Lesson 2 of 5 in Safety & Setup
STOP / GO Decision Framework
STOP / GO is a short check you run before any feature that could hurt you or the bike: a climb, a drop, a rock step, a water crossing. It's GO only when you know the line and the exit, there's a safe run-out or a spotter, you've ridden an easier version cleanly, and you and the bike are in good shape. If any of those is missing, it's STOP: scout it, get a spotter, take the easier line or turn back. Say the words out loud, and let anyone in the group call STOP without having to justify it.
Updated September 2026. Sources are listed below. How we work
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Why it matters
Most bad days in hard enduro don't start with bad luck. They start with a decision made while tired, rushed or proud: one more go at a climb, a drop you didn't look over, a river you guessed was shallow. A simple shared language, "STOP or GO?", makes those decisions faster and more honest.
David Knight's hill-climbing advice to Transmoto sums up the principle: "Never adopt the 'hit-it-and-hope' approach when it comes to hills." And: "If you have doubts about getting to the top of a climb then knock it on the head early and try again. Don't battle on for the sake of a few extra feet."
Dirt Bike Magazine makes the group point bluntly: "you won't win a cheeseburger for a brave attempt, and it puts untold pressure on your riding partners should you wad and get hurt." A crash far from help is everyone's problem. That's why every rider in the group gets a vote.
How to use it
Run the check at three moments:
- Before any feature with a consequence. Ask: do we understand the terrain, the line and the run-out? What happens if it goes wrong halfway?
- After any crash or failed attempt. Every failed attempt changes something: the ground is more churned, the bike is hotter, you're more tired. Re-run the check before trying again.
- At planned points in the day. Lunch, the turn-back time, the last big section before the ride home. Ask the same questions about the whole group, not just one obstacle.
If confidence is low, regress rather than force it: scout on foot, add a spotter, choose an easier line, or leave it. Regressing isn't failing. It's how the next attempt, or the next ride, gets done.
This mirrors how professional emergency responders manage risk. The UK fire service's incident command manual describes a continuous cycle of identifying hazards, assessing risk and acting, with a clear rule: "If the risks outweigh the benefit do NOT proceed with the tasks, but consider viable alternatives."
GO looks like / STOP looks like
Run down both columns. One STOP item is enough to stop. GO needs every line in the left column.
| Check | GO looks like | STOP looks like |
|---|---|---|
| Line and exit | You've seen or walked the section and know where it ends | Unknown terrain, a blind crest or a hidden landing |
| Run-out | A clear, soft run-out, or a spotter in place | A drop, trees or rocks where a failed attempt would land |
| Skill | You can ride a simpler version cleanly | You've never ridden anything like it |
| Rider | Fed, watered, calm and thinking clearly | Heat or cold stress, dizziness, pain, repeated dabs and falls, or a head knock |
| Bike | Brakes firm, clutch biting normally, controls tight | Fading brakes, slipping or smelly clutch, loose bars or levers |
| Water | Clear, slow, known depth and firm bed | Moving water you can't read, rising levels, unknown bottom |
| Time and light | Plenty of daylight left for a slow recovery if it goes wrong | Near your turn-back time or losing the light |
| Group | Everyone agrees and the helpers are ready | Anyone says STOP, or you'd be doing it for an audience |
Swipe the table sideways to see every column.
The STOP / GO routine at a feature
Use this at any climb, drop, step or crossing that could hurt you. With practice it takes a minute or two.
1Stop before you're committed
Stop somewhere flat where the bike can stand, not on the approach itself. Engine off if you'll be more than a minute. If you're on a climb or descent, the kill/start lesson covers holding and restarting the bike safely.
2Look at the whole feature, on foot
Walk up the climb, or to the edge of the drop, and look at the bottom. Ryan Koch told Dirt Bike Magazine: "When coming up to a drop, it's crucial to analyze your surroundings and, of course, what is at the bottom of the waterfall. You need to know what kind of run-out you have." Knight's advice on hills is the same: "take a good look at a hill before attempting to ride up it".
3Pick the line, the bail-out and the fallback
Choose your line, then decide where you'll abort if it goes wrong: the point where you'll pull the clutch and stop, or turn off. Keep a smoother fallback in mind. Australasian Dirt Bike advises keeping "some smoother alternate lines up your sleeve for the later stages of races when it's getting rough and you're getting tired".
Once the front wheel drops over the edge of a steep descent, the decision is made. Make it at the top. 4Run the checklist and say the word
Go down the table above. Then say "GO" or "STOP" out loud. Saying it matters: it turns a vague feeling into a decision the group can hear. If anyone says STOP, the answer is STOP until the reason is dealt with.
5If GO: set up the help
Place a spotter where a failed attempt would end up, usually beside or above the hardest move, with the bike's path clear. Agree a signal to abort. Ride it once, with commitment. A half-hearted attempt is often worse than a full one or none.
6If STOP: regress
Choose one: an easier line, a smaller version of the feature, walking the bike through with a helper, or turning back. Graham Jarvis described his approach at Erzberg: "After the start it's all about taking your time, not rushing things, or pushing too hard."
Water crossings: the one feature where STOP is the default
Moving water deserves special rules, because you can't see what's under it and it gets worse without warning. The US National Weather Service warns that "a mere 6 inches of fast-moving flood water can knock over an adult". Cornwall Fire and Rescue Service says moving water "will rob you of heat 250 times more quickly than still water".
For a crossing to be GO, you need to know the depth and the bottom. Walk it first, if it's safe to wade, or watch someone cross. The water should be slow and clear. Look for a firm exit bank you can ride up. If the water is rising, fast or brown and you can't see the bed, it's STOP. Find another way or come back another day. The water crossings lesson covers the riding technique for crossings that pass the check.
The traps that turn a STOP into a GO
The hardest part of STOP / GO isn't the checklist. It's the pressure to ignore it. Avalanche safety researchers found the same pressures in mountain accidents. Avalanche.org summarises Ian McCammon's "set of 6 heuristic traps that were common in his study of recreational accidents". Several of them map straight onto a group of riders at the bottom of a hill:
- Familiarity. "Parties traveling in familiar terrain tend to make riskier decisions." The climb you've ridden ten times is different after rain.
- Consistency. Groups "highly committed to a goal" took more risks. Wanting to finish the planned loop is not a reason to ride a section.
- Expert halo. "Novices were more likely to follow the leader into dangerous situations." The fastest rider getting up doesn't make it GO for you.
- Acceptance and social facilitation. People take more risks to win approval, and groups get bolder when others are watching. Notice when you're riding for an audience.
Naming these traps out loud as a group ("Are we only doing this because we always do?") is the fix. That's what the STOP / GO words are for.
Reset protocol
When the answer is STOP, or when something has just gone wrong, run a reset before anyone does anything else:
- Stand down. Engine off, bike safe, helmet visor or goggles up.
- Breathe. Take a minute. Drink. Eat something. Many "I'll just go again" crashes happen within seconds of the last failed attempt.
- Check the rider and the bike. Any pain, dizziness or head knock? Brake lever firm? Clutch biting where it should? The first-aid page explains the signs that end a ride.
- Discuss options. A smaller feature, a different line, walking the bike through, or calling it.
- Decide and commit. Then carry out that decision fully.
Progress is consistency, not hero sends. The feature will still be there next time.
Common STOP / GO mistakes
Checking the climb from the bike with the engine running.
Fix: You can't see the top of a climb or the bottom of a drop from the approach. Park the bike and walk it.
Trying again straight after a failed attempt.
Fix: Every failure makes the ground worse, the bike hotter and you more tired. Reset first, then re-run the check.
Only the leader decides.
Fix: Anyone can call STOP. Make it normal to say it without a reason and to ask "STOP or GO?" out loud.
Ignoring the bike's warnings.
Fix: A clutch that smells or bites late and brakes that fade are STOP signals. Let them cool. See the bike setup page for the checks.
No spotter because it "looks fine".
Fix: A spotter costs a minute. A bike cartwheeling back down a climb can cost a leg. Place one on anything steep.
STOP / GO questions
Isn't this just being overly cautious?
No. STOP / GO doesn't stop you riding hard things. It makes sure you ride them when you have the line, the help and the energy to do them well. Most riders find they clean more hard sections, not fewer.
How many failed attempts before I should stop?
There's no fixed number. Re-run the check after every failure. If the attempts are getting worse, not better, or you're tiring, it's STOP.
What if I'm riding alone?
Then there's no spotter and no one to ride out for help, so most consequence features become STOP. Save them for a day with a partner.
Does STOP / GO apply in races?
Yes. In a race you often can't walk a section, so you rely on watching other riders and choosing the easier line when in doubt. A DNF from an injury costs more than a few minutes on a bypass.
All lessons in Safety & Setup
Related lessons and guides
- Safety and risk managementPlanning, partners, communications and heat.
- Hill climbs and descentsThe technique for the climbs that pass the check.
- Water crossingsReading and riding crossings safely.
- Kill/start controlsStopping and restarting safely on a slope.
- The mental gameStaying calm and honest under pressure.
- Graham JarvisThe rider best known for patient, precise hard enduro.