Pumping an S section


We shot this little video during a coaching session today. Super fun!

Re-posted with a new .mov file. Let’s hope this one works!

Place: The Fix pump track, Boulder, CO

Rider: Me, Lee

Bike: The Mighty P.3 with FOX F100 fork, GAMUT guide, Hayes brakes and snazzy Geax white walls. It’s all about the white walls.

Skills used: Vision, position, range of motion (lateral, vertical, longitudinal and rotational), timing, power, cornering and pump. Basically everything.

Sections like this are super fun, and they teach you a ton. Master these dynamics on a pump track, then rock them on trail!

Less than 1MB Quicktime:



Go frame by frame for hot pump track action.

Thanks to Jon Pool of Michigan — a good pupil and an excellent fellow — for driving the camera.

You too can rock like a hurricane: Skills clinics with Lee


20 replies
  1. leelikesbikes says:

    This just struck me: If I can swing the bike like that between turns, why don’t I do that over jumps? It’s time to get on that program!

  2. Chris says:

    Lee, I too had a problem. An error message said, off the top of my head from this morning, it couldn’t find the llbtag.jpeg or something like that.

  3. Vito says:

    Yep, me too. I couldn’t open the video, neither from work nor from home. Same error message: the llbtag.jpg file is missing.

  4. leelikesbikes says:

    You guys are killing me! File is viewable. Heavy breathing is gone. Let’s celebrate the Pump Track Love!

  5. Chris says:

    Sorry Lee. Good footage. Great riding. Excellent timing. Your technique in action as advertised (especailly the still shot).

    If you were smokin’ it any more, I’d have to wear a nicotine patch just to watch it!

  6. Greg says:

    Lee I have been studying your cornering techniques quite a bit for the past month. I think your exagerated cornering techniques looks an awful lot like when guys table their bikes in the air. If you can do that on the ground/pump track with speed and precision it should’t be too hard to take it to the air off of jumps.

  7. Scott says:

    Nice video Lee. Viewing it, I have a couple of questions about pumping that I’ve been wondering about for a while. In my own efforts to pump, I’ve been able to generate my most effective action through my arms and the front wheel. In reading about pumping, however, I’ve always got the impression that I should be gaining more power from my legs. Now in your video, it appears to me that you are pumping this section mostly through our arms, with relatively little leg motion. Could you comment on the relative importance of arm vs leg pumping? Thanks.

  8. JP (AKA Darth Vader) says:

    Hey, I was there! Just got back into electronicland after a trip to Moab for some excellent mtb and moto riding.

    Lee edited out the audio part before I could hear it (thankfully!), but in my defense I was sucking wind most of that day.

    Not enough oxygen at 5000 ft for someone from Michigan 🙂

  9. JP (Jonathan Pool) says:

    By the way, watch Lee’s head. He does such an excellent job of keeping his head neutral and moving forward in the direction of his focus while his body and bike handle the cornering.

    I wanna be like Lee when I grow up 🙂

    JP

  10. leelikesbikes says:

    I was looking past Jon toward the next corner. I know I’m SUPPOSED to do this all the time, but — dude — focusing on that element had an amazing result:

    When I cleared the S the first time like that, I doubled the next set of rollers for the first time. I didn’t plan to jump them — the speed was there, and it just felt right.

    Easy to say, hard to remember: Look where you want to go!

Trackbacks & Pingbacks

  1. […] Strategy – 10-lap qualifier: Just stay smooth and get your 10 laps. I’d focus on the S section. If you get it right, it’ll give you an amazing drive into the next straight. From there you can relax and save energy. Check this out: How to pump an S section […]

  2. […] pops from the right turn into this leftward backside. This move is a lot like Pumping an S section on a pump […]

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