Foot work - Cyclocross Magazine2024-03-28T23:39:48Zhttps://cowbell.cxmagazine.com/forum/topics/1198434:Topic:1575?feed=yes&xn_auth=noOne more thing to add...back…tag:cowbell.cxmagazine.com,2008-06-21:1198434:Comment:34812008-06-21T00:38:14.406Zbrianhancockhttps://cowbell.cxmagazine.com/profile/brianhancock
One more thing to add...back when I was a junior and we could have LOTS of barriers (ah...the good old days) I practiced by making a set of 18" tall break away barriers by making upside down "T's" out of 2" x 4"'s and resting a 2" x 2" wooden bar on top. That way if I smoked it I wouldn't really hurt anything, plus it gave me the confidence to move into the barriers quickly.<br />
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I have to admit, after my hiatus from cycling during College I was pretty disappointed about the barrier rule change,…
One more thing to add...back when I was a junior and we could have LOTS of barriers (ah...the good old days) I practiced by making a set of 18" tall break away barriers by making upside down "T's" out of 2" x 4"'s and resting a 2" x 2" wooden bar on top. That way if I smoked it I wouldn't really hurt anything, plus it gave me the confidence to move into the barriers quickly.<br />
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I have to admit, after my hiatus from cycling during College I was pretty disappointed about the barrier rule change, but that is another topic. the one thing very helpful fo…tag:cowbell.cxmagazine.com,2008-06-20:1198434:Comment:34752008-06-20T19:00:15.808Zandrewhttps://cowbell.cxmagazine.com/profile/cyclocross
the one thing very helpful for me when I was learning was to swing the leg over and grab the tt very early and coast like that up to the barriers. If you have a straight run, it's not any slower - you just need the brakes less and often can hit the barriers at greater speed because you're focused and under control.<br />
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so regardless of unclipping first or stepping through, all you need to then do is get off the bike and pick it up. it's helpful to just practice coasting around holding the top…
the one thing very helpful for me when I was learning was to swing the leg over and grab the tt very early and coast like that up to the barriers. If you have a straight run, it's not any slower - you just need the brakes less and often can hit the barriers at greater speed because you're focused and under control.<br />
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so regardless of unclipping first or stepping through, all you need to then do is get off the bike and pick it up. it's helpful to just practice coasting around holding the top tube. once you put some weight on that top tube hand, you'll find you're very stable and under control. then, over time, you can reduce the space/time you're coasting on the side of the bike. I find most new racers swing their leg over too late and get off too early on a set of high speed barriers (which are going extinct it seems). Last year was my first season…tag:cowbell.cxmagazine.com,2008-06-20:1198434:Comment:34502008-06-20T13:06:26.721ZSomnambulanthttps://cowbell.cxmagazine.com/profile/Wes
Last year was my first season. I started by not doing the first two things, and unclipping during.<br />
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Then I started stepping through more. I do agree with Adam though -- there's a time and place for both methods.<br />
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Then after bashing my ankle on my pedal/crank enough times I started making sure my 'landing foot' was well out of the way. I occasionally now unclip before the dismount, but mostly I still do it during.<br />
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One thing that I have to learn to do is to put my right hand on my toptube when…
Last year was my first season. I started by not doing the first two things, and unclipping during.<br />
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Then I started stepping through more. I do agree with Adam though -- there's a time and place for both methods.<br />
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Then after bashing my ankle on my pedal/crank enough times I started making sure my 'landing foot' was well out of the way. I occasionally now unclip before the dismount, but mostly I still do it during.<br />
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One thing that I have to learn to do is to put my right hand on my toptube when I'm dis-mounting, rather than leaving it on my bars. It never feels 'right' to me, but at the same time I also often find myself scrambling for the TT while rapidly approaching a barrier. could be - certainly is much…tag:cowbell.cxmagazine.com,2008-06-19:1198434:Comment:34002008-06-19T17:39:02.360ZGeWillihttps://cowbell.cxmagazine.com/profile/GeWilli
could be - certainly is much easier to hop with more speed, only a few can smoothly hit the lower speed barriers and hop with style points...<br />
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and super tick, absolutely. that's why practice is so critical... do them all enough times that the muscle motions are seemless and thoughtless
could be - certainly is much easier to hop with more speed, only a few can smoothly hit the lower speed barriers and hop with style points...<br />
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and super tick, absolutely. that's why practice is so critical... do them all enough times that the muscle motions are seemless and thoughtless I agree with the movement to…tag:cowbell.cxmagazine.com,2008-06-19:1198434:Comment:33982008-06-19T16:15:18.907ZSurly Bastardhttps://cowbell.cxmagazine.com/profile/SurlyBastard
I agree with the movement to reduce the chance of accidents by eliminating straight-running barriers. Especially with the growing number of new racers. Don't you also think that the straight-on-high speed barriers have been removed to eliminate bunny-hopping?
I agree with the movement to reduce the chance of accidents by eliminating straight-running barriers. Especially with the growing number of new racers. Don't you also think that the straight-on-high speed barriers have been removed to eliminate bunny-hopping? Back in the late 90's I saw a…tag:cowbell.cxmagazine.com,2008-06-18:1198434:Comment:33592008-06-18T21:11:18.652ZSuperTickhttps://cowbell.cxmagazine.com/profile/SuperTick
Back in the late 90's I saw a guy try to attack as he approached a triple set of barriers. It looked like he tried to take a few more pedal strokes, than couldn't decide if he wanted to step through or step behind. That moment of indecision caused him to get tripped up and he ended up landing on top of the first barrier with his top and down tube folded in half. Moral of the story, no matter which technique you decide to use, make sure you can do it going fast and slow, everytime.
Back in the late 90's I saw a guy try to attack as he approached a triple set of barriers. It looked like he tried to take a few more pedal strokes, than couldn't decide if he wanted to step through or step behind. That moment of indecision caused him to get tripped up and he ended up landing on top of the first barrier with his top and down tube folded in half. Moral of the story, no matter which technique you decide to use, make sure you can do it going fast and slow, everytime. most promoters don't like the…tag:cowbell.cxmagazine.com,2008-06-18:1198434:Comment:33542008-06-18T17:57:41.368ZGeWillihttps://cowbell.cxmagazine.com/profile/GeWilli
most promoters don't like the high speed barriers...<br />
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high speed = spectacular crashes, ie broken bones, faces, bikes...<br />
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good if ya got mad killer dismount skills... not so good if you've never hit a high speed set of barriers
most promoters don't like the high speed barriers...<br />
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high speed = spectacular crashes, ie broken bones, faces, bikes...<br />
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good if ya got mad killer dismount skills... not so good if you've never hit a high speed set of barriers Are there still any high-spee…tag:cowbell.cxmagazine.com,2008-06-18:1198434:Comment:33432008-06-18T16:09:55.752ZSurly Bastardhttps://cowbell.cxmagazine.com/profile/SurlyBastard
Are there still any high-speed barriers left? No more six-packs here in the Midwest, that's for sure. Doubles inside of hair-pins seems to be the fashion.<br />
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Me: step-back, (push down on the top-tube to lighten the weight on the pedal at the moment of unclipping) unclip as I bail out, and then hit the ground running. Simple, safe, routine.<br />
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As for braking, do it early before the entering the dismount sequence. Knowing your optimum approach speed is what practice is all about. Although I do love…
Are there still any high-speed barriers left? No more six-packs here in the Midwest, that's for sure. Doubles inside of hair-pins seems to be the fashion.<br />
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Me: step-back, (push down on the top-tube to lighten the weight on the pedal at the moment of unclipping) unclip as I bail out, and then hit the ground running. Simple, safe, routine.<br />
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As for braking, do it early before the entering the dismount sequence. Knowing your optimum approach speed is what practice is all about. Although I do love to see racers that decide to "attack" at the barriers and dismount at a speed faster than they ever have tried before in their (short) lives ... sweet wreck dude ... different technique depending…tag:cowbell.cxmagazine.com,2008-05-30:1198434:Comment:24782008-05-30T20:05:14.766ZGeWillihttps://cowbell.cxmagazine.com/profile/GeWilli
different technique depending on the situation.<br />
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high speed barriers can be easier with a step through. Many people claim you can carry much more speed with a full stride resulting from the step through.<br />
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So far I have yet to encounter any barriers set at locations where I'm carrying enough speed to warrant the step through. But I still practice it as part of the routine. One of the biggest advantages though with the step through is actually realized on the re-mount. When you step through and…
different technique depending on the situation.<br />
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high speed barriers can be easier with a step through. Many people claim you can carry much more speed with a full stride resulting from the step through.<br />
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So far I have yet to encounter any barriers set at locations where I'm carrying enough speed to warrant the step through. But I still practice it as part of the routine. One of the biggest advantages though with the step through is actually realized on the re-mount. When you step through and release properly the right crank arm is pointing just forward of the middle, ideal for jumping on and applying power. When you step behind often the crank is straight up and down.<br />
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I almost never begin a dismount unclipped. I always unclip as my foot is dropping off the pedal. If the course is extra muddy or there is sticky sand on there I will do a quick unclip-clip while pedaling to judge the ease of release. There have been rare isolated times when I have unclipped prior to begining the dismount but it is rare. I prefer to have the control of not being bucked off the bike on the uneven terrain just before the barrier. It saved my bacon hitting one of the chuck holes leading into the barriers at NoHo this past year.<br />
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I find that if you are braking in the middle of the dismount you are doing it wrong. The step behind is a fantastic way of slowing the momentum down to a sprint pace w/o the brakes. Another benefit of the step behind, it can be done a bit faster than the step through and keeps you pedaling and in control on the bike longer.<br />
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And yes. vanwacx is correct. To actually be competitive it is far more productive to obsess about the watts/power you can put out over the duration of the race than to worry how you are getting in and out.<br />
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Now if we were back in the good old days of cross - 98 or so - when there were barriers upon barriers... then the technique made a big difference... but with UCI regs the Portland area Six Pack will be an oddity. I step through a lot but migh…tag:cowbell.cxmagazine.com,2008-05-28:1198434:Comment:22282008-05-28T21:56:32.540Zvanwacxhttps://cowbell.cxmagazine.com/profile/vanwacx
I step through a lot but might go more Euro this season. If you take a look at the pros, they all step back. Tonkin says it's easy and scrubs a little speed going into the barriers.<br />
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I unclip when I make the drop to the ground. I try to exaggerate the motion so as to insure that I'll really unclip. I've only screwed it up a few times and not at all last season.<br />
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I know it's easy to obsess over technique, but the average Euro is looking to get a few more watts, not figuring out how to refine…
I step through a lot but might go more Euro this season. If you take a look at the pros, they all step back. Tonkin says it's easy and scrubs a little speed going into the barriers.<br />
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I unclip when I make the drop to the ground. I try to exaggerate the motion so as to insure that I'll really unclip. I've only screwed it up a few times and not at all last season.<br />
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I know it's easy to obsess over technique, but the average Euro is looking to get a few more watts, not figuring out how to refine dismount technique. Spend the time to get off and on the bike without hurting yourself, then work on fitness. Over the course of a few seasons, your technique will get better as will your overall race strategy. The more you race, the better you will get.