by
Sean Lunny, B Ed. [Kinesiology]
One of the best things about the MOMAR series has to be the mountain bike sections.
At each race Course Designer, Bryan Tasaka, always seems to be able to find a
great mix of tough climbing, fast gravel roads and tight twisty single track.
It's one of the things that makes the MOMAR series so much fun. That being said,
when I talk to MOMAR first timers, or those people who have never done a MOMAR
race, mountain biking seems to be the one discipline that frightens people the
most. Fortunately this doesn't have to be the case.
The
first place to start is to make sure your bike fits you correctly. The best way
to do this is to buy your bike from a reputable store like Reckless Cycles, or
take any bike you're thinking of buying to a bike store to have them assess fit.
With all the different bike designs these days, and different body types its impossible
to give a "formula" to make sure your bike fits properly.
When
you do head out for your ride, make sure you have on your helmet. One of the great
things about mountain biking is that it can take you away from urban centers.
However this also means you must be able to get yourself back to the city if your
bike should happen to break while out in the forest somewhere! Make sure you always
carry a spare inner tube, that you know how to change a flat properly, you have
a good working pump, patches, and some kind of multi use tool, with allen keys,
and a chain breaker.
Once
out on the trails work on these skills:
1.
Whenever you are going over rough terrain, keep yourself in the ready position,
with your butt just off the seat, knees bent, and arms flexed, heading up, looking
down the trail. This will allow you to absorb as much impact as possible.
2.
On really rough terrain, try to "let the bike go". Let the bike find the easiest
path to follow. Look at where you want the bike to go, not where you don't want
it to go. If you stare at that massive rock in the middle of the trail, you will
run into it!!
3.
Learn to squeeze your brakes to control your speed and not just skid your rear
tire. Your front brake is the one that will really control your speed, but don't
squeeze too hard, or you'll fire yourself over the handle bars!
4.
On up hills, you need to lower your center of gravity in order to maintain good
traction. Do this by bending your elbows and lowering your upper body towards
the top tube. Make sure to keep pedaling strongly and consistently all the way
up the hill too.
5.
The last thing to work on is to avoid the "death grip". The death grip happens
from squeezing the handle bars too hard. Try to do a mental check from time to
time to see if you are squeezing the bars to hard. If so try to relax them. Pretend
like you are trying to play the piano and move each finger up and down till all
the tension is gone.
Once
you master these basic skills, mountain biking will open up a whole new area of
exploration.
