Trip Overview
Join Annie Pendygraft in the Sacred Valley of Peru on a immersive experience to better understand and manage fear on your mountain bike. Annie is a licensed psychotherapist specializing in sports-based trauma. She is also an PMBIA certified mountain bike coach. She offers a unique approach to understanding the physiological impacts of fear on your mountain biking performance. Through specific techniques, daily practices, and on-trail instruction, she teaches riders the fundamentals of how to recognize an inhibiting fear response and manage it before it ruins their ride.
During our week in the Sacred Valley, you can expect to:
- Gain a better understanding of how your brain reacts under fear
- Learn about how your brain and body’s stress response system affects your flow on the bike
- Explore your nervous system and learn new ways of regulating your fear response on the bike
- Expand your self-awareness to better understand how your core limiting beliefs affect your mountain biking
- Transition from limiting beliefs to adaptive truths in order to surpass previous performance blocks on your bike
- Acquire new techniques to initiate a state of flow and playfulness on your bike
This immersive experience will help riders to better understand and intervene in their fear process. We will use evidenced-based techniques to regulate our fear response on the bike in order to more quickly return to a state of flow. Techniques, exercises, and skills sessions are not meant to substitute for traditional psychotherapy. Yet topics during these experiences may support individuals in their personal growth, self-exploration, and emotional development. Resources for further therapeutic work will be provided at the conclusion of the trip.
In addition to the mountain biking itinerary (see below), education sessions will be held in the evening before dinner. The group will start each day with a guided meditation linking in the topic from the evening before. Throughout the day, Annie will add in tidbits of the techniques and how they can be applied as needed when fears arise. Each afternoon after the ride, Annie will do a quick debrief and check-in.
The trails in the Sacred Valley lend themselves well to Annie’s work in fear, as they include challenging singletrack through the Andes.
Trips are coed unless noted. The minimum for this trip is 4 people.
Fitness level: ● ● ● ○ ○
Skill level: ● ● ● ● ●
2023 Peru Trip Dates
May 7-13, 2023
Price – $1,895
Book more than 90 days in advance and save $200 off the trip price.
$300 non-refundable deposit is required to hold your spot
*Deposits are non-refundable and can be put toward any other World Ride trip in the future.
The remainder of the cost of the trip is due 30 days prior to the start of the trip and can be made in payments. Trips require a minimum of 4 people in order to run.
Fundraise for your trip! We can set up a personalized fundraising page for you. We offer $100 off your trip costs for every $1000 that you raise, up to the cost of the trip.
Invite your friends to join you as well!
Day 1
Arrive Cusco, transfer 2 hours to Ollantaytambo, build bikes, afternoon ride “Cacchicata”, about 1000 feet of climbing dirt road/singletrack, awesome lookout above and over Ollantaytambo with countless Inca sites visible, nice descent by the river back down to town, total distance around 6 miles.
Day 2
Morning ride “Pumamarca”, drive up and outside of town about 1500 feet vert to Pumamarca, a preIncan ruin, with no tourists. Check it out on foot if desired, after is a wicked fun descent right back to town on some exposed singletrack. Lunch at restaurant in town. Afternoon ride to “Salt Mines and Moray”. There are multiple versions of this ride. Approx 2000 feet of descending, 300 feet of climbing, over a little under 10 miles- super fun riding.
Day 3
Morning ride “Inca Avalanche”, nearly 5000 feet from top to bottom. Either once, twice, or one and a half times. Lunch at restaurant in town. Afternoon riding in the Salt Mines/Moray/”Paucarbamba” zone. Same as yesterday, around 2000ft of shuttle descending, virtually no climbing.
Day 4
A ride known as “Calca” or “Lares”, similar to Inca Avalanche, start at high pass at nearly 15,000 feet, drop down a beautiful grass Inca road at the perfect incline angle, turns into singletrack in narrow canyon with Inca steps and 1000+ year old mummies. One of our best rides. Approximately 5,000 feet of descent over around 12 miles. After, back up to “Salt Mines/Moray” zone for more of that fast dry low singletracks.
Day 5
Machu Picchu. Roundtrip train from Ollanta, 6am to 6pm. * See note below for details about Machu Picchu day.
Day 6
Typically we do a ride today called “Lamay” and “Lamay 2”, similar to Calca, but with more flowing singletrack. This is also our ‘flex’ day, which means it can be changed based on how everyone is feeling.
Day 7
Flexible day- either ride or sightseeing around Cusco.
*Itinerary is subject to change.
- Comfortable accommodations the heart of the Sacred Valley.
- Breakfast at the hotel each morning.
- All transportation to and from Ollantaytambo and for all rides.
- Professional local guides that know the trails and have an excellent knowledge of the local culture and traditions.
- Support on the trails with a shuttle vehicle.
- Morning and evening sessions with Annie Pendygraft
*Due to the logistical challenges, Machu Picchu is not included in the cost. We have found that it is much easier for trip participants to book their train ticket to be able to make changes as needed. We will provide all of the needed information and help you get this booked. The cost of this part is approximately $225.
Meals (aside from breakfast) and guide gratuity are not included. Cost does not include airfare, souvenirs, alcoholic beverages, travel insurance or rental bike.
Rental bikes are very limited. For this trip, we highly recommend that you bring your own bike! We have a lot of experience traveling with bikes, so please let us know what questions that you have. This trip is on technically challenging trails at high elevations and we highly recommend a full suspension bike.
Anything you need for your own bike if bringing
- Derailleur hanger
- Extra brake pads
- Any special bike tools -Multitool, mini pump, spare tube
Bike gear
- Helmet (we highly recommend a full face helmet for this trip)
- Sunglasses (or goggles)
- Buff/scarf
- Pack (at least 15L in size to carry layers and capacity of 3L of water)
- Bike shoes
- Gloves
- -3-4 pairs of bikes shorts or more depending on preference. (There are laundry services in Ollantaytambo that take a day or two to get your laundry back to you)
- -3-4 jerseys
- Socks
- Long sleeve base layer
- Waterproof rain jacket
Other gear
- Warm jacket (the nights can be chilly)
- Either a bike light or a headlamp
- Other clothing for after ride
- Comfortable shoes to hike and walk around in
- Clothes to sleep in
- Swimsuit
- Any medication you might need
- Toothbrush and other necessities
- Sunscreen
Personal items
- Passport
- COVID-19 Vaccination card
- Proof of travel insurance if you purchased it
- Credit and debit cards
- A small amount of cash to travel with
- Camera (or just your cell phone)
- Cell phone (plenty of wifi along the way)
- USB Battery pack (optional- there are outlets in all of the hotels)
- Electronics cords and chargers
- Power adapter for outlets in Peru (which are 220v)
- Any extra mountain bike gear you might be able to collect for the ladies over there 🙂