How to find the Divine Line.

I completed my first mountain bike race in about an hour and twenty minutes
Seven years later I was able to complete the same course in about 30 minutes.
I attribute part of this to my fitness level, but a big portion of the time difference was due to picking better lines. During that first race I had two crashes and had to walk a few sections. One was a large rock garden and the other a technical uphill switchback. At the time I thought no one could ride through the rock garden section. Baby-heads and tombstones littered the area for as far as you could see. The line that I was able to see at that time was all the stuff that I wanted to avoid. I focused on that and stalled my front wheel on the first available large rock. This had me walking the rest of the section. With experience, practice, and riding with people who picked better lines I was able to clear the rock garden by the following season. It is easier because the line I am choosing is the path of least resistance. What follows are some tips to help you pick better lines, clear difficult sections, and keep on rolling (rubber side down).

1) Look where you want to go – I can’t overstate the importance of this one enough. Your bike will go where you look. The tendency is to stare at what you do not want to hit. The result is that you ride right into an object or loose your line. Instead continually scan ahead and pick where you want to go. Make a mental note of obstacles and then focus back on your line. Shift you line of sight from out about 20-30 feet depending on your speed and then back to 5-10. Do not stare down at the ground five feet in front of you this will result in you not having enough time to prepare and react to the trail.

2) Pick the right gear – This one can be tricky. Go into a section in too hard a gear and you will stall. Go in with too easy a gear and you are less stable, bounce around a bit on your seat, and have a better chance of catching a pedal since your cadence is higher in order to generate the same power you would in a higher gear. You want to create a stable platform where you can float above the seat but don’t need to mash down to turn the cranks. You can shift gears in the rear without much difficulty, but make sure that your front derailleur is in the correct gear otherwise if you need to downshift you make get chain-suck.

3) Enter with the correct speed – Speed and momentum can be your friend helping you to clear ruff stuff. The idea here is similar to a speed boat skimming across choppy water.
Of course if you enter a section too fast with no real plan you will more than likely end up over the bars (ouch). Suspension can definitely help here but your technique should be able to get you through most sections. Use suspension as an aid not a crutch.

4) Learn how to weight and un-weight your wheels - When going through a rock garden, over a log, or clearing other rough terrain un-weight the front wheel then the rear. This is a common weight shift that will get you over most obstacles. This weight shift can be practiced right outside your house using any street curb (always practice slow and easy. gradually increase speed and difficulty) Roll up to the curb before your wheel comes in contact lean back and pull back on the bars while performing a downward pedal stroke.

If you are not comfortable with this try performing it on flat ground over a line drawn on the ground once you get the timing down move onto a low curb. Once you are able to clear the front wheel the next step is to un-weight the rear wheel you do this by rolling the bars and shifting your weight forward. If you are clipped in this is easier but you should be able to perform the rear wheel un-weight unclipped as well (when you can do this with flat pedals you have this technique down) If you have ever seen trials ride Jeff Lenosky he does it all unclipped.

Hopefully the above tips will provide you with some food for thought and help you to enjoy the trail more
Good luck and remember to practice progressively and enjoy the process of learning a new skill.

See you on the trails

Mike

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