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Teri Ayotte – Outreach Director

2,173 REVIEWS – 5 STAR RATING ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Adventure always finds Teri, so it was no surprise that adventure racing fell into her lap while working at a local outdoor retail store in 2003.  Mountain biking was part of the gig and it’s the piece of the puzzle that stole her heart.  She has since raced both XC and endurance because giving up is never an option.  Now utilizing her experience to instruct others is where she finds her stoke.

Home base

San Diego, California

The Gig

Ninja’s Fixer, working with NMBP to secure venues for our growing locations of clinics and camps

Instructor Certifications         

BICP Level 1 and 2

Favorite Type of Terrain

Fast and flowy/berms and drops/Conquering a good climb and the reward down the other side

Go-to Trail Snack   

Olives, hardboiled eggs and Swedish fish

Riding Tips      

“Comparison is the Thief of Joy” – Theodore Roosevelt. Ride with people who make you stronger and that inspire you but don’t compare yourself to them.

Don’t forget to look around; the Joy of that moment, being on your bike and outside, is a gift that keeps on giving.

Visualize, Breathe, Play

Favorite Riding Partner

Tessa (9) and Maddox (6) My kids keep me learning, laughing and playing on and off the trails. Plus they are willing to try new things and push me to do the same.

As a military family we have lived all over. Every time we move it’s a new chapter meeting new amazing people to ride with. I love the mountain biking community, its welcoming no matter where you call home.

How did you get into mountain biking?       

My foray into mountain biking came via adventure racing over 15 years ago. My husband and I playfully competed in 6-36 hour adventure races. After starting a family and having less time to devote to all the disciplines in adventure racing my natural fit and love was being on two wheels and in the dirt. Since focusing just on mountain biking I’ve raced both xc and endurance. I enjoy pushing myself both physically and technically. After starting with Ninja, behind the scenes, I felt the desire to become an instructor. I received my level one and two instructor certification in Canada and have been loving passing on the stoke. It’s great to see the gains riders can make in such a short time given the correct inputs and encouragement.

If you could live anywhere in the world, where would you live and why?

Still exploring….I keep looking around the next corner

Looking to ride with Teri? You can usually find her instructing at one of our many clinics in California

Enrolling in the Intermediate/Advanced clinic was the best thing I’ve ever done to improve my speed and ability on the bike.

Hands down, enrolling in the Intermediate/Advanced clinic was the best thing I've ever done to improve my speed and ability...
Ninja Mountain Bike Skills
5
2014-03-19T14:31:49-07:00
Hands down, enrolling in the Intermediate/Advanced clinic was the best thing I've ever done to improve my speed and ability on the bike. I am so much faster on singletrack and through technical sections/jumps that even if people are more fit than me, I still keep up with them (and kind of love watching them do a lot more work than they need to). Richard and Kris are fantastic and break things down in a way that makes sense and is manageable. By the end of my first clinic, I was jumping off ledges and power climbing up sections that I couldn't drive a car up. You could buy a $5,000 carbon bike and do 10,000 ft rides every day, but you will get the best return on any investment you make in your riding by attending a Ninja Skills Clinic. ~ Regina J.  

Great clinic, just what I needed!

Great clinic. Just what I needed to better know how to handle situations on the trail to maintain speed/momentum and...
Ninja Mountain Bike Skills
5
2014-03-19T14:47:22-07:00
Great clinic. Just what I needed to better know how to handle situations on the trail to maintain speed/momentum and be more efficient. ~ Harper M.  

This will not be our last Ninja training clinic!

My 14 year old son and I (I'm 43) went to the Intermediate/advanced skills clinic at Malibu Creek State Park....
Ninja Mountain Bike Skills
5
2017-05-04T08:16:07-07:00
My 14 year old son and I (I'm 43) went to the Intermediate/advanced skills clinic at Malibu Creek State Park. We both race and ride at a very fast pace. Getting faster for us is about making sure our fundamentals are solid and we can continue to use those fundamentals to smooth out our flow to increase our skills and confidence. Richard has a way of breaking down all the information to make it very understandable and usable. My son and I have been to other skills classes before and knew what to expect, mostly. Richard was able to coach us to better form riding high speed flat corners! We brushed up on and cleaned up some less helpful habits. We really worked to understand the how and why behind some skills that we already had but didn't know we that we did. All in all we had a blast! Richard was fun and informative. Taylor was helping Richard out for the day. It was fun to watch her demo some skills at speed. Her input throughout the day was informative and light hearted. It was a fun day on the bike with some great people and coaching. This will not be our last Ninja training clinic! Thanks for everything Richard and Taylor! ~Eric Zubick

Overall, the camp exceeded my expectations.

I have, like many cyclists, been riding bikes since childhood.  Feeling like I hit a plateau in my technical riding...
Ninja Mountain Bike Skills
5
2017-06-05T14:40:55-07:00
I have, like many cyclists, been riding bikes since childhood.  Feeling like I hit a plateau in my technical riding skills (because I had), I began searching for a mountain bike skills camp.  I wanted to attend a camp that would push me to be a better rider, but I needed it to be in a great location on actual trails.  After a fair amount of searching, I decided that spending a weekend at a Ninja Mountain Bike Skills camp would be perfect.  It didn't hurt that the camp was in Big Bear. The condensed review: It took only a few hours of trail riding with Richard and Daniel to drastically change my riding for the better. The long review: The camp was broken into morning and afternoon sessions, separated by an amazing lunch on each day.  The morning sessions were, in general, based on technique and riding isolated technical features.  The afternoon sessions functioned more like a capstone; we rode incredible trails, like Fall Line and Skyline, and put our newly-learned skills into action. Richard and Daniel were attentive to both the class as a whole as well as each individual.  The pacing of each individual lesson (I'm a teacher, so I viewed each piece as a lesson) was wonderful.  There were constant checks for understanding as well as incremental assessments of our skills on the bike.  We were never once, all weekend, bogged down in repetition, nor were we rushed through a skill or concept.  I was blown away by the sheer volume of skills that were taught in such an easy-to-grasp manner. Of course, we were not standing by our bikes the whole time listening to a lecture: we were actively riding while Daniel and Richard looked on with critical eyes.  Richard was clear in his introduction...

G2 Bike looks forward to many more of these clinics in this area.

Ninja Mountain Bike Skills is a warm and friendly environment to learn new skills and hone ones you already know....
Ninja Mountain Bike Skills
5
2014-03-19T14:32:41-07:00
Ninja Mountain Bike Skills is a warm and friendly environment to learn new skills and hone ones you already know.  It's a non intimidating environment where mistakes are welcomed so corrections can be made.  I own G2 Bike is Aliso Viejo and this clinic has been ran out of the Aliso Woods area and when I interviewed the clients they had all but great things to say.  None arrogant instructors and easy to follow steps. The biggest bang for many was meeting new area riders at their skill level, gaining confidence, and getting the bike set up and fit properly.  G2 Bike looks forward to many more of these clinics in this area.  Thanks Richard for all you do for the MTB community! ~ AJ S.  

That was time well spent – thanks Coach Richard!

That was time well spent – thanks Coach Richard! If you do more clinics, I’d recommend them to my friends...
Ninja Mountain Bike Skills
5
2014-03-19T14:48:13-07:00
That was time well spent – thanks Coach Richard! If you do more clinics, I’d recommend them to my friends regardless of their speed level… ~ Patrick K.  

I’m so glad I made the decision to be part of the Mulberry Gap 3-day clinic.

I'm so glad I made the decision to be part of the Mulberry Gap 3-day clinic. Richard and Randy are...
Ninja Mountain Bike Skills
5
2017-05-04T08:17:07-07:00
I'm so glad I made the decision to be part of the Mulberry Gap 3-day clinic. Richard and Randy are really skilled at breaking things down, very patient and kind. They were very attentive to what each of us needed individually while maintaining a no-pressure, fun vibe. The place is beautiful, rustic and offers a great opportunity to unplug. It's the seemingly little things that make a big difference in your riding, and I feel like I gained some useful insight about not only being on the bike, but set-up and nutrition as well. ~Susan Tully
5
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Ninja Mountain Bike Skills