Staying Centred Over the Ground

This is a subtle skill, but once you feel it, it changes everything. You’ll start to notice it when riding:

* Rollers or pump track features
* Blind rises or humps in the trail
* Jumps with uphill lips
* Rocky uphill outcrops before dropping turns

At first, it can feel like the bike is pushing you out of position for no clear reason when what is actually happening is simple:

You are staying centred relative to the bike… instead of staying centred over the ground.

see video of rider rolling up hump correct and incorrect

What’s Going On?

When you ride on flat ground or downhill, it’s relatively easy to stay balanced. The bike can move slightly underneath you, and you are familiar with letting your arms and legs naturally adjust to let the handlebars fall away.

But, when the terrain rises—like over a roller, hump or bump in the track—the front wheel comes up towards you. If you don’t adjust your body forward with the bike by standing up on the pedals, especially the front foot, the bike effectively pushes you backward.

You may not feel like you’re moving backwards—but relative to the ground, you are now behind your balance point.

 

This is why riders often:

* Struggle to stay in control over the top of features
* Feel unstable before a drop or corner

Because they feel like they’ve lost their balance when they are actually getting pulled backward and as they lose pressure on their hands, the front wheel starts wandering and their steering suddenly becomes unpredictable.

 

The Key Idea

Balance is not fixed to the bike.

Balance is always relative to the ground.

As the terrain rises, you must move forward with it to stay centred over your feet.

 

How to Feel It

You can explore this very easily.

Start on flat ground and stand on your bike in a comfortable, balanced position, even lean the bars against a tree. Notice where your body sits, where your nose is over the tyre or fork.

Now find an uphill and ride onto it slowly or park the bike against a tree again if possible. Line up your nose with the same point.

As the bike moves up the slope or sits on the slope, notice what happens if you do nothing, you will feel yourself being pushed backward. Your hands will be clinging to the handlebars and all the weight shifts onto the rear wheel.

Now try again, but this time consciously move your body forward as the bike rises. You don’t need to exaggerate it—just allow yourself to follow the shape of the terrain by standing up and keeping some pressure on your hands.

You will notice:

* Comforting pressure through your hands
* A stronger, more stable/balanced feeling
* Better control as you roll over the feature (if you're rolling)

 

Gif of two positions

 

Why This Matters

This shows up everywhere once you start riding faster or more dynamically.

If you don’t adjust forward over humps and rises:

* You lose control at the crest
* You arrive at corners out of position
* You struggle to pump or generate speed
* You will have issues learning to jump

 

You are not balancing on the bike, you are balancing over the ground.

Stay balanced over your feet.
Let the bike move underneath you.