LAUNCH DROPS RIP ROCKS
RIP ROCKS & SURF SCREE Head out to the hills on the hunt for natural descents and you’re almost guaranteed to come across loose, rocky terrain. When the ground starts sliding around under your wheels, it’s easy to get out of shape, lose control and crash – and crashing on this stuff hurts! Follow these tips, though, and you’ll be skipping across shifting rocks with unfaltering composure.
HEAD UP EYES UP We’re all guilty of this to some degree – looking at the front wheel and not at what’s coming up. When you’re attacking high-speed, rocky straights, you want to consciously look further forward, so you can spot your line. Look for the path of least resistance – often where there’s water flowing.
E ASY O N THE BRAKES Set up early and do your turning and braking on more solid ground. If you do have to brake mid-section, be gentle and feather the levers. Control your speed when the bike’s straight and upright, otherwise it can disappear from under you in an instant.
STAY L O O S E It’s the key to riding confidently in many situations, but it’s never truer than here. If you’re calm and relaxed, then the bike is free to move around beneath you. If you stiffen up, then whenever the bike is deflected, the force will be transmitted straight through to you, knocking you off-balance.
C A R RY S O M E MOMENTUM D R O P A F O OT When the ground is loose and uneven, trying to keep traction and corner with your feet up is unpredictable at best. Sometimes the best way is to grab a handful of back brake, drop a foot and slide your wheels through the scree. It’s always fun and is sometimes the fastest and safest way too!
We’re not saying you should barrel headlong into sections with reckless abandon, but you’ll find that a little more speed will help your wheels to surf over the rocks, rather than getting hung up in the holes between them.
MOUNTAIN BIKING SKILLS 81
