Having been enthralled with the riding at the World Cups during the 2019 season, one word that stood out for me was posture. The ability to hold a strong position on the bike, to be stable and in control is what I mean by posture and, boy, did the French riders have it dialled all season.

Style varies from rider to rider, with the upright poise of riders like Danny Hart quite different from the crouched-down style of those like Amaury Pierron. But, where the top riders are similar is that they are generating huge amounts of force back into the terrain; they are the ones controlling the bike and not the other way round.

They are pushing the bike, it is not pushing them. By pushing, I don’t just mean through the arms. The trunk is centre-stage here, with the hips a hinge and arms and legs both controlling forces as they vary on a course. Considering all the challenges along a racetrack, it is phenomenal these riders can maintain such a strong posture in such a consistent manner.

Watching Les Gets finals, Loris Vergier, Loic Bruni and Amaury Pierron looked incredibly centred on their bikes and flowing in their riding as they smoothed out an otherwise treacherous track. If there had been no other reference point (i.e. other riders getting out of shape), their tyres breaking traction from time to time would have been the main hint at their speed — it certainly wouldn’t have been from their bodies flailing back and forth.

How do they do it? Pro racers have incredible timing and an ability to use the terrain to their advantage, pumping downslopes, pre-loading for take-offs and staying on-line around turns that would have most people foot-out or hard on the brakes. Some riders use huge amounts of body language to move the bike — this can look more stylish but it is rarely more efficient. As the ground is pushing up into them, they are pushing back — hard.

As the track continues and lactate builds, concentration drops and heartrate soars, the challenge to keep pushing-on becomes even harder. Maximum strength isn’t often the deciding factor for a good run, but it can come into play when a crash is on the cards. Can you hold yourself up off the bars? Can you absorb that landing and not be bounced off into a tree?

Mountain bike racing is so exciting and challenging to coach. Should the focus be solely on physical strength? No. Technical improvements, bike setup and development across a variety of conditions is vital. What about pedalling? Of course, pedalling is vital — if you have a section of track where you can pedal then you have to unleash horsepower, delivering it immediately before returning to a strong posture. And repeat, again and again.

The day Aaron Gwin won without a chain raised questions about the need for pedalling, but it certainly didn’t raise questions about the need for power. In every spot the bike could push him about, he had to resist and push back, generating all his speed from the terrain. On reflection in 2019, you can see the same among a group of racers. (Not just the French guys, but they have got it dialled.)

In the women’s field, there is a fascinating link, too. When I was coaching Rachel Atherton, she used to say upper-body strength was one area that limited her in getting closer to the men’s times, and you see this across sports in terms of women’s upper-body development. I have coached numerous elite women to achieve lower-body strength-to-weight figures that get close to men’s. You may even see female BMX racers or track sprinters posting huge squat numbers and power output numbers (per kg body weight). But, in the upper-body, the gap widens. As tracks lengthen and the bike starts to push back, l believe the stronger the upper-body, the more you can hold and push back.

For the amateur rider reading this and wondering how to improve their performance, think about how you ride. Video feedback and coaching is so useful to see your position on the bike and how this might change when the going gets rough. I’m not saying ditch the bike and hit the gym — almost the reverse. When you can feel the posture and give back to the terrain, you accelerate. The smile broadens across your face and, as the trail goes on and steepens, if you can keep it up you might almost start to imagine you are between the tapes and flowing with the grace of the world’s best.

By Alan Milway, Norco Factory Downhill Team Manager & top-level mountain bike and motocross coach.