Course Handbook: MTB Course Blue

Course Summary: MTB Course (Blue)

Positioning – Basic Position

In the blue course, we build on the basic position from the green course and begin to use it more actively on technical terrain. The goal is not only to stand steadily on the bike, but to be able to shift your center of gravity dynamically depending on the surface, slope, and obstacles.

The basic position remains the foundation: standing with slightly bent legs and arms, elbows out, and your gaze focused far ahead on the terrain. If you have a dropper post, we recommend lowering the saddle on descents and in technical terrain to create more freedom of movement and better control over the bike.

At this level, we also start working more actively on letting the bike move beneath your body instead of your body following every movement of the terrain. The better you get at separating your body from the bike, the more control and flow you’ll have over roots, rocks, turns, and steeper sections.

Your center of gravity should still be centered over the bike, with your weight through the pedals. Many riders end up too far back when the terrain gets steep or technical, which makes the front wheel light and impairs both steering and braking control. Instead, try to maintain an active, low position where your head is roughly above the stem, while allowing your hips to shift backward as needed.

Your heels can be slightly lowered to create stability and keep your weight over the pedals. At the same time, we want to avoid becoming stiff. A relaxed position allows your legs and arms to act as natural shock absorbers and helps you maintain grip and balance on rough terrain.

Cornering Techniques (Level 1)

Cornering is largely about where you look, balance, and choosing the right line. Many new trail riders turn mainly with the handlebars, but to get a better flow, you need to start using your whole body instead and lean the bike correctly through the turn.

Always start with your gaze. Look where you want to go—not at what you want to avoid. Your body and the bike almost always follow your gaze, and looking ahead also helps you plan your line earlier and maintain better balance.

In gentler curves, you’ll often want to lean the bike slightly more than your body. By pressing down on the outside pedal and applying pressure through the tires, you’ll gain better traction and stability through the turn. At the same time, try to keep your upper body relaxed and avoid tensing your arms.

Another important part of cornering is adjusting your speed before the turn. Try to finish braking well before the turn itself, rather than in the middle of it. When the tires can focus on lateral grip instead of having to handle both braking and turning at the same time, you’ll gain significantly better control and a smoother ride.

Once you’ve mastered the technique, you’ll notice that the bike feels more stable through the turns, while you can maintain a higher speed with less effort.

Front-Wheel Lift (Level 2)

In the blue course, we’ll start working on a more technically correct front-wheel lift, where the focus is on shifting your center of gravity rather than pulling the bike up with your arms.

The goal is to learn how to use your body’s movement and hip position to lift the front wheel in a more efficient, controlled, and energy-saving way. The technique involves first loading the bike by applying downward pressure through your legs and arms, then shifting your body backward while keeping your weight firmly on the pedals.

When the movement is timed correctly, the front wheel lifts naturally without you having to jerk the handlebars hard. This provides better control and makes it much easier to clear higher roots, rocks, and ledges out on the trail.

Keep in mind that the movement comes primarily from your body and hips—not from your arms. Many people try to pull the bike up with their hands, which often leads to poorer balance and less control.

Once you feel confident with the technique, you can start using the front-wheel lift more actively on the trails to create better flow and clear obstacles with less effort.

The front-wheel lift is a very important movement because it forms the foundation for many other cycling techniques, such as drops, bunny hops, jumping, pumping, and riding up and over obstacles. The better you understand how your body, hips, and bike work together in this movement, the easier it will be to progress in other areas.

Drip Technique (Level 1)

The drop technique is based on the same basic movement as a front-wheel lift. By shifting your center of gravity correctly, you can let the bike leave the edge in a controlled and smooth manner instead of just “falling” off the drop.

How explosive the movement needs to be depends on your speed, the height of the drop, and how steep the landing is. At higher speeds, you usually only need a smaller, more controlled movement because the bike already has a lot of forward momentum. The slower you’re going, the more active and explosive the movement needs to be to help the bike clear the edge in a controlled manner.

The goal is to time the movement so that the front wheel lifts just before it leaves the edge, while the front wheel begins to move downward again roughly when the rear wheel leaves the drop. When the timing is right, the landing will feel significantly smoother and more controlled.

A good way to start practicing drop technique is on low ledges, such as curbs or small steps. Practice landing softly with both wheels almost simultaneously at different speeds before moving on to higher drops.

Once both wheels have left the drop, you should quickly try to return to your basic position in the air. Keep your legs and arms slightly bent, maintain a neutral and relaxed posture, and, above all, let your legs absorb the impact of the landing. Keep your gaze up and focused forward, which helps with both balance and control.

When performed correctly, the landing often feels much softer than you’d expect, and you’ll end up in a stable position where you’re immediately ready for the next obstacle or turn on the trail.

Up and Over Obstacles (Level 2)

On the green course, you’ve had the chance to try a simpler version of the front-wheel lift. On the blue course, we’ll start working on a more technically correct front-wheel lift, where the focus is on shifting your center of gravity rather than pulling the bike up with your arms.

The goal is to be able to lift the front wheel over higher obstacles such as logs, rocks, and cliff edges in a more efficient, controlled, and energy-saving way.

The movement begins by lightening your weight on the bike, almost like a small jump upward. Then, quickly push your hips down toward the saddle by bending your knees. Once your hips are low, push them backward so that they end up far back over the bike and your arms are extended.

We usually describe the hip movement as an “L”: first straight down, then straight back. This is a key to achieving a good front-wheel lift.

A common mistake is for the hips to go down and then back up again, or diagonally backward and upward. In that case, your center of gravity doesn’t shift backward quickly enough, and the front wheel doesn’t lift properly. When you use the hip movement correctly, the front wheel lifts much more easily, without you having to yank hard on the handlebars.

Feel free to practice your timing using small reference points like sticks, cones, or low curbs before using the technique in real-world trail conditions. Once you’ve got the hang of the technique, you can start placing the front wheel on top of obstacles and also practice coming to a stop, which helps train both timing and balance.

Once the front wheel is up on the edge, you can start adding a slight forward movement with your body and center of gravity to take the weight off the rear wheel and help it follow up over the obstacle in a smoother and more controlled way.

Once the front wheel has reached the edge, you can begin to shift your body and center of gravity slightly forward to relieve pressure on the rear wheel and help it follow over the obstacle in a smoother and more controlled manner.

Ratcheting

Ratcheting is a technique where you use shorter pedal strokes instead of full pedal strokes. It’s very useful on technical terrain, especially when you need to build speed without risking hitting rocks, roots, or other obstacles with your pedals.

This technique also helps you become more sensitive to the pedals and get a feel for how your bike reacts when you start pedaling. Different bikes have different rear hubs with varying numbers of engagement points, which affects how quickly the power from the pedals begins to drive the rear wheel.

By practicing ratcheting, you’ll learn to time your power better, maintain your balance on slow, technical sections, and tackle tougher climbs with more control.

This exercise is best done on an uphill slope. Focus on keeping your eyes forward, standing steadily over the bike, and working with small, powerful pedal strokes while balancing the bike with your body. The goal is to be able to keep propelling the bike forward even on very technical terrain where regular pedaling doesn’t work.

Cycling on a boardwalk

Riding a bike on a boardwalk is largely about where you look, staying relaxed, and maintaining balance. Many people who find boardwalks scary tense up and start looking straight down at the front wheel, which often makes it even harder to stay on course and maintain control.

Instead, try to keep your gaze focused far ahead on the boardwalk and let your body relax. This makes it easier to make small, natural corrections with the bike without overcorrecting. The bike naturally wants to roll straight ahead, and the calmer you are, the better it will stay on course.

A steady speed often helps your balance much more than trying to ride very slowly. When the bike is rolling steadily, it becomes easier to maintain your direction and let your body work smoothly with the bike. Stand firmly on the pedals in a neutral position, keep your elbows slightly bent, and try to keep your hands and shoulders relaxed instead of gripping the handlebars tensely.

A great way to practice is to start on wide, low bridges where the consequences of veering off are minimal. At first, focus only on maintaining a straight line and a steady speed. Once you feel confident, you can gradually try narrower bridges, turns, or bridges with slight unevenness. You can also practice balance by cycling slowly along painted lines on the asphalt or curbs to get your body used to making small steering adjustments.

It can also be very smart to practice how to jump off the bike in a controlled manner if you feel like you’re about to ride off the boardwalk. This often makes the situation much less mentally stressful because you know you can dismount safely if necessary. A good way to do this is to lower the pedal on the side you want to dismount from. Then swing your other leg over the saddle and step off in the same direction as the lowered pedal. Try to make the movement calm and controlled instead of throwing yourself off the bike.

Remember that balance biking is largely a mental exercise. The more you practice and expose yourself to it gradually, the calmer and more confident you’ll feel. The goal isn’t to be completely still and perfect, but to dare to relax and let the bike move naturally beneath you.

Brake Control on Steep Terrain (Level 2)

When you start riding on steeper terrain, your position and brake control become absolutely crucial. Without the right technique, steep sections can easily feel both scary and out of control, but with the right position, you can make your way down with significantly more control.

Start from the basic position and lower your center of gravity by bending your arms and legs more actively. Your head should be roughly above the handlebar stem, and your hips should shift backward, but you still want to keep weight on the front wheel. The goal is a low, active, and controlled position—not to end up far back behind the saddle.

The front brake provides the majority of the braking power on steep terrain. With a low position and the right center of gravity, you can use the front brake effectively without losing control. On surfaces with good traction, the brake distribution can be around 70% front and 30% rear, and on really grippy surfaces, you can sometimes use even more front brake. On wet, muddy, or slippery surfaces, however, you need to distribute the braking force more evenly between the front and rear brakes.

A common mistake is to start practicing on terrain that’s too steep. This can easily cause your body to react with stress, leading you to instinctively shift your weight far back. The problem is that the front tire then loses traction, making it harder to steer and brake. Therefore, start on slopes that feel moderately challenging and focus on maintaining the correct position, braking gently, and daring to use the front brake.
With plenty of practice, steep sections will feel much safer and more controlled.

With plenty of practice, you’ll be able to ride down very steep sections. In the photo below, you can see Bikemaestro founder Matthias riding down “Djävulsbranten” on the “Gothenburg Hardline” trail.