working on your skills
TAKING THE TIME TO STOP AND WORK ON YOUR WEAKNESSES AND HONE YOUR STRENGTHS WILL HELP YOU BE MORE CONFIDENT, GO FASTER, AND BE A BETTER RIDER OVERALL.
One of the best ways to get better on your bike is to stop and work on your skills. This includes climbing, descending, turning, jumping, switchbacks…you name it! At any level, there is always something you can be more efficient at, smoother, and more in tune with your bike and the trail. Also, it helps with overall safety and confidence. I’m speaking more about mountain biking, but honestly, being skilled on a road bike is critical for safety and be able to get yourself out of sticky situations.
Here are some tips to help with your next personalized skills clinic. But before I go on, take a moment to think of a recent ride, trail, section that you struggled or walked or a skill you want to just be a little soother at. Going faster doesn’t mean being careless.
Set an intention/goal for your training ride. Set aside a skills day or perhaps add it as part of your training ride. Here’s why - if you are out for an endurance training or with friends on an all day epic ride, this is not the best time to stop and repeat a section 2-3+ times. When you are working on skills, you don’t want to be or feel rushed. You will want to repeat as often as you need. Maybe you only need one time..maybe 2-3. Don’t make a skills ride part of an endurance ride or vic versa.
Friends can be helpful - whether they are at the same level or better. And If they are not as skilled, they can benefit from YOUR desire to get better. In this picture to the right, my husband was filming me and I filmed him. I wanted to see how our body position differed and how we approached the turn in speed and gear. Another thing friends can help is to spot you. Let’s say you are afraid of crossing a bridge for fear of falling; your friends can be on either side to ensure there as a safety measure.
Different types of learning - some people do better when reading, listening, doing. Most mountain bikers are doers but it is good to get all the information in. Caution: too much can be bad. But my point is having someone tell you “just do it” doesn’t really help. Be open and listen .. break it down. In this section of the trail which I was never able to clear, I watched my husband blast up with speed and went up the face. It didn’t look possible but he assured me to come in hot and power through. Strength and speed was the answer. I focused on the speed and pedaling hard and fast until I was up over the rock. Bam!!
Look where you want to go. We have all heard it but that is often times the simple solution and remember to breath. We often hold our breath when we are scared or hyper focused. Stay relaxed. My yoga practice continues to help me when I get nervous or a bit overwhelmed.
Sometimes you have to find your own way. we are all built different - tall, short, heavier, skinnier, more power, more finesse. Sometimes one person’s tip doesn’t really help you. Don’t let that discourage you. .. try a different gear ratio, perhaps try more finesse than brut power.
working on a rock climb on Whip Tail on La Costa trails.
I’m lucky that a lot of my early days of riding were with friends who did a lot of sessioning. We would be out on the trail for hours and maybe only go 10-15 miles but we had fun rolling rock faces, working on jumps, and just having fun. I’ve learned a lot during these sessions and its because of this I can do switchbacks, jump (albeit small) off stuff, climb up rocks. I still have so much to learn and the trails near my house continue to teach me new skills. Here’s the cool thing - skills translate from trail to trail. The rock roll you did on one trail help you on a rock roll on a new future trail.
Final word on skills - its a motor neural connection and not a fitness element. The nervous system is working even when you stop. So keep working on the skill and you will be happily surprised when you effortless clean that obstacle that gave you so much trouble before.
Rock on with your badself!
Chi