Learn to Enjoy the climb!

Implement these 3 simple tips today for a better ride tomorrow.

Have you found yourself frustrated, cursing, stuck doing the awkward bike straddle dance mid switchback? If you have, trust me, you’re not alone. Switchbacks are tricky. They’re tight, usually off camber or have a rock or root in the exact spot you want to place your tire, and they require slow speed control that only seems to come easily to the likes of Danny MacAskill. Below I present my top 3 switchback tips.

Go Wider Than You Think

One of the reasons switchbacks are difficult is you’re trying to get two wheels to simultaneously make a 180 degree turn. You can see and control your front wheel, but does it sometimes feel like your back wheel has a mind of its own? Or maybe you’re completely unaware of what’s happening with that back wheel because…it’s behind you and you can’t see it. Well, in order to smooth out your uphill switchbacks you want to find the smoothest line for both your tires and often this means going as wide as you possibly can! When I say wide I mean it. Find the edge of the trail, and plant your front tire there. This will give your rear tire more space to swing around a tight switchback. It’s amazing how singularly focussed we become on the center of the trail because that’s where everyone rides. But expand your gaze a bit and you’ll find much more trail available to you than you realized. By outside, I mean if the switchback turns to the left, you want to be riding on the far right side. For switchbacks, utilize the very outside of the trail and you’ll find success where you used to find struggle!

2. Eyes on the Prize - Look Where you Want to Go!

If you’ve watched any of my youtube vids or read any of my previous content you’ve heard this tip before. But it’s so impactful and simple in theory to implement you have no excuses for not picking your eyes up and looking where you want to go! A few things happen when you look farther down the trail:

Your thoracic spine (upper back) moves out of a rounded position and into more of a neutral position which actually helps you to derive more power from your glutes and hamstrings!
Your balance improves because your gaze is set farther away from you opposed to directly in front of your tire.
You can see where you’re going rather than getting hung up on an obstacle directly in your path.

As simple as it sounds, look where you want to go, is a skill, that like any other skill, needs to be practiced! The next time you’re out riding and find yourself getting hung up on those pesky switchbacks, notice where you’re looking as you come around the turn. If you’re staring directly at the apex of the switchback, try shifting your gaze farther down the trail and watch what happens!

3) Chicken Wings: tuck the inside elbow, lead with the outside elbow and your chin.

This tip is all about priming your body to turn before your bike turns. Tucking the inside elbow and leading with your outside elbow creates a chain reaction to help rotate your hips and torso and literally steer your body in the right direction. Leading with your chin helps "pull" you through the switchback and shifts your weight forward onto the nose of the saddle! If your switchback has any sort of uphill pitch to it, you will need to scoot that boot and get your hips forwards on the saddle in order to maintain traction. Leading with the chin and outside elbow helps to initiate your body movement forwards and around.

Put these tips into practice the next time you’re out riding uphill switchbacks. If you’re looking to improve your overall climbing, check out my Climb Like Cookie Monster tutorial on YouTube!