Off-camber - Keep pedalling, look up!
Off-Camber - Keep pedalling
Another skill needed in cyclocross is being able to ride off-camber sections, you will find these in some races in the UK, but in Europe, they are a regular part of any cross race. Stood on a course looking at riding along the side of a steep bank can seem quite daunting, but it doesn't have to be.
Riding an Off-camber section requires a lot of speed, balance and confidence. The natural thing is to stop pedalling and slow down, but that's what you need to avoid doing. The key with riding off-camber sections well is to first look at how you're entering the section. You don’t want to be coming into the section so fast that you're totally out of control, equally scrubbing too much speed off can also cause you to lose traction and momentum. Ideally coming into the section at a speed you feel is controllable for you, the faster the better, but that means a controllable fast ;) Otherwise, you risk a Bambi on ice moment.
Next is to keep your weight back on your saddle and allow your bike to almost float underneath you, relax your arms and keep your core strong. All of those things will not only allow you to stay on the bike as long as possible, but it will help you keep your balance. Often tensing up and having stiff arms and legs coming in-to a section like this will cause you to bounce around, loose grip and stop you from riding smoothly.
Next is aim for the sections with grip, this means grass, thicker mud, edges of ruts where you will gain more traction, which again will help you ride further. Don’t just assume the most used line is the fastest, try different lines, try entering at different gradients, ideally staying as high as you can on an off-camber section is the best because you’ll often lose height as you drift down across the slope. Losing height down the slope is far easier than trying to climb back up. So choose a line that keeps you as high as you can rather than starting low.
Sometimes you might want to try using your inside leg to scoot along the side of a bank if its supper slippy to almost dab along the side, other times you might need to pedal with one leg and scoot with the other. Whatever technique you find most comfortable then go for it. Be prepared for things to change and don’t assume the line you choose in pre laps is the one you will use every lap, be prepared to change your line and react to situations presented to you at the time. This is where practice will make progress, doing this in your training sessions will give you much more confidence when it comes to racing.
Look up and out at where you want the bike to go, rather than looking down at the obstacles you’re trying to avoid. Keep your head up, and your body and bike will follow. If you’re looking down you end up overreacting to things right in front of you which can also cause you to slip up.
If all else fails with riding a section like this and you feel like your just slowing down or it's just not happening then get off an run, don’t wait for that moment… plan and react before you slow down. Every second counts, so whatever you choose to do, make sure you do it fast ;).
My tips -
Keep pedalling
Light on your front end
Weight back
Look up and out
Stay high
Play with tyre pressure
Practice makes progress. Plan a A,B,C line to give your self options to react and this is going to give you another superpower come race day.
