Jakedatc

The point of riding stairs like that and other run ups that people dismount is that you are already on the bike at the top and can be pedaling while the other guys are getting clipped back in. so even if it is a wash on time to the top you are accelerating while they are just sitting on the bike. It is also why you lose a few seconds changing bikes in the pit.

bbbean 

chas58

I agree, copying is a good way to learn the basics, until you are experienced enough to know when you might want to break the rules. I'm sure it helps him pace himself - I see some newer people get burned out on the first lap and then they are just dragging for the rest of the time.

And I agree with the riding up the steps - it seemed pretty slow. Still, going up that many steps without turning the cranks once was impressive looking.

Doge

The experienced roadie kids new to cross, they are pretty far along on the skills (they can hop barriers). It is just the knowing what to do when. Same for track. Same for doing early races in other places. It is a tactics thing, not a skill thing.
As you mentioned pacing is a real good one. In watching the pros the decision to ride up a hill or run up is something many do differently.

superdex

that ain't riding stairs, this is:


(from this year's Valmont CX in Colorado)

nickw

I find that awfully hard to believe Doge. The only kids I've seen that are good barrier hoppers are the kids the specialize in and focus on cross, can't imagine most roadie specific kids, with minimal dirt time, being good at it or being remotely comfortable doing it in a cross race.

Lots of hills in cross that are skill based too, you can watch many of the UCI races and see how MVDP can stay on line, carry speed and ride while many of the others can't....its s skill more than fitness related issue. Nine times out of ten if they can ride they do. Unlike those Belgian stairs, if they lose momentum on a typically run/ride up of get off line, it's an easy out to hop off and run with little to no time loss.

Carcosa

With the wheelie out and everything.

I saw that video on IG a while back. Didn't that guy get penalized too for taking a handup?

superdex

I saw the vid clip of the handup (right after he cleaned the stairs). Hell, he was so far back, why not?

Doge

From what I see done - watching YouTube, the skills for what I see are there.

I'm not saying road racers can hop as well as cross racers. All cycling disciplines have skills that play better than in other disciplines.

nickw

I think what you may see is that good cross racers may be doing well in road races...but you don't see roadies crossing over and doing well, particularly not bunnyhopping, without several years under their belts and a focus on cross.

JeffOYB

the final 2 races of our season had low barriers that made me want to learn to hop em.

so i've built a learner kit in my yard. i tried it at 8" a couple times. rough! i need a lotta work! and i need to beef up my plank stakes.

i can bunny hop 10" logs easy. planks are harder than logs. and two barriers are niftier yet!

i half want to do it just as a party stunt. the spectators will love it. i'm old -- i'll be the only old guy hopping!

and heck at one race they mighta been only 8". i was so tempted just to try then 'n' there!

as it was i was putting 100 ft on my rivals every time at the barriers. those guys were faster but i could re-catch them every time there. if I coulda been hopping them i woulda been gone!

so many skills, so little time... i also really really helps to go to a race course in the morning and have an afternoon race then practice the darn course as much as possible.

radripperaj

I found the best set up for practicing is to make barriers out of 1 -1/4" pvc with different length legs so you can change the height. have it where there are no legs holding it up the way you are going so they tip over easy if you bump them. this will give you confidence so you can just focus on technique. After that move on to real wood. One thing I figured out was with real wood is I really only needed to completely clear it with my front wheel. My back wheel can touch the barriers and be ok. Heck as long as I got within about 2 inches of the top the back wheel will roll over as long as I still had forward momentum. Good luck

radripperaj

Hey yall, just wanted to post another video. I decided I wanted to be able to bunny hop on the hoods and not on the tops. It was a little scary at first because I always felt like I was going to nosedive to hard. However, I figured it out. I built up to two barriers and you can see me in this one doing two 16 inch barriers one wooden and staked to the ground just like a real race barrier, the other a pvc barrier. I fell one time during this video but you can only see the beginning on the video. I made another video of me doing the pvc first then the wooden barrier but I am having trouble getting it off my phone for some reason. Hope yall enjoy.

nickw

Looking good, try it with more speed, I think that will help. You'll notice that the majority of pros hit their back wheels. They actually hit their front wheels too in some cases...just the upper 1" or so.

Now the trick is to do 15 burpees and some wind sprints, then do it...

radripperaj

Ok I have two videos. I went out today with two wooden barriers held in by rebar and I started getting them really consistent. so here are two videos. the first one is of me doing it right.


The second one is of me wrecking on the way back. you cant see the wreck you just see my back end going up and then you can hear the rest.

sgtrobo

I need to get good at bunnyhopping. I can't do the cyclocross remount. When I jump onto my seat, I always end up sitting on my balls. Slows me down a lot more than simply slowing down to bunny hop.

meh....

Jakedatc

Sometimes you have to change it up on the fly
https://mobile.twitter.com/jonvick/s...044032/video/1