In this first part of the season, thanks in part to this mild weather, we've seen some very fast cyclocross courses. There weren't a ton of technical difficulties on the various circuits, but when they did arise, they made the difference. Especially in the second half of the race, when energy levels were running low. With the master, in the true sense of the word, Martin Fruet Let's understand what the most significant passages of the cross are and how they are tackled.
We have identified three: the across, le sharp bends (or in any case very narrow) and the obstacles.
Youth and technique
Before analyzing those three points, we asked the great off-road specialist a question: "Do kids these days focus on technique? Or does the athletic component prevail?"
«Kids today pay a lot of attention to technique. – explains Fruet – especially when it comes to show jumping. We of the old school go down and try to be as fast as possible, but from the students onwards now you grow up with the mentality of jumping over the obstacle, Although sometimes, with a stopwatch in hand, you're faster if you go downhill. But it's "so cool"...
«While I notice that they don't pay the same attention to the lines. In this case they prefer to focus on the athletic component."
The traverse
When there is a lateral counter slope, things often get complicated, especially if the ground is slippery. And in fact, Fruet starts from this very point.
«If it's dry – explains Fruet – and the bike holds up, there are no problems. "Go easy with both pedals engaged and the uphill one lifted, and move with your hips downhill. This way, your weight is on the tire."
«It's a different story when it's wet or muddy. In that case, as they say in jargon, you "hoe." You take off your foot uphill and push. You lean and push, you lean and push…
«If it rained a lot in the previous days Channels are created. You aim for one and try to stay within it, maintaining your balance... But it's not easy. On traverses, you should always enter from the highest point and gradually exploit the slope downwards. Otherwise, if you enter low right away, you'll end up with a webbing and waste a lot of time. Instead, stay high. you look for the first channel and then you “slide” into the one that is ever lower, but you gain speed. But always be careful not to go down to the ribbon.
«But if the traverse is very long it is difficult to stay high. That of Namur (in the opening photo, ed.) for example, it is famous for its length and also because it is downhill».
The curves
For wider bends, those 90° and above, Fruet shouldn't have any problems. Or at least a motocrosser shouldn't have any. The focus, therefore, is on the hairpin or very tight bend.
«Taking the classic ribbon route on the plain – Fruet continues – you have to point out the small internal strip of green, that is, grass, that emerges from the brown».
«Even in this case very It depends on the bottom. The worst is the frozen one with the surface that gives off a bit. There You have to be an artist. And you can make a big difference. In these cases, it's also normal to come fast on the curve and then dismount, placing your foot on the blade of grass and perhaps using your hand to pivot on the post. And then get back on the saddle.
"Otherwise, you have to create a "plan," a specific trajectory. It's not the classic: widen, close, widen. We should expand but not close immediately, so that you end up at the apex on that bit of grass on the inside. Don't go too wide. The curve design would be wrong, but the speed in theory isn't very low."
«In case of extreme mud, like 20 centimeters, It's better for me to go down. Often when we do tests with the stopwatch in hand we are faster than staying in the saddle."
As I mentioned, the worst terrain is the one with an icy bottom and a softer surface. If it's really hard underneath, the top is extremely slippery. You have to be really sensitive. However, the differences are not huge because the basic speed is low."
And on sand? "On sand, you need a lot of power first and foremost. You don't have to go too tight and you have to play with the weight and gearing. You can't be too hard. I remember that one person who could do such curves with such a high gear ratio was Franzoi. But he had incredible power."
The obstacle… on foot
Finally, there's the jump or "bunny hop," which involves jumping over obstacles on the ground. And here Fruet shines.
"As I mentioned," says Fruet, "schools today say you should pass them on your bike, but that's not always beneficial. In my day, they told you to get off and run fast; clearly, it was important to be fluid in your actions. Get off, jump, run, and get back on your bike.
«This is also why it's important not to bounce the bike, because then if you jump while remounting and can't immediately find the saddle, it's a pain. Better to go and find the saddle with your inner thigh and then let yourself go with your butt. Sometimes, if the distance between the obstacles allows it, you put the bike on the ground and let it roll for those two steps before the next obstacle.
«By getting off your bike you get to the obstacle faster and the same speed determines the point at which you should get off».
The obstacle… by bike
«Then there are the jumps. For me – observes Fruet – There are three techniques, even if from the outside they all seem the same.
«There's the classic bunny hop, where you pull up with your arms and do a sort of "inertia surge" lowering your butt and pushing your shoulders forward. All without pedaling. But with a cross bike it's difficult, you don't have a telescopic rod and the saddle is bulky, it's annoying."
«There is the “Belgian type” jump, "That's what I called it, because I've seen Belgians do it, especially. Basically, you jump the axle with a lot of weight on your arms and without using your legs. They often touch with the wheel. I, who have been a MTB instructor for 20 years, would fail you on the exam. But in cross-country, that's how it is."
«And then there's the “MTB” jump, which involves the load, the pull with the arms, but also with the legs».
A reflection
Cross-country riding was created for jumping obstacles and involves some walking. If you never get out of the saddle, it's a bit like losing its essence. Perhaps this is also why Fruet is so interested in jumping. With his eye and experience, the Trentino native also studies these aspects and reflects on them.
«Once – concludes Fruet – the hurdles were 40 centimetres high, now they make them 30. If it were up to me, I'd make them 70 centimetres, so that everyone would be forced to get off their bikes.».
