RUTS BERMS
POWER OUT OF BERMS Exit speed in corners is an easy place to gain or lose time in a race. The way pros link berms into straights is seamless – they appear to come out faster than they went in. A lot of this is down to identifying the correct braking point and pumping, but hitting the pedals at the right time and getting max power down makes a big difference too. Wheelieing as you exit a turn means you can get your legs straighter and put full power through the pedals. It also overcomes the risk of stalling as you exit, without needing to shift down a gear. This technique requires you to be able to pump berms and wheelie, so get comfy doing both those things first.
EYES UP When powering out of a turn, it’s easy to oversteer by pulling the handlebar round too far. The key to preventing this is to keep your eyes up and look straight down the trail at where you want to go.
Manualing out Pulling a manual as you exit a berm looks cool and feels pretty damn great
1. HIT THE APEX Enter the berm as you would any other corner – central on the bike and balanced. Powering out of a turn is about generating forward momentum, and you get that by springing out of the apex – the point where the G-force is sucking you in and the bike wants to compress. Feel where that is and exaggerate its effects by pushing down on the pedals and handlebar.
2. LEAN BACK
M A N UA L While not a useful technique for going fast, manualling out of turns does look pretty cool. Follow the first two steps, but instead of pedalling to keep the front wheel up, shift your weight back and try to find the balance point. It’ll take some practice, but once you’ve nailed it, you’ll look like a boss!
As the suspension rebounds, the bike will want to accelerate forward. Accentuate that motion by pushing your hips forward and simultaneously pulling back on the bar, like you would to manual. At this point you should be keeping the cranks level and your heels dipped, to help tip the bike onto its back wheel.
3. POWER DOWN As you feel the back wheel rise, put some strong power strokes through the pedals while still pulling back on the bar. You’ll probably find that, after a couple of rotations, your gearing is too easy, but that’s OK. The aim of this technique is to get you back up to speed and prevent a stallout, from being in too hard a gear.
MOUNTAIN BIKING SKILLS 35
