Archive for the ‘Riding Techniques’ Category:
Saving Energy on Rough Tracks
Rough tracks separate the men from the boys. If you can race a National at race pace for 35 minutes, you are a man. Plain and simple. However, for those of us who just have to worry about 20 minute motos, survival is the only thing going through our minds. Riding smooth tracks are fun, but in order for you to really get better, you need to ride the brutal stuff. Saving time and energy will allow you to ride longer and get more experience than your competition. So, here are a few things to remember if you want to conserve energy and ride longer:
- Riding in a higher gear will make a world of difference. When rev out your motor, it causes the suspension to bind. That revalve you just paid for is useless if your motor is screaming for mercy. You will end up dancing all over braking bumps and your rebound will kick a lot more, causing you to get a death grip, which ultimately leads to arm pump. Another reason to ride a gear higher is because you will have more traction and less wheel spin. You will dig in and be able to get the front wheel light if needed.
- Smoother throttle application helps tremendously, especially on 450s. If you dive into corners, square them up and dump the clutch, that burst of power will eventually wear you out. Flowing through with the track and steadily applying the gas will keep your arms in their sockets and have you in control. The quick bursts of power can get to be a handful when the track is full of acceleration bumps and other obstructions.
- Working the sides of the track will save a lot of energy! The main lines are generally in the middle because they are the fastest and easiest way around the track…early in the day. But when the sun dries out the soil and the main line gets too gnarly, look at the outsides/insides. The sides will have less usage than the middle part, giving you a much smoother track to ride on.
- Last but not least, stand. Sitting down on a rough track kills my back and I get extremely sore the next day. I know it is easy to just sit down when you get tired, but sitting actually results in you getting more tired. Your hips, knees, and ankles provide an extra set of suspension. When you sit down, your back and core take a beating. This leads to poor form over the course of the moto. When your form is off, your whole riding and stamina are off as well.
Track Walks
I know I have been on a Loretta Lynn’s kick, but this is probably my favorite time of year. All of the hype around the track about who is looking fast….and who isn’t makes good racing. For that reason, going to a track you have never been to can be pretty nerve racking. Some people travel to a track for the area qualifier and never go there again. Preparing the motor home and the bikes are essential, but when it comes to the new track, things tend to be rushed. That is why it is so important to walk the track.
One of the first things I notice about a track is the soil. Is it tacky, loose, loam or hardpacked? This can play a huge role when the track gets rough and dried out. Also, some spots maybe wetter than others; this shows you good lines in the morning, but not so much for the afternoon. Finding the best dirt for optimum traction will be important.
Going along the idea of soil, a good idea is to think about it track deterioration. Softer tracks are obviously going to have more ruts and the jumps will become chewed up. The turns will have bigger braking bumps than a harder soil. This can help you choose your lines more carefully. Sometimes, you will get corners where the outside might get blown out and you will have to take the inside. The same goes for jumps. If you see the faces are harder than the rest of the track, you may get lucky and have smoother jump faces. While you are walking the track, you should be able to size up what you can and can’t do. This will save you time during practice and help you concentrate on the more important parts, like corners.
One final thing to remember is passing options. If a track looks pretty one lined, you should be concentrating on getting a good start. However, if the track flows well and there is plenty of options for passing, talk it over with a friend or family member. My dad and I would always walk the track and discuss situations and line selection. When you get through practice, you will get a better idea of which lines are worth sticking to and which could be your back up lines.
If you don’t have an opportunity to walk to the track, watching the practice sessions before you will help. Watching the faster groups will give you an idea of what lines the locals and/or experts use. I would always try to get to the front of the line for practice. That way, I could go at my own pace and who ever passed me would just go around. This leaves the slower riders behind you and you can focus on learning the track.
The Scrub
Watching the pros, you can guarantee that every rider is going to scrub. Even amateurs are perfecting the “Bubba Scrub.” This is not just something they do for fun. This is a technique that can help you stay lower in the air and get back on Mother Earth and on the gas. If you see someone perform the scrub right, it looks effortless and so smooth. It really is an art form as no 2 scrubs are alike. For this reason, it is important to start things slow and on a single or something small; eventually working your way up to normal size jumps.
The first thing is to approach the face at a slight angle. If you plan on leaning to the right, you want to angle yourself to be pointing slightly to the left. This allows you to turn the bars and lean the bike without scrubbing off of the track. As the front wheel comes off of the lip, you want to begin to turn the bars the same way you are leaning. You don’t want to try and make this like a turn. That will only throw the rear end out and you will still be upright, defeating the whole purpose of this. Keep this in mind and just lean. As I said before, this is a unique technique, so it you prefer to stand, stand up. If you like to sit down, have a seat.
Once you feel you are off of the jump, you want to keep turning the bars down. This gets the motion of the whip going. You really want to try and pivot and squeeze with your legs. This is not just a movement with your arms; you want to help the bike through the flow with your hips and legs. As you approach the peak of your flight, you will start to feel a point where you need to bring it back. I have not brought it back in time and I can tell you, it hurts.
You will feel the bike want to come back to its normal, upright position. To get this process going, simply turn the bars back the other way. Combine this with a little bit of gas (to get the rear wheel spinning) and the centripetal motion of the wheels will get you back to the right position. Don’t forget that apply pressure on the foot pegs so you can help bring the bike back with your legs.
When you get the bike straight, be sure to get on the gas. This will help you drive through any swaps or any problems you have with the scrub when you land. Like I said, this is a one of kind technique. You need to practice this and start small. Jumps that are slower and have long faces will help you out a lot and when you feel comfortable enough, transition to faster, shorter jump faces. Everything should be a fluid, smooth motion. It will come faster than you think and you will be throwing scrubs like James himself.
Justin Brayton goes HUGE on Press Day
JB is the man. I have a new level of respect for this guy now. Read the article and you will know what I am talking about…
Economics 101
Times are tough. It has been like this for quite a while. And I have always thought that things were starting to look up…at least that’s what the “news” has been telling us. Now, this is not a political site at all and I don’t want it to be, but some bad news yesterday hit me pretty hard. As anyone knows, if you own a dirt bike and ride/race consistently, that bike is like your child. I got a call yesterday telling me that I had to sell my bike (AKA my baby). This basically is like putting your child up for adoption. That’s the only thing I can compare it to!
So I thought that since this isn’t a site about the economy, I thought I would give you some tips on training without having to pay for a gym membership or if you don’t have equipment.
- Cardio – If you don’t have a $5,000 bicycle to ride on the road, don’t sweat. There are plenty of options to get your cardio in. If your state isn’t covered by a foot of snow, you can obviously go running. It might be a little cold, but you’ll be glad you went and you can get a buddy to push yourself and each other. Another option is to go to Sports Authority or a similar store and purchase a jump rope. Boxers use these trim down and get a Michael Phelps level of cardio. They are cheap and can be used almost anywhere, anytime.
- Strength Training – I know that I said you should be concentrating on interval sessions now, but you can use body weight exercises as cardio and strength training….circuit training anyone? Push ups, squats, lunges, crunches and pull ups. Yes pull ups. You can get that “Iron Gym” pull up devise that fits in your doorway. It works great. String all of these together with no rest between exercises and you will be sweating like crazy.
- I know this really doesn’t have anything to do with training, but supporting the motocross community is really important. If you can only afford to go to the track every other weekend, you are still contributing. However, if you are in the market for some parts or need some work done, try the local guys first. The bigger name companies are doing better than the small “mom and pop” shops. By contributing to the sport, we will have something to train for!
That’s it in a nutshell. You don’t have to have fancy equipment right now to be in shape. If you get your cardio in and do plenty of body weight exercises, you are much better off than complaining about the economy!
Moto Sprints
Going with yesterday’s theme of Loretta’s area qualifiers, another important aspect are sprints. Getting your interval cardio in is important as well, but that is only one part of the puzzle. Since the area races usually last about 10 minutes, getting up front and staying there is a must. The races in Hurricane Mills are 20 minutes for big bikes and 15 minutes for mini riders (and C class); that is twice as long to make passes and make up for a bad start.
The first step to sprint training is getting out of the gate as quick as possible. I have articles on starts and the mental aspect of getting that holeshot, so have a look at those if you need to brush up. To summarize the basics of starts, you want to find a straight line to the first corner…the shortest line is not always the fastest. Remember to put all your weight on the bike and get the chain to the point where it is tight. Looking at the pin holding the gate or looking at the gate itself is a personable preference; whatever has been working for you, keep with it. Again, don’t dump the clutch. Let it out easy and roll the throttle on. I always like to leave both feet down for balance and when I need to shift up, I bring both feet up.
Like I said, that is a basic overview of starts. I know that they kill you clutch, but doing a few before a sprint type moto will get you in the mindset of riding all out. Once you have warmed up on the track and have a feel for everything, it is a good idea to do a couple of practice starts. About 5 should be sufficient and on the 6th start, start your sprints.
You can do one lap where you are at a quick race pace and record the lap time. This can be your benchmark. Being that the area qualifiers are so short, your lap times shouldn’t really drop that much. If they do drop, it should only be off by .5 of a second or less. Once you have your benchmark, do a start and bust out a moto at your race pace for however long your area race is. Once you have completed your first moto, take a break and get some fluids in you. Then, do the same thing; do a start and do a moto at race pace.
This will let you know where you stand as far as fitness and speed. If you know someone at the track who is going to ride the same class and they are faster, you may want to work on your weaknesses on the track. If you cannot complete a moto at race pace, keep doing the interval session from yesterday’s post. Now is the time where you can start doing cardio three days per week and strength training 2 days. Like I said yesterday, the first qualifiers took place this past weekend. It is coming up fast, so get prepared A.S.A.P.!
