Riding Bumpy Terrain

strader

I did a cyclocross race last weekend that was routed over a very bumpy mole-infested grass field. I ended up getting passed by a few riders on this section of the course. I was trying to stay seated and rest because this section was right before a big hike-a-bike and climb. Now I am thinking I was wrong in my approach, and that I should have grabbed a bigger gear and tried to stand up and mash through the field so I could use my legs as suspension. My back was killing me each time I got through. Anyone have any tips on riding something like this?

threaded

You want to be in a position that is not sat down, but not standing up, just kind of floating just above the saddle. Use your thighs as another contact point for the inevitable sudden lurches as a mole hill gives way. Yes, use your legs as suspension. Yet, No, not a bigger gear, you'll lose too much cadence, and risk stalling. Hope that makes sense.

alfeng

This is probably stating the obvious, but get the WIDEST handlebars that you can find ... 44cm isn't too wide.

strader

Thanks, I'll give that a shot. Too bad I don't have any terrain near my house that is even close to being as rough. The guy who won the A race, Adam Craig, is a pro mountain biker, and from the race reports he was just floating over the stuff. I wish I had stuck around to see how he did it.
The bars on my bike right now are 44cm, and i'm sure I could get some wider bars. I'm a big fan of wide bars. I run 27" (670mm) on my mountain bike.