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Downhill Tips

Cornering:

Berms:

Berms can be pretty scary to ride at first. It takes a lot of confidence to ride them flat out. The most common mistakes are to brake inside the berm and not to look out of the turn. If you brake in a berm your bike is forced upward and you loose your line, often going over the top. If you are concentrating on where your front wheel is and not on the berm you will loose you line also.

• Brake if needed before the berm and hit it full speed.

• Take a wide line in if you can; this creates a smoother turn.

• Don't brake inside the berm or you will loose your line and come up over the side.

• Turn into the berm with your body weight and try to keep as much speed as possible.

• Keep looking at where you are going and not at the front wheel.

Fast corners:

A lot of time can be gained or lost around fast corners. Some who are confident take the corners at full pelt while others go a lot slower. They can change the time drastically.

• If the corner is long and not too sharp then you can afford to brake late and sometimes even in the corner. On faster and tighter corners try to avoid braking in the turn.
• Take a wide line into the turn to make it less sharp.
• Keep looking at the exit of the turn to keep your line.
• Try to pick the smoothest line to keep up your speed.
• Try to keep light as you approach rocks to save on time.
• Always think ahead and be ready for the next section.

Sweeping Bends:

The best technique is to ride them in a smooth sweeping motion. This isn't easy when there are rocks and roots in the way. You have to use the riding light technique to glide over the rocks.

• Have a couple of practice runs to experiment with different lines.
• Try to keep a sensible but quick speed up. You can brake slightly if the corner is a little tighter.
• Using the riding light technique over the rocks, lean into the turn and lay off the brakes.
• Keep looking where you are going to keep your perfect line.
• Knock the gears down one so you can accelerate out of the bend.

Technical Corners:

Downhill isn't just about going as fast as you can. There are some quite technical sections too. You can loose a lot of time if they aren't ridden properly. You have to brake into the corner being careful of roots and rocks. Once you get 90° round the corner accelerate away to keep a decent speed.

• Come to the turn slowly, braking as much as you can before entering the turn.
• Lock the rear wheel but keep the bike sliding around almost 90° almost like the motorbike speedway technique.
• Use your hips to keep the bike turning until you reach the exit of the corner.
• Straighten the bars and accelerate away out of the bend.

Rocks And Roots

Coming Soon