BLACK TRAIL SKILLS
GNARLY ROOTS Roots can be very intimidating and many riders struggle to ride them. They’re notorious for sending your wheels off line, especially when wet, and can also confuse your eyes – particularly sections like this, where there’s a lot going on. To ride roots well you need to commit to picking a line by spotting your exit point and aiming for it. You should avoid turning or braking while riding over roots, and where possible, hit them square on.
BRAKES Cover the brakes, but avoid using them until clear of the roots – they can be the difference between sticking your line and your tyres slipping.
EYES No matter how out of shape things get underneath you, stay focused on your exit point. Tackling roots is all about your line from A to B.
LINE CHOICE Instead of making direction changes on roots, look for areas where you can achieve decent grip and straight-line between them.
ANGLE OF ATTACK It doesn’t take a genius to work out that if this root were wet, the tyre would slide off it. If you can’t hit roots square on, try to un-weight your bike as you hit them – or use the first root as a kicker and jump the rest!
74 MOUNTAIN BIKING SKILLS
