Learning Curve

I'll be the first to admit that I'm not exactly the quickest learner. Sometimes it can take me quite a long time to fully understand and process a fact or an idea. Biking is no exception.

Recently I've been reading "Mastering Mountain Bike Skills" and "Mountain Bike Like a Champion" and I've been trying to incorporate a few things into my riding regimen.

The list:

1. Pedal in circles. I've known this is important for some time now, but I've really been trying to work on it lately. Trying hard to make sure I'm using all the muscles at my disposal and trying to get a fluid and consistent pedal stroke going.

I realized on a climb on Saturday that I never exert my calf muscles when climbing. I ended up trying to focus on using them more and I think it helped? I really want to refine my pedaling this year.


2. Look ahead. I can't believe how much of a difference this makes. I had made a habit of looking only 3-4 feet in front of my wheel no matter what. Brian Lopes recommends looking as far ahead as you can to process obstacles and to pick the best line. I've been looking up more and more and it does indeed build confidence.

I've also tried to stop looking directly down at things I'm nervous about riding over. The idea is to process potential trouble spots in advance and then let the bike do what it does best, which is roll.


3. Relax. I've spent a lot of time working on this, but I think I could stand to get better. The goal is to relax any muscle that isn't needed to climb or descend. Relax the jaw. Relax the shoulders. Relax the upper body. I've really tried to do this at work and just in general. I need to get used to relaxing parts of my body instead of straining and flexing when I get nervous.


4. Let go of the front brake. This is something I'm really trying to concentrate on. Much to my shame I will admit that I had developed the habit of using the front brake on turns. My braking over the past year or so could be described in two ways. I was either not braking at all, or I was grabbing both front and back at the same time to slow down.

Recently I've been trying to completely let go of the front brake on turns. I can't believe how much of a difference this makes. I have so much more control and can go faster through turns. I'm still in an infancy stage as far as getting through turns fast, but at least I know what to work on.


5. Dig in. I read about pushing down on your pedals in the Brian Lopes book and tried it out on Los Pinos. It really makes a difference! Lately I've been digging my heels in on any steep or technical descent and it makes the bike feel better underneath me.

I'm also trying to push the front wheel down on turns and dig in with the pedals on turns. Instead of just floating on the bike and reacting to what it is doing I want to try to force it down more and make it react to me instead.


Lots to improve upon and I'm hoping I can grow in these areas over the course of the year. Always feels good to get better and I know I'll never stop learning.