How to descend and corner?

CaoimH_in

Something I really need to improve on. I don't really know how to "read" corners, I don't know how much I can safely push it when the ground is wet, I don't know a lot. But when cornering I can see myself losing 5 meters or so to my training mates every steep turn. It really sucks.

Does anyone have any advice or experience to help me limit my loses going downhill on technical stuff and through corners? Is descending in races really as insane as I'm lead to believe? Am I going to die?

Cuddles,
Kevin

Raam

Keep leaning until you slide out, then dial it back a bit.

fat bloke

Obvious first answer is follow your team-mates' lines through the corners and learn from them.

Roger Hassenforder

http://realanalytics.wordpress.com/tag/physics-of-cornering/

& eat more pies, you'll go downhill faster. ups might be a problem

07Lapierre

Practice, practice, practice....

Hmmzis

Cornering confidence improves with time and experience until it drops sharply and suddenly. That's from them rules.

If you haven't already googled it, there a few techniques for how to take a corner. If you've done MTBing in the past or are doing it currently, then you can apply the same stuff also on the road.

Leaning and countersteering would probably be the most used ones. For long sweeping corners just lean into it, for the sharper ones and hairpins use countersteering. Can't remember what the name for 'bike upright body on inside' technique was but that's only useful in very, very mucky conditions and on snow/ice.

Lumen

Trust your fear.

doozerie

Someone posted this article, entitled "Descend like a pro", some time back and it has some interesting and useful stuff in it.

CaoimH_in

07Lapierre wrote: »

Practice, practice, practice....

I'll need a bit more than that.

The other blog post shows what I am to practice. More info like that.

Dubba

This is what I do :pac:

billyhead

Here are some useful tips for cornering
1) Assess the turn.
2) Check for traffic. When it’s clear, move out toward the middle of the lane.
3) Brake before getting into the turn and shift into a gear that will allow you to accelerate out of the corner.
4) Look down the road toward where you want to go.
5) Lean your bike, not your body, into the corner
6) Keep the inside pedal up (12 o’clock position), and the outside pedal down (6 o’clock position). Weight the outside pedal and point your knee into the corner as you lean the bike into the turn.
7) Accelerate as you come out of the turn.

With regards to descending getting down in the drops and making yourself aero os ideal and the lower you can get the better traction & control.

12 sprocket

CaoimH_in wrote: »

Something I really need to improve on. I don't really know how to "read" corners, I don't know how much I can safely push it when the ground is wet, I don't know a lot. But when cornering I can see myself losing 5 meters or so to my training mates every steep turn. It really sucks.

Does anyone have any advice or experience to help me limit my loses going downhill on technical stuff and through corners? Is descending in races really as insane as I'm lead to believe? Am I going to die?

Cuddles,
Kevin

Kevin
THere are a number of possible reasons that you are not able to corner so quickly at the moment.. your best option would be to try to get a local experienced cyclist and or coach to coach you on corners.. THat is a practical session where the coach observes and gives feedback to you.

jimm

Dubba wrote: »

This is what I do :pac:

Now there's confident descending. Love the way he leans out left to avoid the rockface at 3:10 :eek:

Harrybelafonte

Same problem for me and getting nervous about it with first road racing season coming up. I'm used to the same two corners over and over.

Read this and think it's helpful.

http://www.bikeradar.com/gear/article/technique-master-fast-cornering-on-a-road-bike-29333/

CramCycle

Lumen wrote: »

Trust your fear.

Best advice ever, when you think you are worried for no reason, it's usually a good indication that you are about to crash.

CaoimH_in

Followed the advice of some of the blogs there and my cornering has vastly improved in a single session! Feels so much more safe and I feel even more confident to chuck it into corners!

padjo5

Kevin, most impactful piece of advice I got was to keep the outside crank at 6 o'clock and put weight on it...simples!

killalanerr

and try to relax