Video: Jill Kintner VS Mike Levy - Humbled on the Pumptrack

Dec 12, 2019
by Pinkbike Originals  


Somewhat ironically, getting the most out of your mountain bike rides can sometimes mean not riding on a mountain at all. So while the last episode of Humbled saw Levy in Lugano, Switzerland, chasing Nino Schurter high above the treeline, this chapter has him at sea level doing something very, very different.

When it comes to bikes and berms, Norco's Jill Kintner has won pretty much everything: Countless Crankworx overalls, multiple World Champ four-cross titles, and even a bronze medal on a BMX bike at this little thing called the Summer Olympics that you may have heard about. And if you think the skills used on the smooth rollers, berms, and jumps of a pumptrack don't apply to singletrack, you're dead wrong; taking those abilities to the mountain can mean free speed.

There was plenty to learn as Levy had spent less than five minutes on a pumptrack prior to this, and while we're doubting his 2020 World Champ ambitions, he managed to only flip over the handlebar once during his lesson. Small victories.

Filmed by Logan Nelson.


Humbled #1 - Brendan Fairclough VS Mike Levy at Whistler
Humbled #2 - Richie Rude VS Mike Levy in the Gym
Humbled #3 - Gee Atherton VS Mike Levy at Crankworx
Humbled #4 - Nino Schurter VS Mike Levy in Switzerland







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Bellingham, Lake Whatcom Park

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Member since Feb 15, 2012
1,085 articles

114 Comments
  • 169 0
 Jill looks like a butterfly, seamlessly floating over the rollers. ...Levy looks like my dad trying to ride a skateboard.
  • 34 2
 Call me crazy but it always feels like he's sandbagging in his first attempt.
  • 19 0
 @friendlyfoe: You're not crazy. He's always sandbagging in his first attempt.
  • 3 6
 Well that's good to know. It's a great segment but the bad acting is a bit cringe. Just have fun riding bikes and I bet engagement goes even higher than it already is.
  • 1 0
 @TEAM-ROBOT: That way, he always shows progress by the end of the video.
  • 2 0
 Don't forget she's a Olympic medalist in BMX. She'll make most look like a dad!
  • 90 2
 We need one with Danny MacAskill.
  • 49 0
 That could lead to Levy's demise...
  • 9 0
 @ReformedRoadie: We need one with Danny MacAskill...mwahaha
  • 6 0
 An episode with Bender would be good too!
  • 80 1
 Please keep producing more humbled videos.
  • 59 0
 Okay. Smile
  • 30 8
 @jasonlucas: I suggest Remy Metallier and Dirt Merchant...
  • 14 2
 Fabio Wibner, please.
  • 27 0
 @jasonlucas: Remy Metallier and Yoann Barelli - French Lines on Gouranga
  • 2 0
 @jasonlucas: Hans Rey please.
  • 2 0
 @jasonlucas: You show Levy how it's done with IFHT
  • 4 0
 @endlessblockades: one with Gabriel Wibmers cousin please
  • 2 0
 @endlessblockades: My y'all trying to kill off Levy?
  • 3 2
 @roma258: no, we be trying to get him off obsessing over BC race and all Down Country going on... we want him to invent Down-Duro: overcushing the bottoms for full send capacity
  • 1 0
 @roma258: That's kinda the feeling I get. There be a lotta repressed hate for poor Mikey!
  • 1 0
 @WAKIdesigns: Sam Pilgrim on Dirt Merchant even better
  • 1 0
 @ekliever: Yeahhh I'm in for the french lines too, good idea!!
  • 76 1
 Jill is a great teacher- I though her explanations were clear, reasonable and easy to apply. I find some coaches get way too deep into the theory behind weighting and body position without fully translating it into what a rider can simply do to achieve it. Great vid!
  • 16 0
 I love how she just straight up busts on Levy too - "what was going on with that lap?! Where were you??" awesome. She has that track so wired.
  • 4 0
 @twozerosix: I got to spend a chunk of time riding that pump track with my son this summer during a road trip. Never got anywhere close to as smooth and dialed as Jill is able to ride it.
  • 3 0
 @twozerosix: Yeah- I love how she is on everything. I think that is the sign of a good teacher and true expert. Teachers who struggle seem to guess what went wrong when something doesn't turn out as planned vs. someone like Jill who can see the problems before they even lead to anything...
  • 1 0
 @thehappyhucker: where is that one?
  • 8 0
 A lot of times world class athletes are not good at explaining how they do what they do. She's a clear exception.
  • 2 0
 @thehappyhucker Jill designed and was lead builder on that pump track. @snl1200 Jill is wonderful to ride with even when she's not "coaching" she's still coaching and giving great advise.
  • 1 0
 @Vaquerowedo:Thanks! whatcom falls park?
  • 1 0
 @Vaquerowedo: Sick - good to know for next time I'm out there.
  • 2 0
 @iduckett: also check out the new one downtown by the waterfront. Pretty impressive
  • 71 1
 Mike Levy, you should go show Emil Johansson how it's done
  • 32 21
 I know a good spot... he can then teach a troll on the same occasion. Two birds one stone...
  • 16 0
 @why the thumbs down? Who would want to see waki try a backflip tail whip?
  • 35 0
 Jill's explanations and demonstrations were fantastic. Thanks for the great training video.
  • 31 1
 "IMBA was here, removed all the roots" yup.
  • 4 1
 Glad I'm not the only one who caught that and laughed. Sad thing is ...it's true. I am happily ignoring the IMBA emails in my junk mail inbox.
  • 21 0
 Kid in the Blue Helmet - "Can they be done already so i can ride."
  • 8 0
 more like "sweet free second hand coaching from jill kitner"
  • 20 0
 Jill rules.
  • 17 0
 Based on this video series, good thing Levy can write...
  • 16 0
 Who is this Brendan Fair Claw?
  • 28 0
 This dude that got robbed.
  • 12 0
 My riding improives so much from watching these videos! The Gee episode in particular had a drastic effect on the way i read the trail. Good stuff, levy...or as Jill says, "Levee"
  • 13 0
 We're here to pump you up. More informative than Hanz and Franz.
  • 8 0
 That was a very clear explanation of "pump track 101" Thanks Jill, hopefully I remember the tips the next time I'm around one.
  • 6 0
 Similar to the video with Nino, who's name is forever burned into my mind from hearing it seemingly hundreds of times in a 10 or so minute span, Levy says Jill every other breath. Shit cracks me up. Love the series. Lots of good info and entertainment in these. Keep em coming
  • 9 0
 Jill is too nice to properly humble Levy. Though she had a sweet couple eye rolls in there.
  • 12 3
 I get the feeling levy can't bunny hop on flats. Total jerry clipped in at the pump track.
  • 4 24
flag DDoc (Dec 12, 2019 at 13:48) (Below Threshold)
 haha funny, I think he's a bit of poseur with all those tats and mediorce riding skills. Next I think Mike should send some drops with T-Mac at Red bull proving grounds!!
  • 2 2
 @DDoc: ---- Ebiking dork
  • 10 1
 just when you think you've seen everything, Levy shows up at the pumptrack with SPDs on his dirt jumper
  • 8 0
 This vid reminds me of every time I go to a BMX or pump track with my wife (who raced and won at the national level) and she makes me look like a chump... Or chimp.
  • 8 10
 BMX racers come from another planet... most people will never be able to only ride through a rhythm section moving their arms and legs fast enough. Looking at Jill she really generates heaps of power with each pump. If you want to get fast in that biz you have to be plyo master to start with
  • 3 0
 @WAKIdesigns: I remember reading an interview with Jill after her Olympics experience. Said she had to get new pants because the old ones were too small due to all the added muscle from training and riding. Would like to see her push a Crossfit sled across a parking lot, I bet she'd crush it.
  • 8 0
 @twozerosix: Competed in 2008 with a torn ACL and meniscus as well. And she's almost as tough as she is nice. One of the truly good ones!
  • 6 4
 @WAKIdesigns:

BMX.- The basics of how to ride a bike fast in any terrain, and make it look good too.
I know plenty people who are always whining they can’t do this or that on their bike. I tell ‘em one thing. You should’ve started on a BMX when you were younger.-
  • 9 0
 Best cardio EVER!
  • 10 0
 Free speed is like free lunch. No such thing.
  • 1 0
 @shakamanong: But just the two words uttered in that sequence perks up the ears in all the tweeters.
  • 7 0
 Levy thinking to himself: "M'kay you needa jill out, girl"
  • 5 0
 Haha! I love these. Looks like Jill busted him for the same thing Brendan did. Lookin' down at the front tire. Is there something interesting going on down there??
  • 5 0
 @MikeLevy Slow-mo video would be great for something like this where timing is everything. It's pretty hard to separate the sequence of actions at full speed.
  • 6 0
 This was great. Jill's an awesome teacher!
  • 5 0
 What happened to the bravado @mikelevy ? I thought you were supposed to show the pros how it's done.
  • 5 0
 I could watch Jill do that all day - so beautifully smooth.
  • 5 0
 Mike was lost in that sauce 90% of the video lololol
  • 5 0
 Leg and arm days at the gym Levy Smile )))
  • 4 1
 I absolutely love the cross over between mountain biking and skiing. Alot of these exact same principals are what i use to ski bumps.
  • 3 2
 I notice Jill goes high with her front wheel in the middle of the corner then turns in sharply to get the best pump. Mike had a good early turn-in but was too low in the middle most of the time. Good stuff but seriously Mike, if you can't even manual a 10'-12' double you need to get out to more pump tracks. Thanks Mike and Jill, keep up the good work.
  • 1 0
 Great info from Jill. I hit my first pump track last weekend on my broduro. Fell off the corners to start with but started to get more of a hang of it after a couple laps. The rollers were great even though my legs were jelly from some gnar black runs I had done earlier.

Wish I had a pump track locally - have to get digging at some stage. There wouldn't be any design templates for pump tracks out there would there?
  • 3 0
 The "Welcome to Pump Track Nation v2" book is well worth the $10, or whatever that is in Aussie dollars

www.llbmtb.com/product-category/tracks
  • 3 0
 Been trying to get adopted by Jill and Bryn for years.... I think that's the only thing standing between me and an EWS title.
  • 3 0
 The humbled videos are so good, especially the last couple, Im loving the features with different types of riding!
  • 2 1
 If a hard tail offers a pure experience for skill development , a rigid bike would do even better in this case. And don't get me started on suspension forks for dirt jumping in general....this is all BMX cake
  • 3 0
 Gender equality? Dolphin vs man!
  • 3 2
 Lots of skill for sure but can't listen to someone say 'like' 142 times when trying to explain something. She too fast to be able to correct though.......
  • 3 0
 “Ok whatever” she says. Love it.
  • 2 0
 Why are they using suspension forks for this ? Can anyone offer a good explanation ? Seems totally unnecessary.
  • 2 0
 Running suspension forks on a pumptrack or dirt jumper is indeed fairly unnecessary. Most of the dudes run their forks locked out anyway! I know I did when I rode some big pumptrack events. So it's mostly to ensure that everyone knows you're on a mountain_bike, and not one of those suburban bmx cruiser thingys Wink Also, there are not many/any good rigid fork options that I know of.
  • 1 0
 @filmdrew: seems like a waste of $$ a rigid fork would be lighter and cost peanuts
  • 1 0
 @DGWW: totally agree! Pumptrack in the year 2030 hopefully will wisen up
  • 2 0
 Seriously, that looked fun as hell!! Now I need to look for a cheap used dirt jumper more seriously! Big Grin
  • 7 5
 that norco HT is drool... the fox fork legs not so much..

P"
  • 1 0
 Levy must have been pumped for this one - he's right on track for the 2020 world champs!
  • 2 0
 I want to see Jill do a full EWS season!
  • 2 0
 Jill, you're advice is so damn good!
  • 2 0
 "Why yes, I can show you how it's done."
  • 11 12
 Everything she said comes natural for BMX folks.

So, sorry to say this, and no offense to Mike, but how can someone who can’t even properly shred a pumptrack test bikes on Pinkbike for millions of people..?
  • 6 0
 The ability to pump comes naturally for anyone whose called themselves a dirt jumper at some point in life, Levy lacked aggression/effort and timing was way off at first, but then suddenly got better... hmmm

Jill was super smooth though!
  • 2 3
 I find it strange how she keeps her helmet on the entire time? my FF is snug fitting like they're designed to be, I know for sure I'd feel uncomfortable wearing one for extended periods of time not riding.
  • 14 0
 @JamesGTi:

Let me spell it out for you:


R-E-D-B-U-L-L.
  • 2 0
 Bible of bike tests already
  • 1 0
 Levy could have made some mean guacamole smashing avocados on that finish stretch.
  • 1 0
 Great vid good job Jill and Levy!
  • 1 0
 @jasonlucas's pan game is on point
  • 2 0
 cardio cardio cardio
  • 1 3
 Kinda odd that half the pumping equation was left out. They made it seem as though pumping was only done with the bottom half of your body and your upper body is just along for the ride.
  • 1 0
 Arms are part of the equation, definitely not half because if you don’t have legs dialed you got nothing.
  • 1 0
 What happened at 0:28? Was that dude getting aggro you?
  • 4 0
 That's just Bryn hanging out, wish he could've ridden in the vid too
  • 2 1
 Pedaling is always faster than pumping. Just ask Cam Mc.
  • 3 0
 Pumping is how Gwin won his chainless run. So maybe not?
  • 2 0
 Bike check please
  • 1 0
 Jill=My mom jr.
  • 1 0
 Love the series!
  • 2 2
 NORBS GOT ROBBED
  • 9 12
 I imagine Jill and Bryn do lots of pumping together, good training.
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