with Justin Travis, USAC Certified Coach

How do you go fast on a BMX track?

It really comes down to two basic principles: pumping and pedaling. It seems simple enough, but there are people who put their whole lives into being able to do those two skills better than everyone else. This month we are going to learn the basics of pumping

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What is pumping? Pumping is the action of using your body, arms and legs to control your bicycle as it goes over a roller or jump. The smoother and faster you can pump the quicker you will get over a jump to help you win a race.

The first thing everybody should picture in their mind is a monster truck and a race car.

If we were racing on a race car track, what vehicle would you want to be in? I know I would want to be in the race car because it is low to the ground and built for speed. If you were to line that very same race car up on a BMX gate with a monster truck and race them around the track, which one would win the race this time? The monster truck would win because it is built to go over big bumps, it can do this because of its very big shocks.

BMX bikes don’t have shocks on them, but lucky for you, your body has four built-in BMX shocks. Your arms are your front shocks and your legs are your rear shocks. If you learn to use these shocks really well, not only can they help absorb landings like a monster truck but they can actually speed you up without even pedaling.

There is only one basic rule to pumping: Always move your shocks and your body the same direction as the jump.

Follow these tips to master the basic rule of pumping, then hit the track and practice, practice, practice.

Setup

1 As you approach a roller make sure that you are standing on your bike.

2 You are positioned over the center of your bike with your arms and legs slightly bent.

3 Your wrists are in a straight line with your arms, not bent forward or back.

4 Your pedals are positioned at “3 and 9” (perfectly horizontal). If they are up and down, you will hit your lower pedal on the roller and crash.

Pump

1 Right before your front wheel starts to go up the front of the roller, move your shoulders up and use your arms to “un-weight” you’re front wheel. Then pull your handlebars up to your chest; your elbows will stick out.

2 As your front wheel starts to go over the top of the roller, drop your shoulders and push your arms down and forward to follow the jump. Don’t let your front wheel catch any air or come off the jump at this point as this will cause you to bounce and slow down.

There is only one basic rule to pumping: Always move your shocks and your body the same direction as the jump.

3 When your rear wheel starts to come up the roller, pull your legs up into your body. This can be difficult to learn if your front wheel has already gone over the top because you will be pushing down on the front and lifting up with the rear at the same time. Learn to master this.

4 As the rear wheel starts to go over the top of the roller, push down with your legs as hard as you can. Your legs are much stronger than your arms, so they will speed you up much faster.

5 If there is another roller coming up, setup quickly and do it all over again. The more quickly you learn to reset and pump again, the faster you will go.

Practice

1 Pumping is definitely the first skill you should focus on when learning to ride a BMX track. It will allow you to safely get around the whole track.

2 Remember, you don’t pedal through a rhythm section. It can slow you down and cause you to crash. Instead, focus on pumping harder and faster over each roller until you start to pick up speed in a rhythm section.

3 Once you have learned to pick up speed by pumping, try to get around the whole track without pedaling. This is called a pump lap. Even Pros practice pump laps just about every time they go to the track.

4 It is very important to learn this skill on platform pedals. If you are having trouble keeping your feet on the pedals, make sure you are wearing a soft rubber, flat-soled, skate-type shoe for the best traction. Running shoes don’t work well with regular pedals and clips are like a crutch, hiding a weakness instead of building strength.

5 Remember, if the jump is going up, then you need to be going up and “un-weighting”. When the jump is going down, you need to be going down and “pushing down” to speed up.

Happy riding

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