The bike trail stretching out in front of us looks innocentenough; just smooth dirt flanked by wildflowers in hues of purple, red, andyellow, bobbing in the breeze.听 ButI know better.听 I鈥檝e been down thistrail before.
I鈥檓 standing at the top of Lithium, a downhill specifictrail off Teton Pass, Wyoming, built by the and sanctioned by theUS Forest () Service.听 A few dozenfeet in front of me it drops off into the Jackson Hole valley, under a babyblue sky鈥攁nd that鈥檚 where the innocence ends.听
It鈥檚 steep. Sometimes it just heads directly down themountain, sometimes it snakes along exposed ridges, with rock drops, loosedirt, twisty, steep switchbacks, root drops, step-ups, jumps, turning discbrakes into burning hot metal, and whole muscles into cramps-for a few thousandfeet.
Entrance to Lithium. 听Sure does look innocent….听
Today, however, I鈥檝e brought Idaho-based downhill mountainbike racer Sean Gollub along, for some sound advice on navigating this trailproperly, not in my current maniacal, reckless, asking for disaster form. Inshort, some tips on how to go faster, be safer, and hopefully, gain a little stylein the process. And after I landon my head in the first five minutes, the advice really starts flowing.听
Sean Gollub, riding 's Buffalo Jump, shows he is qualified to dispense advice.
However, if you don鈥檛 have a DH racer handy to ride with, here鈥檚a list of tips from pro rider Lance Canfield. An original rider, Lance has been racing for over a decade, starred in 13 mountain bikemovies, and started with his brother Chris, manufacturers of coveted,high-end downhill bikes.
10. Lance鈥檚 number one suggestion for beginners: put yourseat down, almost all the way.听 鈥淎lot of cross-country riders make this mistake on DH trails.听 In downhill, you are standing most ofthe time, and your seat should be out of the way,鈥 he says.
9. If you have access to a bike park, spend some time thereand build your skill set and handling skills in unfamiliar technicalsituations.
8. Next, put some big dual-ply tires on your bike. 鈥淚t makesa big difference in what you can hit, and allows you to run lower tire pressurefor better grip.鈥
7. Stand on your feet on the pedals, and be light on yourhandlebars. 鈥淲ith your weight centered on your feet, your balance is best,鈥漰oints out Lance.
6. Get low and behind your bike seat on anything steep and/or rough, andkeep your elbows bent and wide. This adds your body suspension to the bike's, and helps keep your weight away from the handlebars.
5. Want the best grip on your bars? Yes, you do: use three fingersto hold on and only your index finger to brake.听
听
4. Keep your head up, looking as far ahead as possible. 鈥淵oudon鈥檛 need to see what鈥檚 on the trail right in front of you-you鈥檝e already seen it-you needbe looking at what鈥檚 coming next.鈥 (Lance says this like five times. I think heconsiders it pretty important.)
3. Clamping on your brakes and skidding is not going to helpyou slow down鈥攜ou lose all traction and actually accelerate. Try to findobstacles in the trail to help turn and give traction, like rocks, berms, orruts. If you are not using the obstacles in the trail you are fighting thetrail instead of riding it.
2.听Trust in thegeometry of downhill bikes. They are built to help you not crash.听
1. Finally, 鈥淔low like water,鈥 says Lance. 鈥淧ick a line,and use the terrain and obstacles to bounce your way down the hill. The easiestpath is the one water would take.鈥 But of course, until you get used to the trails,it鈥檚 kind of hard to aim exactly鈥攚hich is where big tires, suspension, and bigbike come in鈥攜ou鈥檒l probably end up going over a lot of obstacles you intendedto go around-at first, that is.
So, is getting the right gear and protection, tips from experienced riders, a few weeks of putting in time practicing on the trails of Teton Pass and resort enough to jump in a downhill race and stay one piece? 听Stay posted…I am going to find out.
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