Something as simple as not being able to pick up your bike can waste a lot of time or be downright embarrassing. Whether the problem is a rider with weak upper body strength, as in the case of some women racers, or the bike is a behemoth, as in the case of adventure riders with loaded-down bikes, or sometimes just the case of an exhausted racer and a bike weighted down with mud, there is a technique to get that bike back upright. AmPro Yamaha team rider and top GNCC Women's competitor Jordon Milbauer shares her technique for getting maximum lift with minimum effort.
1. "Girls don't have as much strength as guys, and if you fall over, you don't want to pick it up like a guy. What you do is you come to the topside of the bike, grab the handlebar, turn your back to the bike, bend down with your knees and then grab the rear fender or a seat hole."
2. "Then, you start picking the bike up with your legs. The bike will feel heaviest right at the start, and your strength is in your legs, so use them. Notice my arms are straight and as long as I can keep my grip on the bike I'm using almost zero arm strength."
3. "Once you get it moving upward, you put your butt against the seat and push so you don't have to use your back. I put one foot back so I'm standing up as much as pushing the bike back. If the ground is really slippery, this is even more important so the bike doesn't slide away from you and also so you don't lose your footing."
4. "The hard part is over at this point and the bike shouldn't feel too heavy. Just slow down the lift so you don't tip it back over the opposite way. Once you get the bike upright, turn around and find a good place to get back on. The last thing you want to do now is rush it on a bad spot and fall back over."
