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Off Again, On Again: Cyclocross Dismounting and Remounting

Watch a fast-moving string of top-class riders, gracefully gliding on and off their bikes and jumping obstacles at speed; they make it look so easy.

Then watch riders at the other end of the scale attempting the same maneuvers; clearly, it's not as easy as it looks. Cyclocross takes skill, timing and nerve, and the vital seconds and energy that can be saved by performing the skills well are crucial.

Dismounting

You've ridden plenty of races, and you know how to get off your bike. But just think for a minute: Do you always do it the same way? Chances are you do, but is your technique right for every condition?

The correct technique for a dismount at 20 miles an hour, performed in order to jump a low hurdle with an immediate remount, is considerably different from the technique required for a dismount halfway up an unrideable, muddy climb. So let's examine each condition you will encounter during a race.

 

Unrideable Climb
The most common reason for dismounting is a hill that is too steep or slippery to ride. Before you dismount, select the gear you will want when you get back on your bike. If the climb is partly rideable but too slippery, you will already be in your bottom gear when you get off.

If the hill is too steep, approach it fast, with your hands either on the brake levers or on the tops of the bars. Swing your right leg over the back of the saddle, grab the top tube two or three inches in front of the seatpost, and jump off, unclipping your left foot and putting as much weight as you can through your right arm onto the top tube.

If you are unsure about unclipping your left foot from the pedal at this late stage, make it the first thing you do as you approach the dismount; unclip your foot and simply rest it on top of the pedal without clipping it back in, then continue as above.

As your feet hit the ground, start running and flick the bike up onto your shoulder by the top tube, or down tube, depending on your style.

Almost Rideable Climb
If the hill is almost rideable, then the time to dismount is just before you start to lose momentum. Don't carry on, riding slower and slower, until you finally stop. You must maintain momentum at all times.

A moving bike is far easier to pick up than a dead weight, so it is better to get off too soon and keep moving than to dismount too late and risk stopping altogether.

Forget about holding the top tube as you dismount; you will be traveling too slowly for this technique to work. Swing your right leg over the saddle, and as you push down on the left pedal, unclip it and jump off.

Chances are that your hands will be firmly gripping the brake levers. Leave them there. Run the first few steps with your hands still on the levers until you get into your stride and back into your momentum, then pick the bike up by your preferred style, shoulder it, and carry on running.

Never run pushing your bike for more than five steps. If it is mud that forced you off your bike in the first place, it will suck at your tires, making pushing harder and clogging your wheels as you go.

If it is the steepness of the hill that has forced you off, then it's so much easier to run with a bike on your shoulder than to try to push it up a steep incline. Still need convincing?

Imagine your local supermarket is at the bottom of a long, steep hill. When you are walking back home with a heavy load of groceries, which is easier: carrying a bag in your hand at knee level, or putting it in a backpack and carrying it high on your back?

When you have to run in cyclocross, always run with your bike on your shoulder.

 

 

 

 

Flat-Out Dismount
A ?at-out dismount is usually performed to clear a hurdle quickly, with a fast remount to get straight back into your stride. This maneuver takes skill and nerve, and it can save or lose you the most time as well.

Your speed on the approach to the hurdle depends on your confidence and nerve. In training, start off slowly, and increase your speed until you feel confident you can approach the hurdle at race speed.

This is how it works. First, forget about shifting gears. Assume that the terrain after the obstacle is similar to the approach; with proper technique, you won't lose enough speed to need a gear shift. Your hand position should be the one you feel most confident with.

The levers and the flat section on the tops of the bars are the favorite places for the hands during this type of approach. Perhaps it is best to reserve the tops until you have a very high level of confidence, as in this position last-minute braking is out of the question and you are committed to jumping off at approach speed. So try the levers ?rst.

Adjust your speed on the approach to give yourself plenty of time to swing your right leg over and get in position for the dismount.

You won't slow down much, but you don't want to be hurried into making a mistake. Your right leg will be behind and slightly to the left of your left leg.

Place your right hand on the top tube—again, two or three inches in front of the seatpost—and lean your body back. With your weight on your right arm, unclip your left foot from its pedal and land right foot ?rst on the ground.

Lift the bike up with your right hand, while your left hand remains on the bars or brake lever, keeping the wheels straight so that when the bike hits the ground again it is under control. Clear the obstacle, put the bike back on the ground, your right hand back on the bars, and jump on.

Sounds easy, doesn't it? The tricky bit is taking as few steps as possible before and after the hurdle, because as soon as you are on foot, you are losing speed. The secret is the weight that you are putting through your right arm onto the top tube.

The top guys tend to jump off, take one full step, jump the obstacle on the next step, take one full step after the obstacle, and remount on the fourth.

You may find that you need six or eight steps, but constant practice should give you the confidence to first try the dismount closer to the obstacle, and then faster.

When dismounting at speed, it's best to leave your left foot clipped in until the last part of the dismount. You can only do this with a high-quality pedal system and cleats in good condition, as they must release every time without fail; the consequences of a pedal that won't release as you approach a solid obstacle at 20mph are not good!

The alternative is to unclip your left foot ?rst, before you swing your right leg over.

You must then position your foot on the pedal in such a way that it will not clip in by mistake, and hope that there are not any big bumps ahead that could make your foot bounce off the pedal.

Personally, I prefer to keep my cleats in good shape and unclip at the last minute, but the choice is yours.

 

 

 

 

 

Remounting

There are two different situations that call for remounting the bike: following a running section when the bike is on your shoulder; and following an obstacle when the bike is just lifted up.

After a Running Section
Hold the bars with your left hand and the top tube with your right, then lift the bike off your shoulder and put it on the ground. Try to avoid dropping it too hard, as it can easily bounce out of control, wasting precious time.

When the bike is on the ground, get both hands on the bars in the position best suited to the next section of the circuit: the drops for a descent; the levers for a climb or any section out of the saddle; or the tops for a relatively smooth section. Then jump on, with as few steps as possible.

You should be able to jump into the saddle smoothly, clip into your pedals, and accelerate as if it were second nature, but problems can arise while clipping your feet in.

If your pedals and shoes are right, then it is simply a question of practice, and this is the most important practice you can do. You should be able to get your feet clipped in ?rst time, every time. No excuses!

After an Obstacle
Following the rapid dismount for a hurdle, it is most important to make sure that the bike is under control before you jump on. This means putting it down straight and getting both hands on the bars securely.

This is awkward to do flat-out while trying to take only two steps before remounting, so practice slowly and build up speed, as with dismounting. There are two ways to get your bike over the hurdle as your feet are doing their thing; ideally you should lift the bike up into the air by bending your arms at the elbow.

Keep the bike as vertically straight as possible so that it will go back onto the ground straight.

When you're getting faster, or when you're traveling too fast to pick up the bike quickly enough, you may tend to flick the bike outward (as if you were trying to show a spectator on the right-hand side of the course the bottom of your wheels).

This is okay, but you must make sure the bike is back on the ground in a vertical plane before you jump back on; otherwise you'll veer off to whichever side the bike is leaning. Good if you know the spectators you are heading for, bad if you don't!

 

Last Updated ( Tuesday, 03 November 2009 11:34 )