How To

Pro Secrets - Nailing Narrow Trails With Robbie Jenks - Dirt Rider Magazine

February 24, 2009

Riding narrow trails can be daunting, since they're usually confining for a reason: There's not enough room for something wider due to a quirk in the topography. The trail might be on the razor-edge top of a ridge, it could be a goat path on the side of a mountain, or there might be more treacherous obstacles next to it.That last example is the case here, a narrow trail leading out of a gully that was tricky enough, but a bunch of rocks next to the trail threatened to rip your feet off the pegs-if those rocks didn't first lure you into them due to target fixation.Of course, when Red Bull KTM's Robbie Jenks came upon the section, he blazed through without drama-a perfect display of the skills that earned him the 2006 AMA National Hare Scrambles Championship. When we cornered him later, he was perfectly willing to share his secrets.

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This is what the section looks like as Jenks rounds a turn in the deep gully. The exit trail isn't all that technical, but the rocks next to it tend to draw your eyes toward them, and that can result in your riding right into them-not where you want to go.

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Coming up to the section plays a crucial part to setting you up properly for it. "You want to keep your body centered-you don't want to be too far forward or too far back," Jenks begins. Looking ahead helps inform you of what's coming up. "Normally you'd want to stand, but being that it's so tight-there's a little S-turn before it-it almost forces you to sit. This is due to the fact that you have to be ready to get your feet out of the way because your pegs are hitting the sides of the trail. Normally, yes, you'd want to stand up as much as possible through here. It's so deep through there, it almost takes your feet off."

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"Try to keep your feet on the pegs for balance," he advises. Jenks keeps a finger on both the clutch and front brake lever in case he has to adjust his speed or gets out of shape. "Be in a low gear so you know you'll have plenty of power; you're not going to have to clutch it too much because you want to try to be smooth when you accelerate up over the rocks. If you start spinning on those, it's just going to cause trouble," he warns.

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Nonetheless, there are times when you won't be able to keep your feet on the pegs. "It's hard in here because your feet are hitting the sides," Jenks concedes, "but if you have to, put one down-just try not to put both down." This is the best way to dab: Put your foot on top of the rock and then use it to help push off, similar to how a trials rider uses a dab to his advantage if he has to touch.