Woohoo.
There are a few new climbs.
We have been advised go for it.
But don't dig holes in the track!
Yeah that's good.
You are over the tree root now.
Property owners usually don't like erosion wrecking their hills.
And avoiding wheelspin is always a plus for us.
It means working harder to find traction.
And thinking our way up technical climbs instead of using brute force.
As always, you want maximum weight on that rear wheel to create a big tyre patch.
You can see Scott is barely touching the ground with his boot.
Too much weight through your leg, you lose a lot of traction.
Slipping the clutch is a critical skill.
Too many riders just drop the clutch and start digging holes instead of going forward.
So don't rush everything.
Stop and think your way through.
Otherwise you will wear yourself out way too fast.
Be ready to drop that motorbike fast to avoid coasting backwards.
See our video about hill climb recovery - how to safely stop and turn around on steep slopes.
Scott uses his clutch to hold the motorbike in place.
Check what is in front of your rear wheel.
Scott hits an exposed tree root here but wasn't aware of it.
There's nothing wrong with getting off to push the motorbike or lift it onto a better
line.
The best hard enduro riders do it.
You can too.
Be ready to throw the motorbike.
Too many riders don't let go of the bars, loop the motorbike out, and it can cartwheel
all the way back down.
Don't be afraid to drop your motorbike!
See that rock in front of Scott's rear wheel?
Impossible to get over (at our skill level).
It always pays to check and avoid wasting energy on an impossible maneouver.
Scott could possibly dig a trench here and push the motorbike up.
But it will wreck the track fast for others.
And property owners often lynch riders who create big erosion problems when it rains.
Watch carefully, you can see Scott applying his weight to the motorbike on the seat and
footpegs.
This can help get a brief moment of traction that can also bounce you up and out of a hole
in the track.
Great leg paddling here.
Keeps his weight on that rear wheel.
Clutch slipping to avoid wheelspin.
Leg paddling is a great skill, sitting or standing.
Jeff lightly dabs the ground for balance but keeps all his weight on that rear wheel.
Pivot turns save lots of energy when you need to change direction or make a tight turn.
Very occasionally you can use trees to help get up.
I hook my left leg on this tree to get that little bit of extra help on this steep section.
Jeff does the same section with careful clutch slipping.
Nicely done.
This is an impossible climb for us, so Scott will need to drop or 'ghost' the motorbike.
Nobody likes to deliberately throw their motorbike away.
But on very steep climbs it can be the safest option.
And sometimes the motorbike might just make it
to the top.
See our training vid about ghosting.
Another option to ghosting is turn or pivot turn your motorbike to the right when you
know
you can't make the hill climb.
Why the right?
You can use your right foot to hold the rear brake.
Again, see our hill climb recovery video.
A little seat bounce for traction.
Run up and momentum are critical of course.
These dusty rock faces are hard to get traction on.
Not enough momentum for the second rock face so it's time to look for alternative lines.
Again, pivot turns are great for moving the motorbike around.
Damn, that's a pretty big drop.
Here is where I get visions of fracturing my spine again.
Jeff lets me know when I'm close to losing the rear wheel.
Spotting is always a good idea in tough situations.
Get your riding buddies to watch out, and if needed, get ready to catch you or the motorbike.
See our training vid about spotting.
Again, it helps to see what's in front of your rear wheel.
Get off the motorbike if needed.
A little rock could throw the rear wheel out here and cause big problems.
Even little twigs or a bit of dirt on a rock face can drop traction dramatically.
It's a bit dumb trying to ride up this.
Even getting on the motorbike makes it move back
and it almost drops off the edge.
And of course, the last resort is getting someone else to help pull the motorbike up
when
you admit defeat.
Sigh.
We've got a pile of relevant training vids, see our playlist of hill climb training vids
on our Youtube channel.
And remember the more bruises and abrasions the better.