BALANCE PEDALLING SMOOTHLY
PEDALLING SMOOTHLY As a mountain biker, pedalling is your main source of acceleration. It’s probably not something most of us think that much about, but you’ll expend a lot more energy if you mash the pedals aimlessly instead of spinning smooth circles. This is even more of an imperative on full-sus bikes, where bad technique will divert your effort into bobbing the suspension rather than driving you forward.
CADENCE 1 We all have our preferred cadence (pedalling speed). Some like to spin, whereas others favour harder, slower strokes. Often riders are in too hard a gear – either up a climb or off from the start of a race. If you push too hard, you’ll accelerate less efficiently and be slower overall when compared to using an easier gear.
2 POSITION This is your stance over the cranks. Many riders have their saddle too far back, so when they’re climbing their legs are in front of them. For seated pedalling, try to keep your weight over the pedals so you’re driving straight down onto them. This is the same when standing up too. After your first couple of pedal strokes, shift your weight forward to get maximum drive.
MUSCLES 3 Something we learned from MTB coach Andy Wadsworth is which muscles to use when pedalling. Now obviously, you need to use your legs, but the two big ones to focus on activating are your core and glutes (bum). When you pedal like this, it’ll help stabilise your legs and produce more pedal power, but using your core while breathing hard will take practice.
SPINNING 4 Work on driving positively and firmly on the pedals, rather than stamping down on them. A choppy, uneven motion will make it harder for the back tyre to grip, especially when the going gets steep or loose. In contrast, a fluid rotation of the pedals will allow you to build speed consistently. It’ll also help prevent a full-suspension bike from bouncing around as much.
MOUNTAIN BIKING SKILLS 23
