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 even if you are new to Enduro & Downhill mountain bike racing, its important to understand the basics of line choice.
The basics of line choice 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.
Intuitive line choice when riding blind: enduro MTB racing
A fundamental skill for enduro MTB racing is to be able to read the track quickly and select effective lines. Without relying on learning the whole track in detail.
This is important for Enduro racing because:
- the whole course is usually too long to walk in the practise time available
- the courses are often on natural trails that arent ridden outside of the race
- Weather and the riders on the course can dramically change the course
- you may have to overtake other riders
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.
How to improve intuitive line choice for Enduro racing
- Ride trails & locations you dont know. If you ride the same location a lot make sure you ride the less ridden trails
- Experiment with your lines when out training. Even if its not the fastest or smoothest line.
- Do some training on your own mini enduro course. Rather than riding established MTB trails, set out a track in the woods. (bear in mind the legality of this with respect to landowners)
- During your practice in races. Practise each track slower than you plan to race it. Look further ahead, and look at the whole width of track between the tapes. Not just the obvious line that everyone has ridden
Line Choice in Downhill and Enduro Mountain Bike Races
In enduro & downhill races sometimes there will be more obvious choice in lines on a track. In which case 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. Sometimes the track will be 10-20m wide.
The line you choose can determine the techniques you use and your entry and exit speed. Trying to judge the minute differences in speed is almost impossible.
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. And very hard to accurately even with slow motion video.
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 this video, Part 1 line and technique at Welsh enduro race. I analyse the two lines and explain how the technique differs between them.
In this video, Part 2 line and technique analysis at Welsh enduro race. I look at the difference in speed between the two lines.
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.
Summary
So if you to improve your MTB racing skills, with better line choice.
- Ride as many unfamiliar trails as possible when out training. & Ride all the lines available on the tracks.
- When comparing two or more distinct lines. Practice all the lines & think about how the techniques differ between them
For more help with your racing & descending skills check out my Technical Descending course.