Besides being kind of cool and flashy, the seemingly huge double and triple (and other kinds of) jumps motocrossers do can save time and energy. Despite spending all that time in the air, they find it's generally quicker to leap as much as they can at one time than to take off and land two or three separate times, and it's also easier on the body.
The same holds true on the trail. If you can jump over a couple of obstacles at once, you'll save time and energy compared with riding over all of them. We asked two-time AMA National Hare Scrambles champion Jason Raines to demonstrate how and where he might turn a trail obstacle into a ramp and do a double as he'd typically do during a race or even a trail ride. Here's how he'd do it.
A. Raines begins by pointing out the rock that caught his eye for its potential employment as a launching ramp (uneven though it is) and the small tree beyond it. Their proximity makes this a very doable little double jump. "When I came around the corner [before this], I saw a little rock sticking up and thought, `The rock's not quite square, so it'll kind of throw me to one side--I've got to be really careful not to hit it too fast,'" he says.
B. "It's not that far of a jump, so I come around in second gear and carry my momentum. I stay centered in the middle of the motorcycle, and as I come up to the rock I accelerate. I try to stay centered over the bike [when I hit the rock] just in case the bike kicks to either side. If you stay centered on the motorcycle, it leaves you room to shift your weight for extra control.
C. Here, Raines goes around the rock as a typical novice or otherwise unconfident rider might do. While he'll have only one obstacle to ride over, it's slower than using one to jump over the other. "In a situation like this," he coaches, "you'll want to keep your eyes open for obstacles on the trail that can help you go through a section a little more quickly and maybe a little more smoothly than you would going around them, which would require more energy."