Mountain Biking: Find Your Line

September 19 2009 by Casey Bower

mountain-biking-wr.jpgI was out for a mountain bike ride the other day with a friend and I had an epiphany.

I hadn't been on my bike since I had my accident and as I rode down a steep single-track trail, the movements and techniques I used to know started to flood my mind. I had started the day off quite cautiously but as these memories of riding came back I felt myself let go and "enjoy the ride." I had remembered how to "find the line."

Finding a line is a term that is used in a wide range of sports, not just biking. When you ski, climb, trail run etc. finding a line refers to looking at what lies ahead and finding the best way to navigate through it. It can be argued that finding a line is the single most important part of these sports. To find a line you have to visualize what it will take to move across the terrain ahead and then execute exactly what you have pictured.

So, back to my ride. I was tearing down a steep slope with loose rock, narrow gullies and big drops. The thrill of riding was back! Even with months off of my bike I found myself visualizing and executing with ease. This is saying a lot too. Last time I had been riding I failed to see that line and took a spill on my bike, knocking out some front teeth. Since that day I had not felt the sense of freedom and ability that I was feeling as I negotiated that hill.

I watched as my friend powered down the steep terrain. I noticed how different his line was than mine. I noticed that although there were many ways to get to the bottom of this hill, no matter how many times you tried you would never be able to duplicate the exact line that we were currently on.

There is a difference in visualizing a line and following it. The bike is moving quickly and your perspective is always changing. You have to adapt the line that you are on with a moment's notice. Sometimes you cannot force the bike to take a line, you have to readjust to a bump or grove and quickly adapt to the new line that the bike has chosen for you. Just as you cannot be too forceful with the bike, indifference is just as bad, you can't just bounce down the hill not caring what path your bike is on. There are times to apply and use your energy, and times to conserve and go with the flow. Sometimes on a ride you get off trail, This can be a beautiful experience when you find a new route, other times it is important to know when to backtrack and find the correct path again. You can buy the newest gear and nicest bike but if you can't learn to find a line it will all be meaningless.

A new pile of bricks fell on me, These sports were teaching me lessons in life. Each ride, each rock climb, each time that I set out to find a line I was going through a very condensed version of life... I was choosing a path, negotiating it, learning from it, failing, succeeding, I was living.

There were times as we flew down that trail that I lost control, I found myself unable to stop the bike. These were the times that I had to let go of fear and trust and that I had the skill to prevail. There was a section that I fell on, and a section that I had to walk, but we were still a ways from the car and the point was, I still had to get back on that bike and ride.

When I was a kid and my dad was teaching me to ride down a steep section of trail one day... his advice was simple. Be the bubble in the river; move swiftly through the rapids and smoothly with the tide.

I have been asked why I like sports that have serious consequences, asked if I like the adrenaline... I don't. I like sports where finding a line has consequences. I like the very real experience of making my own decisions and choices and am willing to accept the repercussions that come with this.

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