“Is There Any Single Track On The Yosemite Ride?”
I get asked this question A LOT... Advanced riders are looking for single track trails and don’t want to ride fire roads. They might even "poo-poo" the Yosemite event because there are no single track routes. The truth is that there is no single track you can legally ride that close to Yosemite. I understand where they are coming from and agree that a little single track adds pizazz to any ride!
That's why I came up with a way to turn any fire road into your own personal "single track”!
Making Your Own "Single Track" - Here's How:
Follow these simple steps to turn any fire road into your own personal "Single Track":
1) Get an experienced riding buddy.
2) Pick one of you to lead.
3) The leader rides side "track" of the fire road.
4) The second rider follows in the left hand track, just behind the rear wheel of the leader.
5) Twist the throttle!
(See video below showing the technique in action)
The Advantages:
By riding like this you BOTH get to ride YOUR OWN SINGLE TRACK! You can ride like this ALL DAY LONG and never be in each other’s dust!
After a while you build a high level of trust with your riding buddy and get so tuned into their riding style that you can easily anticipate what they will do next, what line they will take around a corner or through a rough section and you'll know where they will be before they get there! You can also swap out positions and if you have another buddy and the road is wide enough you can even use this to ride in a three-bike staggered formation and avoid each other’s roost & dust. Just swap out positions every now and then to mix it up and to give each other a chance to “lead”.
Safety Tips:
I know what you're saying... "What about oncoming traffic?" When you meet oncoming traffic (because it WILL happen) then the leader just drives safely around the oncoming vehicle and the second rider ducks in behind them and also drives around the vehicle. Once you're safely past the vehicle then the second rider gets back in their "track".
The Lead Bike
As the lead bike you want to be as far to the right edge of the road as you can safely be. This gives your riding buddy plenty of space to maneuver behind you. You should challenge yourself and consciously limit your "track" to a small strip of the right edge of the road. This way you’ll go a little slower and not outrun your riding buddy and make them eat your dust. Always use hand signals (or a radio) to notify oncoming traffic about bikes following you and to let your riding buddy know when there is oncoming traffic or a dangerous section of road. Don’t drift out of your “track” and over to your buddies side of the road. This can easily happen on a downhill, off-camber right-hard turn on a gravel road! Lastly, control your roost and don’t throttle too hard out of a right-hand corner because you’ll be throwing rocks, gravel and dirt at your riding buddy!
The Follow Bike
As the second bike you’ve got to be extra vigilant for oncoming traffic because you're technically on their "side" of the road. When I see the lead rider “twitch” when surprised by an oncoming vehicle then I know to dive in behind his rear tire. ALWAYS expect an oncoming vehicle to meet you in the worst possible spot (Murphy’s law). So if you're coming around a blind corner with the sun in your eyes that's probably where it will happen! Duck in behind the leader till you're past the oncoming vehicle. Once the road is clear then get back in your "track" on the left side of the road. As the second rider you really have most of the road to use as you wish and you're in a great position to catch some video of your riding buddy on your GoPro!
Now Go Ride!
I've used this technique for THOUSANDS of miles in both forest & desert and it works GREAT! I’d love to hear your success with using this riding style or any other tips that you’d like to share!
PS. If you’re ready to try out this technique then check out the EVENTS PAGE to see your next adventure!
Happy Trails!
Let us know how you've used this technique or other riding tips you've found useful.
