Maintaining Balance and Control on Humps and Uphills
Staying centred over the ground

This is a subtle skill that appears in some lessons but not all, depending on the rider’s speed and confidence. Beginners rarely encounter it, as they are not yet riding fast enough to take high lines, roll features aggressively, or deal with rises at speed. When it does appear, however, it is valuable information for any rider.

This explanation is not usually part of the core lesson, but is introduced only if the issue presents itself on the trail.

It is always used in jumping lessons.

Very commonly, riders experience difficulty when:

• Rolling humps or rises

• Pumping terrain

• Rolling over small jumps

• Dealing with rocky outcrops on the outside of steep corners (a frequent situation in Finale)

These issues are almost always caused by the rider being unintentionally pushed backward on the bike as the terrain rises.

 

Why This Happens

With good intention, the rider begins centred on the bike. However, as the bike rolls up a rise or hump, the rider often remains locked to the relationship they feel between their arms and the handlebars, rather than adjusting their body position relative to the ground.

In other words, they stay centred relative to the bike, instead of staying centred over their feet as the terrain changes.

This technique is not so much to do with body position as much as their awareness of staying balanced over their feet.

In general on downhills, a rider becomes comfortable allowing the bike to seesaw underneath them — the handlebars tip away and return — by letting the arms extend and bend as needed. The rider’s balance remains centred over the pedals, some pressure on the handlebars.

But, on an uphill, however, riders often forget to adjust forward and maintain that pressure on their hands as the bike rises beneath them. Instead, they remain fixed in their original stance and are pushed backward as the terrain steepens.

 

Teaching the Concept

Start on flat ground.

1. Ask the rider to get on the bike and find a balanced, centred position — either tall or low. Then ask them to look down and note what lines up with their nose. This will typically be the stem or the fork arch, depending on their confidence and bar height.

2. Now ask the rider to step off the bike.

3. Move the bike onto a moderate uphill and ask the rider to climb back on.

Often — though not always — they will stand noticeably further back on the bike, attempting to recreate the same visual reference they had on flat ground. Or, they will automatically adjust firther forward to compensate for the slope.

In either scenario, point out where their nose is now (it will be much further forward relative to the bike).

 

Ask them to notice what they feel in their hands:

• Pulling on the fingers

• Light contact

• Heavy pressure

Adjust the rider forward until they find the new centre — balanced over their feet relative to the ground, not the bike.

Allow them to move back and forward deliberately and feel the difference. Gently wiggle the bike underneath them so they can experience how stable it feels to stay forward on the uphill.

Most riders are surprised by how comfortable and controlled this position feels once they trust it.

 

Key Teaching Point

Balance is always maintained over the feet relative to the ground, not fixed relative to the bike or handlebars.

 

“Stay centred over the ground, let the bike move underneath you.”