rider: Mesum Verma photo: Doris location: Nanjing, China

Text: Mesum Verma

There is a curve coming, is not a technical curve, a speed curve, which means, there will be not a lot of technical things in the way, maybe some tree roots or some loose small rocks. Or even just a normal path, maybe a 90° curve, but nothing special. To go fast on this curve you have to move your body again, on your bike. Normally when you ride a motorbike (not motor cross) on the street, your body will automatically go with the motorbike in to the curve. This is no problem with a motorbike, since the motorbike is enough heavy, you donʻt have to aware really you will loose traction. But on mountain biking, the bike is not heavy, there is only the weight of the bike and you, which is not the 200 kg which you will bring down to the track. And the will be not a road, is a trail, which will have loose stones, narrow path etc. But to go still fast, you cane do it, you just have to move our body, to bring power down to the wheels, both your wheel. So if there is not small wall in the curve, which where you cane press your bike into it you have to do yourself. As you learned from the first issue, to move your body on your bike. You cane learn to find the position first on a flat road, with enough space. Try to ride with a bit speed a curve, be aware, you need some speed, otherwise you canʻt perform this. So you will try to ride a curve with speed, push your bike into the curve (as you will ride a motorbike) but with your body you will not follow the bike, you will move with your body to the other side. For example if you perform a turn to the left side as you see on the picture. Your bike is going down to the left side also, but your whole body will move outside the curve, means to the right side. The position on your pedal will be the same as you do normal a turn, or better, you should look, the left foot is in front (or the pedal is up) and the right foot is in the back (or the pedal is down). Try to feel your bike, try to feel, how you press your bike in to the dirt (or first in to the road) the power should be on the wheels then. So when you are doing this on a trail, you cane go much faster in the curve then normal, because you will not loose some traction on your wheels. This skill is not easy, and your mind will always tell you, why my body has to move outside the curve and not inside. And needs also some trust in your tyre, which will be then a other thing, which we will tell you later. So go out and try the new trick!!