If you’re a fan of Ben Cathro’s Pinkbike line choice videos at the UCI Downhill World Cup, you’ll appreciate how complex line choice can be for elite downhill mountain bikers.
But how much does line choice matter for average Joe mountain bike racer?
Understanding Good Line Technique for Mountain Bike Skills
Effective line choice is a key mountain bike skill. To corner and navigate rocks and roots, you need to have good control over your line. There may not be an obvious split in the track, but the following principles apply:
- Direct lines can be faster but are often heavily worn.
- Longer lines can be slower but can offer more grip and speed control.
- Smoother lines are faster and more controlled.
- Lines are important for tying trail features and sections together.
In this example, I demonstrate how taking a wider entry into a corner improves control over the exit direction and speed. This line is not technically difficult to execute but requires some understanding and forethought.
Line Choice in Downhill and Enduro Mountain Bike Races
When there is an obvious choice in lines on a track, things get a bit more complicated. In downhill and enduro mountain bike racing, the course tape marks the extent of the track, and anything within the tape is fair game.
This is where Ben Cathro’s splits using Dartfish software can be really useful. The millisecond-by-millisecond analysis can show how a rider might gain or lose speed over a relatively short period of the track. This is almost impossible to detect from a rider’s perspective. The line you choose can determine the techniques you use and your entry and exit speed.
How to Decipher Line Choice During Race Practice: Tips from Mountain Bike Coaching
- Practice All the Lines: When practicing lines, ensure you cover enough of the track to have a similar entry speed to racing. And experiment with the different lines.
- Analyze Technique: Different lines often require different techniques, such as drops, jumps or varying gradients.
- Consider the Physical Demand: Some lines may require more pedaling or pumping through the section. Rougher lines place more load on the body than smoother lines.
- Choose What Suits You: There is no point in taking a line just because it looks “pro.” If it’s slower and harder work, it’s not an efficient line.
In my example, I preferred the line which entered wider (left of the screen). I found it easier to pump through the turn, and it set me up better for the difficult flat right-hand turn after the section.
The other line was technically more difficult for me. The entry into the corner was closer to the tree and required too much effort to work my body around, resulting in my weight being too far back on the bike. Then, I had to pump through the rocky drops to maintain control.
Compared to another rider the ‘smooth’ line I was taking was a similar speed to the ‘techy’ line. And when compared to me doing the ‘techy’ line it was a little bit faster.