Originally Posted by
KDTX
* Next jump off bike way earlier than you think you need to, about 3 bike lengths from barrier.
Start running next to bike and keep holding onto bars. (this was my first revelation; I kept thinking that I should stay on the bike for as long as possible. This was a mistake because actually when you dismount, and start running, you can actually increase your speed).
This advice is wrong. You can coast on your bike way faster than you can run. If it's a normal barrier section, you just need two steps before the first barrier. Like this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xbl4V9u2xtI
People who are very short might clear barriers easier by grabbing the down tube instead of the top tube. (Grab it with your right arm to the left of the top tube, not over the top tube.) It's a little trickier to grab the down tube while coasting on the left pedal, but it's doable with a bit of practice.