How good of a rider are you? No matter how you answer that question, training is never a bad idea. If I could, I’d be attending rider training classes as often as possible – from trials to hard enduro to track days, I’d be up for anything: the more training you get, the safer you are out there on the trails – and the more you improve.

Alas, training can be expensive, and some schools are better than others. Here’s a quick review of four different rider training sessions I’ve done in North America and Europe:

West 38 Moto, New Mexico/Colorado: ADV Training

West 38 Motois a US-based, Baja-bound off-road and adventure bike training and tours company headed by the ever-awesome Dusty Wessels, a BMW GS rider and coach. I’ve done a three-day West 38 Moto’s New Mexico training tour and a two-day training tour in Colorado’s San Juans, both on my Suzuki DR650.

What’s great about West 38 Moto: Expertise combined with a hilarious sense of humor and plenty of empathy. Dusty had learned to ride as an adult, so he gets it that not everyone was born riding or started out as kids on small pit bikes; his training is all about balance and finesse as opposed to the “grip it and rip it” philosophy. West 38 Moto has designed a series of drills and exercises to teach you the basics – how your motorcycle behaves on dirt, how to move with it instead of against it, how to brake, turn, and accelerate on loose surfaces, and how to use your body weight and position to control the bike. Then, it’s putting skills into practice by going on a day or a two-day ride somewhere scenic, a little gnarly, and thoroughly epic like the landscapes of New Mexico, Colorado, or Baja California. I can easily say Dusty’s coaching has completely transformed by riding and has set me up for an amazing journey into dirt and enduro riding.

Pro Enduro, Poland

Pro Enduroriding school is based in Warsaw, Poland, and they focus on adventure motorcycle training while being nutty enduro riders themselves.

What’s great about Pro Enduro: Attention to detail and obsession with the technical stuff. It may not sound too appealing, but trust me, the Pro Enduro team has a knack for explaining dirt riding in almost mathematical terms leading to a whole array of “aha!” moments and revelations. How does your focus work when you’re riding a tight singletrack? Why are fast corners psychological? Pro Enduro has a whole menu of cool tricks up their sleeves, and once the theory part is over, you’re sent on a fun enduro course combining singletrack, deep narrow trenches, beams, logs, and sand pits to put your new knowledge into practice.

Horizon Adventures Rally Training, Portugal

Horizon Adventuresis a team of Portuguese rally and enduro riders focused on rally racing and roadbook navigation training.

What’s great about Horizon Adventures: I attended their three-day Trans Alentejo Rally hoping to figure out roadbook and experience what it’s like to enter a rally race as an amateur, and the experience was absolutely invaluable. The training consisted of daily 200km off-road tracks following a simple but clear roadbook, and in between the riding, Horizon Adventures somehow managed to include glorious Portuguese lunches and plenty of laughs. The spirit of camaraderie was amazing, the riding and the scenery blew my mind, and, after completing their training, I was able to enter and finish the Hellas Rally Raid Lite class in 2019.

Toro Trail Enduro Training, Spain

Toro Trailis an Andalusia-based, British-owned enduro training and tours company focusing on getting your dirt riding skills to the next level. Lyndon Foster, the founder and head madman of Toro trail, is one of the best off-road coaches I’ve ever met.

What’s great about Toro Trail: Lyndon has a unique knack to boost your skills in just one or two days taking you on trails gradually increasing in difficulty and having you in stitches the whole time, all while gently nudging you in the right direction and correcting your bad habits and mistakes. Steep climbs and descents, especially on loose gravel, used to be my nemesis; Lyndon fixed it in an afternoon with his spot-on advice and tips, and I’m now a lot more confident on singletrack and steep hills regardless of what bike I’m riding. Toro Trail is the place to go for off-road training, especially if you can spare three or more days.

Do you train often and if so, what are your favorite rider training schools or events? Share in the comments below!