THE INSIDE LINE
How to add some Aussie aggression to your riding
Body position
We’ve heard it said by many coaches that this is the basis upon which all skills are founded, and it’s something we always notice about Sam’s riding. Analyse the way he attacks a section and you’ll see his upper body hardly moves, even in the roughest terrain. His head is always up, eyes focused solely on where he’s going and heels dropped to absorb the impacts. By maintaining a balanced but relaxed position, he’s making the bike do the all the work as it skips around under him.
Cornering
Foot up or foot out, Sam can rail corners faster than just about anyone, and a big part of that is how comfortable he is with breaking traction. In any flat turn you’ll see him
drifting, the back wheel cutting loose and then the tyre biting again exactly where he wants it to. This sort of skill and commitment is impossible to learn at full speed, but the key ingredients can be learned going much slower. The secret is to get familiar with the sensation of your wheels sliding and how you can make them grip again by pushing weight through the pedals.
One of the most useful practice drills is ‘cutties’. These are where you deliberately skid the back wheel out sideways without using the brake. They can be done on any fireroad or loose patch of gravel and they teach you a huge amount about body position and traction. On the trail you can work on the same technique by cutting in tighter on
bermed turns, sliding round the inside and using the banking to catch you.
Line choice
If there’s one thing you’ll learn by watching Sam, it’s that he often rides his own lines, avoiding braking bumps and ruts where possible by cutting inside or going wide. This isn’t so much a technique as a way to approach the trail. Get into the habit of looking ahead and trying to spot lines that’ll help you carry more speed. If there’s a tight turn filled with roots, can you brake early and set up for a high line? It might mean scrubbing off more speed coming in, but if you can get a better arc through the turn you’ll likely exit faster and will save valuable energy by not getting battered about in the rut and having to pedal out.