How to Handle a Rutted Track

While you dream of riding on perfectly manicured track every time you participate in a motocross track, the fact of the matter is this simply won't be the case very often. Real motocross is about choppy, unpredictable terrain that throws a lot of obstacles at you, specifically one thing in particular: ruts.

You can encounter these problematic spots at any area on the track. From corners, jumps, straightaways and more. So how do you still ride well when encountering a difficult track full of ruts? Here are a few tips and tricks to follow to make sure you are still successful in your next race.

Plan Ahead

Just like how you study the track before you begin to a race to help pick your spots, planning ahead when approaching a rut is arguably the most important part of riding through them.

Whether the rut is on the face of a jump, a softer straightaway, or an upcoming turn, it is important to scope out the area ahead as early as possible. Picking out one specific rut to guide your bike in is incredibly important to riding successfully and keeping your bike stable. on these stretches of track.

Weight Distribution and Body Position

One of the biggest parts of successfully getting through a rut is the way your body weight is distributed on the bike. As you get up to the rut, keep your feet up off the ground as best as possible by keeping your heels high and staying up on your toes.

As you go through the rut, make sure your body weight is centred on the bike evenly and keep your elbows out. By doing this and gripping the bike tightly with your legs and ankles, you will be able to keep a tight form with you and the bike to help keep it steady and stay balanced.

Eye the End of the Rut

Just as if you were driving down a winding mountain road in your car, looking ahead will serve you much better than looking right out ahead of your bike's front wheel.

Once you have picked out your rut and completely committed to it, your biggest step is keeping your eyes out at the end of the rut. This will help you to keep your balance, as well as keeping your bike steady through the end of the rut. You should never attempt to jump over to a different rut that looks easier. This will almost surely send you crashing into the ground.

Speed

One of the final steps to stay aware of when riding through a rut is maintaining your speed the entire way. Staying on the throttle the entire time will allow you to keep your balance and your momentum until you are out of the rut.

Letting off the throttle puts you at serious risk of losing balance and getting thrown from your bike or crashing it into the ground.

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Did we miss any tips for getting through ruts? Let us know in the comments!