Bunny hopping barriers in ‘cross can be a huge advantage. If you do it right, you can gain a bike length or two on other riders. If you do it wrong, you could lose time—and worse, end up on YouTube. In pro ‘cross, you’ll often see many of the top riders hopping over the barriers, as opposed to using a traditional mount and remount.
By jumping, you’ll not only get over the barriers faster but also maintain your momentum and speed. Even if you practice dismounting and mounting so much that it almost seems seamless, you’ll still lose more speed than with a well-executed bunny hop.
How to bunny hop
Coach Peter Glassford of Consummate Athlete breaks down the bunny hop for cyclocross racers. These tips will help you navigate obstacles and barriers in ‘cross races or during training. Mountain bikers and road cyclists can also benefit from mastering these techniques to improve their riding skills.
The bunny hop is used skillfully by top cyclocross racers, most often to clear barriers. If you can clear low barriers without dismounting, you can avoid the slightly more time-consuming dismounts, which also cause you to lose momentum.
Not just for ‘cross
The skills required to master a high-flying bunny hop are the same ones needed to navigate over roots, small curbs, and other obstacles. You want to protect your bike and maximize speed everywhere on the ‘cross course, so putting in the work to master these skills will pay dividends in both racing and training.
Now, be warned: if you are going to work on this skill, it’s key to practise. But start off with a much smaller barrier than you might find in a race, even a branch at first if you’re inexperienced. Then, gradually build up until you can clear a proper plank.
And yeah…maybe do it in a field where no one is watching, just in case. Here’s a great learner below.
Click Here to Read the Full Original Article at Canadian Cycling Magazine…