CATCH THE TRAIN

Flowing down the hill in a ‘train’ of riders is exciting – here’s how to keep it fun and avoid a pile-up!

Ride close together without crashing

When you’re five inches from your mate’s back wheel, debris and muck is flying past your face, and the trail is pinging you from left to right faster then a pinball, it’s essential to stay focused. If you do get sucked into making a silly mistake you’re not just going to eat dirt, you’re also going to get run over by the person behind you! Always look where you want to go. Don’t get distracted by your mate’s poor line choice or sketchy wobbling, or you’ll find yourself getting pulled off your line. If you look where you want to go rather than at the obstacle you want to avoid, you’ll naturally go where you’re looking. This is called target vision and can be used in your favour – but can be your undoing, too. If you’re riding with mates and you trust each other enough, see how close you can ride to the person in front. The closer you are, the wilder it’s going to get, making this a great way to get cheap thrills! Just try your hardest to avoid any multi-bike pile-ups...