rut rules

1 Stay loose Let the bike move around beneath you. Unlike normal riding, where you try to ride with a solid position on the bike, in ruts you need to constantly move and balance with the bike. If the bike moves left, then you move to the right to keep it upright.

2 Pedals level It’s important to ride with your feet fairly level. This gives you space to dip from side to side more easily and stops your feet hitting the edges of the ruts.

3 Easy anchors No sudden braking. Hard braking will cause the bike to get dragged into the edge of the rut and you’ll lose balance. Use a bit more rear than front brake and feather them as you go to keep control and balance. A handy tip for this is to run your brakes with more lever travel so they’re less grabby.

4 Look ahead Keep your head up and look where you’re going. Although rut riding can be slower than trail centre trails, it’s still important to keep your eyes up to help with balance and predicting what’s coming ahead.

5 Go for glory Finally, don’t forget to hoof it!