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Bridging a gap

In a situation where the front wheel is up against an edge, you have to use a lot more body language and exaggerate the movement, crouching as much as you can over the rear wheel before you thrust your hips and shoulders upward.

Bridging a gap: front wheel up

Benito Ros will land directly on top of the concrete pipe.

Keep your torso close to the stem as you jump.

You can pull yourself a bit more onto the handlebars to accelerate the spring action of your legs.

Only at the very end, finalize the extension with that brief pedal kick to propel the bike and make it lighter to pull up. The higher the front wheel, the more difficult it is to give the right pedal-kick impulse, and the more you should rely on precise body language during your extension upward.

Click on any photo and use the scroll-wheel to animate the move.

Bridging a gap: front wheel up

1° Crouch back with your bum well over the rear wheel, but your torso close to the bike, pre-load your front pedal.

2° When ready, pull yourself onto the handlebars to accelerate the spring action of your legs as you surge forward.

3° Only at the very end, finalize the extension with a brief pedal kick to propel the bike and make it lighter to pull up.

4° Pull the bike up beneath you as you tuck your knees, an regroup over the bike as your tyre grips the upper edge.

Biketrial video Watch this move in slow-motion

Bridging a gap: front wheel down

In one kick, Kenny Belaey will place his rear wheel in place of his front wheel.

If your front wheel is positioned lower than the rear wheel, you must perform a quick push up to unlock the front wheel from its lower position if need be. This push-up also unloads your weight from the front tyre just before you kick in your front pedal.

Keep your bum well over the rear hub with your arms fully stretched, to ensure that the pedal kick won't throw you over the bars.

During the pedal kick, bring back the handlebars to your abdomen to tilt the bike vertically, from its initial diving position to a standing position on the rear wheel. You don't have to use as much body language, but make sure that your rear hub is positioned beyond the edge (on the gap side).

Click on any photo and use the scroll-wheel to animate the move.

Bridging a gap: front wheel down

1° Before the actual pedal kick, perform a quick push up to unlock the front wheel from its lower position.

2° Keep your bum well over the rear hub with your arms fully stretched, to ensure that the pedal kick won't throw you over the bars.

3° Pull the handlebars closer to your abdomen to tilt the bike vertically, from its initial diving position to a standing position.

4° To compensate for your forward momentum, make sure the bike lands vertical with the rear brake locked.

Biketrial video Watch this move in slow-motion

Adapt your effort to the terrain
This combination of a pedal hop with body language can be applied to various degrees, up to a pure static hop (with no pedal kick, involving only body language) or down to a plain pedal hop with all the impulse given during the pedal kick (with no push-up on the handlebars).

It all depends on the initial position of the bike, and the grip you can expect from the rear wheel. If there is little grip or if the rear wheel is stuck into a recess, it is better to use a higher proportion of body language. If there is plenty of grip or if the rear tyre is on a flat surface, you can give a strong pedal kick.

Reminders

The only exit when the bike is wedged between two rocks.

As a rule of thumb, when the bike is rather horizontal and the rear wheel on a flat edge, then you should rely more on the pedal kick, because the distance would be difficult to cover only with a weight transfer.

In a situation where the bike is standing really vertical but with your front wheel resting against the upper edge, then you don't have much choice but to pull the bike up in one go, because leaning further back would throw you off-balance.

If your wheels are positioned on precise edges like railings or wedges, make sure that the rear hub is positioned right above the crest or slightly beyond it (on the gap side). This will ensure that the rear wheel can roll off the edge rather than being blocked by it.

If the rear wheel is resting against a wedge and off-centred behind the edge, compensate the downward drop by pulling up a bit more on the handlebars when you kick.