age categories for the competitions:

• Under 13 (riders turning 11 – 13 this year)
• Under 15 (riders turning 14 or 15 this year)

For riders who are not quite 11 this year, our ADL Dirt Squirts program is delivered at the same time and location as the Adelaide Dirt League sessions and is specifically designed for younger riders.

Competitions Only

We offer an “Events Only” option for riders to register for only the four competitions. We strongly recommend that participants who take up this option join one of our other skills development programs or seek proper training from a reputable coach.

Come & Try Session

We are offering a Come & Try session at Eagle Mountain Bike Park on May 17 at 9am – 11am so you can see get a feel for the program. You will have an opportunity to meet our fantastic coaches, ask questions and get some skills coaching and riding in too.

Schools Trophy

All participants will be able to nominate and represent their school during the competitions, accumulating points towards the Adelaide Dirt League Schools Trophy. There is no requirement for schools to be formally involved with the program to accumulate points, participants simply need to nominate their school to enter. Schools who are interested in fielding a team can either have students register themselves individually or contact us directly to arrange a group booking or a tailored rider development program to support their riders.

More Information

Required Equipment

Participants do not need to have any specific equipment to participate, other than a bike and helmet in good working order.

Bikes must have:

• Working brakes (not pedal brakes)
• Working gears
• Covered/plugged handlebar ends

Dual suspension bikes are not required, in fact we discourage them at this level. Young riders will develop skills and form better habits by riding a hard-tail bike.

We encourage riders to consider the protective equipment they have chosen when analysing the level of risk that they expose themselves to. Riders who choose to wear less protective equipment should ride within their known level of ability while additional protection may afford riders the opportunity to push themselves more without significantly increasing their risk of injury. This is a very personal decision and riders are ultimately responsible for their own safety. We strongly urge all participants to take the time to properly consider what level of protection is most appropriate for them.

Some basic items we highly recommend are:

• Gloves
• Knee Guards
• Open-faced helmet (for low-risk training)
• Full-Faced Helmet & Goggles (for high-risk training & competition)

Other items for high-risk activities include:

• Elbow guards
• Back & Chest protector
• Neck Brace

2025 ADL Schedule & Venues

Register Now

Sports Vouchers

All South Australian children from Reception to Year 9 are eligible to claim the Sports Voucher offered by the Office for Recreation and Sport. You can use your voucher to save on this program by completing our online form after you make your booking.

Submit your Sports Voucher here

Contact Us

If you have any questions or would like further information, please feel free to contact us.