We've Moved

Stop by www.obra3.com!

Cat 6 Corner- Sprinting

From Roadcycling.com

"Sprinting is often an area of cycling riders either relish or shy away from. Some riders are genetically gifted with more fast-twitch muscle fibers, the ones that give pure sprinters their immense bursts of speed. At the other end of the spectrum, the riders who consider themselves climbers would rather try to finish alone than in a group. But the overwhelming truth is that most races will finish in a bunch. The size of the group may vary, but it is relatively rare to win a race from a solo breakaway. The best riders can find a way to win in any situation, so every cyclist should have a sprint in their quiver. Yet, many don’t train this skill at all. If you’re looking to improve your chances of winning, simply incorporating a few sprint workouts on a weekly basis can help you move from the minor placings to the top of the podium."

Read More

Cat 6 Mini-Corner: Countersteering

Here's some instruction on countersteering- the concept and execution. While focused on motorcycles, this has some great pointers.

Cat 6 Corner- A Crit Primer

Sal showing off
It's Crit Season! And Sal has written a crit primer for all of us.
-------
First of all, let me say that the purpose of this primer is to take the scariness out of cornering. We here at K-Man Enterprises want you to feel comfortable on your bike (or at the very least not take us down with you).

To me, cornering seems so easy and intuitive. That is probably because when I was not racing bikes, I was racing cars. I still hold several course records in the NW, and plan to get back to it one day. In auto racing, you can just push on the gas pedal to go faster, so cornering becomes the way to “hammer” the competition. Because cornering is so important, drivers spend a lot of time “training” how to take turns. In bike racing, we just don’t do that. Until now.

So, the basics of cornering are really simple. Every corner has an entry, an exit, and an apex.

ENTRY
The entry is important, because it sets the line for the rest of the corner. The line is the “arc” you take through the transition from straightaway to straightaway. How you start that arc, is the entry. In the diagram, you can see that following the correct line involves starting way wide. This is an attempt to round off the corner, and it starts with the proper entry.

APEX
The apex is often called the “tightest” part of a corner. Technically, it is just the dividing line between the entry and the exit. When you are not entering or exiting a corner but right in the middle, you are at the apex. In the diagram you will notice that the apex is where the line goes to the inside of the corner. This provides a smooth even transition through the turn.

EXIT
The exit is your way out of a corner. Following the proper line, you will find yourself naturally drifting to the outside of the turn. This is perfect “curb to curb” racing.

Correct cornering

If you find yourself drifting too far out after a turn, that means you took an early apex. In other words, you turned in towards the apex too soon. If you find yourself in the middle or inside after a turn, that means you took a late apex. In other words, you waited too long to turn in.

Of course, all of this assumes you are traveling fast enough for the line through the corner to even matter. Which brings me to technique. High--speed cornering is an art, and can be very enjoyable when done properly. It can also be nerve-racking when you don’t know what you are doing.

In any cornering situation, keep your upper body loose and relaxed. Never lock your elbows. This just transfers every movement of your body to the front wheel. You only want to give your front wheel subtle suggestions, you don’t want to beat it into submission. Now, to your legs.

Pedaling through a corner is important in Criteriums, because that keeps the power on, and doesn’t let any gap open up between you and the rider in front of you. If you have to chase back on after every corner, you will get tired out faster than if you remain steady. Sometimes, it is impossible to do that without scraping your pedal on the pavement. That is why it is actually easier to ride near the front in a Criterium, because you avoid the accordion effect of everybody chasing back on after every corner.

It is in these situations, where you are going too fast to pedal through, or the corner is just simply too tight, that technique really comes into play. You should have your inside pedal up, and your outside pedal down. This seems obvious, but many beginners find out the hard way. Not only will this give you plenty of clearance, it will also make you look cool. (Right, K-Man?) (K-Man: Ummm.... yeah)

If you are going so fast that you feel you need more grip, or need to lean over even more, I suggest lifting your butt just slightly off the saddle. This will lower your center of gravity down to the pedals. Your bottom bracket is way closer to the ground than your seat, and this just may get you through a tough corner.

So, those are the basics. Go practice, practice, practice. And remember, get any braking you need to do done before you enter that corner. I don’t want to slam into the back of you at the apex, as I take my perfect line.

Your Truly,
-Sal

Cat 6 Corner- Descending

K-Man went out and found some experienced cyclists to answer some questions for the beginners out there and to remind us about some skills that we might have forgotten. Comments are always welcome.

Suz is definitely chilling out on vacation. Martina was kind enough to pinch hit! So thank you Martina!

Third topic- Descending. How to descend like a pro!

Mandy Lozano: Mandy's dealio with descending:
The few things to keep in mind:
1. Confidence in your equipment. Make sure them thar skewers eez tight, the wheels true, etc. if you don't have confidence in the 17lbs and 120 psi separating you from macadam, you may over-correct and make worse judgments.
2. Understand what it means to be on the edge between control and a freaky free-fall. The best descenders are usually there. Don't use the process of elimination for figuring out that magic edge (meaning, unless you really like pain and Tegaderm, don't crash yourself before figuring out how fast you should go).
3. Relax. Flow into the corners. I sometimes sing songs to myself, keeping a rhythm in my head that lets my body sail through the corners.
4. Descending in a group takes cajones. Leave plenty of space and exit routes. But shite happens, man.
5. Hands in the drops at all times!!!!! It's easy to hit a teeny rock and jar your hands off the hoods if you are foolish enough to have them up there. I WILL yell at folks in races who descend on their hoods. It's such a bad idea! I feel justified for being a biatch about it because it's for their own good and that of the peloton.
6. Look THROUGH the corner to where you WANT to go. Don't focus on how sharp the curve is, cause you'll steer right into it and kiss the mountainside/guardrail. Look through....and keep hummin that magic song to yourself and remember how free and beautiful it is to be riding a bicycle.

Sal Collura: Why do you ask a skinny guy to answer this? I have to pedal just to keep up with the rest of you fatties... (K-Man: Hey, I resemble that!)

Anyway, there is always debate over what the best descending position is. Personally, I think whatever gets you aero and still lets you control the bike will work better than some crazy position that puts you in a ditch (not that that has ever happened to me). A couple of common positions are:

1. Hands and chest on top of bars - This is aero, but doesn't offer much control, and you can't reach the brakes that well.
2. Hands center of bars with body tucked - This is also aero, and allows you to still be on the saddle and reach the brakes when you need to.
3. When I was in Switzerland, I learned the Urs Zimmermann position (all the kids were doing it). I had seen it on TV, but never imagined using it myself. What you do is lean all the way back until your chest rests on the saddle. You can leave your hands on the drops for better control, and still be able to operate the brakes. The plus is that this position allows you to rest your legs. The negative is that you have to be very lanky with long limbs to even try it, and then once you get it, it may be difficult to get out of.

But, none of these positions are even necessary when you are descending in a large pack. The suction of the group will keep your speed up, and you can just tuck down when you feel the wind pulling you back. I recommend that beginners keep their hands near the brakes, and their heads up. It is OK if you have to pedal once in a while, because it will help loosen up your legs after a long climb anyway. Better safe than sorry in any high-speed situation.

The last couple of years at The Cascade Classic, I saw several guys get the high-speed wobbles on the long 60mph descent. This is usually caused by poor mechanics not by rider error or fork brand. A loose headset is the first thing to check in this situation. And if it happens to you, don't slam on the brakes, just keep your cool and slow down while trying to hold a straight line.

Which brings me to cornering. Follow the natural arc of the pack when you are in one. The quickest way to get in a wreck is to take a different line from everyone else. When you are alone, you can "cut" corners, and pick any spot in the lane you want. And like everything else, descending just takes practice.

Martina: Descending with style can be a little tricky. For some, descending may come naturally, while for others it may take a some time to get the hang of it. Many people may have trouble finding their rhythm descending, especially if they have had some nasty crashes.

There are a few tips I can discuss that can help you descend like a pro. First, I'd like to encourage everyone to descend at a speed they feel is comfortable for them. You need to feel like you are in control and have reasonable skills and understanding of counter steering before you start to push the pace for yourself. Don't worry about keeping up with your training partners, just focus on the speed that is working for you and remember to be nurturing to yourself. Attempting to descend faster than you feel comfortable will only increase fear and anxiety regarding descending and distract you from the actually things that will help you descend faster, so I highly recommend just relaxing for a while on descents. When you do this, you will have a more positive relationship with the sensations of descending and cornering, and you will feel comfortable to step up the pace when it is time to put the pedal to the metal.

Secondly, you need to take time to analyze the lines you should be following down a descent or through corners. Make the corners smoother by entering the corner as late as possible before the apex and exiting the corner as early as possible after the apex. Remember that your line should almost always be "outside-inside-outside", all in respect to the apex. Some corners might be a little trickier, such as corners that are off camber, decreasing radius, or a very tight hair pin. If you have trouble with a particular corner, pull over and try it again with a different line. Soon you will gain the analytical and bike handling skills to maneuver with ease through corners that once gave you trouble.

Lastly, I'd like to encourage everyone to invest the time and energy into practicing their bike handling skills. This doesn't have to be a big deal that involves crashing into your training partners on a grass field or anything like that. Go to an empty parking lot (be very careful of cars that my be coming or going) and try taking different lines through corners. Try a few drills as well. I like to place a spare tube on the ground and try to pick it up off the ground through the mechanisms of counter steering. Counter steering is a very important concept, where your outside leg puts pressure on the outside pedal while the inside arm puts pressure on the inside drop of the handle bar, all in respect to the apex of a corner. Another drill I recommend is to practice riding through corners with only one hand on the handle bar. This will reinforce the concepts of counter steering by forcing you to maneuver through the corner by using the weight of your body on the handle bars and the pedals, as opposed to actually turning the handle bars and steering through the corner.

Anyone can become a better bike handler when they relax and invest the time, energy, and brain power required to master the skills. Doing this will make you faster by saving you speed and energy during a race. Even the best bike handlers are constantly working to improve their skills. No matter what your skill level is now, there is always room for improvement.

Cat 6 Corner- Pack Etiquette

New and Improved! Suz was able to get some in right before her flight! Thanks Suz!

K-Man went out and found some experienced cyclists to answer some questions for the beginners out there and to remind us about some skills that we might have forgotten. Comments are always welcome.

The second topic- Pack Etqiuette, Some of the Do's and Don'ts

What are some of the do's and don'ts of riding in a group/pack?

Suz Weldon: Alrighty then. Well, without going too much into tactics (maybe another day), here are a few race etiquette suggestions I can think of. (Training rides are somewhat different). In completely random order:

Hold your line! In corners, as well as while riding down the road, or sprinting. This is mostly for safety. Try to stay smooth, not wobbly or jerky. If you have problems with this, invest in a set of rollers this winter. Works wonders. Anyway, if you are in the middle of a pack going around a turn, you can't necessarily take the same line you would if you were alone, so just relax and go with the flow.

If you want to get by somebody in a race, it is not necessary to say "on your left", nor do you have to move if someone says that to you. In upper-cat races, (I don't know about cat-4/5's) a rider that wants to get through a tight space will sometimes put a hand on your hip. If this happens to you, don't freak out or think he/ she is trying to push you around. More than likely, s/he just wants you to know s/he is there, so you don't accidentally bump her. But I would not suggest this method to get by others until you are a cat-3 or above.

If you are in a rotating paceline (whether in a break, or a chase group) don't surge when you get to the front. Instead, keep your pace consistent until you have cleared the front wheel of the person at the front, next to you. Then, ease yourself over, and ease off the gas a little, but don't stop pedaling, and for god's sake, don't touch your brakes. If you need to rest, it is okay to back-door for a few rotations (sitting at the back w/o pulling through) but if you do this a lot, don't expect to make any friends, and your break-mates will likely do whatever they can to drop you. And they should.

Speaking of braking, I think I read on OBRAchat that the lower-cat Oregon boys like to yell "BRAKE!" at PIR when they are braking. Please tell me this isn't true... Okay, I guess if something very unexpected happens, like a dog running out in front of you, you can yell "slowing", or yes, I suppose "BRAKE", but I better not hear about that happening on a regular basis or I will have to come down there and kick some Oregon Booty. You shouldn't be braking THAT much, and I think yelling about it a lot would just serve to make others uneasy, and also cause even more accordion effect, as everybody reflexively grabs for their brakes. But anyway...braking before, say, a sharp downhill turn, is NOT considered to be unexpected, so need to yell there either. Braking IN the turn- well that's another DON'T.

Let's see...pointing out and/ or announcing road hazards is good. I disagree somewhat with Mandy in that, it is not always possible to point out a hazard, like if you are descending, or turning. First priority is to ride safely yourself. But if you can point out something, do. BTW, it is not necessary to point out or yell about every little bump and crack. Just the major stuff, like glass, tracks, a bottle, or a huge rock.

Flats: If you flat while riding in a pack, do NOT immediately veer over to the shoulder. Just remain calm, raise your hand up, and say "FLAT" as you ease over to the right-hand shoulder. You don't have to shout at the top of your lungs. Raise your right hand for rear flat, left hand for front (this is actually for the wheelcar). I think Mandy already said "no sudden moves".
I second that.

When climbing, and you go to stand, make sure you are not lurching backward. You could take out the guy behind you. It can be hard for newbies to know when they are doing this, so ask a friend. No, you do not need to yell "standing". Instead, make it a smooth transition by pushing little harder over the top of the pedal stroke, and kind of pushing your bars forward a smidge as you stand. Same thing when you sit down again. I hope I described this right...Anyway, it should become second nature after awhile.

Sal Collura: The first rule of riding in a pack is also the simplest: Do unto others as you would have them do to you. In other words, if you want some space, give some space. If you would want a pothole pointed out to you, point it out to others, etc.

Second rule: Keep your head up. Keep an eye on what is happening around you and there will be less chance of being surprised by something. A trick I use, is to always know what riders are around me. That keeps me paying attention to my
surroundings, and also lets me know if I am behind someone who is going to be squirrely.

Third rule: Try not to use your brakes so much. All it does is make the pack surge. There are times when you have to slow down, but a lot of times I see riders charge as hard as they can to catch the wheel in front of them, and then have to slam on the brakes. Keep it smooth. "Mantequilla", as Loius Daza used to say, "like butter".

Fourth rule: Don't cross wheels or bump handlebars until you are at least a Cat III. I cannot for the life of me figure out why Cat V's go out and race like they are Robbie McEwen or something. Give that wheel in front of you a few inches of breathing room. If you need someone to move over, touch there side or talk to them, don't just bang your way through. Someday when you are riding with the Pro 1/2's, you can come bang into me as hard as you want.

Mandy Lozano: Which brings us to tonight's word: chill. chill chill chill. and chill some more. Sudden movements are not welcome in the pack. The only time it's cool is when you are attacking, and you had better make sure you have an open spot into which you can launch said attack.
Hand signals are fine, as long as they don't jeapordize your control of your bike. That being said, however, don't get lazy and forget to point stuff out. That just sucks. The person behind you is trusting that you will help keep them safe; don't be a jackass packrider and just shout "hole!" without pointing it out.

And group rides are not races or at least i don't think they are. But sometimes, if you listen really close, you might hear a start gun go off. Don't do dumb stuff like run red lights and stuff just to keep up with the group as though I'm racing. Is it really worth it to

a. endanger your life and;
b. reinforce the awful image cyclists have to motorists anyway?

Seriously...
Oh, and a "do" talk to people! Make them feel welcome! everbody has to start somewhere! Just cause you're pro doesn't mean you can't talk to people of lower categories than you! I don't think i'd be where I am today if some pros hadn't stooped to talk to newbie Mandy once upon a time.


Miffy: Look before you move.
Kiffy: Otherwise you may crash into someone else.
K-Man: Extra treat for you two for good behavior.

Riding in Groups and Cornering

K-Man went out and found some experienced cyclists to answer some questions for the beginners out there and to remind us about some skills that we might have forgotten. Comments are always welcome.

The first topic- Riding in Groups and Cornering

Do you have any suggestions/coping strategies on how to deal with feeling claustrophobic or nervous when you're in the middle of a pack? I know a lot of beginner racers have trouble because they become nervous when they have riders all around them. For example, in a crit, some riders feel trapped and are scared that someone will go down in front of them or will take them out. (This is actually a big barrier for some folks to try racing)

Suz Weldon: Just relax, hold your line through the corners, stay off the brakes as much as possible, go with the flow... Sal, maybe this is more your territory? Mandy?








Sal Collura Well, the obvious answer is that the more time you spend in a pack, the better you will feel. A lot of beginner riders train by themselves 5 days a week, and then expect to race with 40 people. If there are group or club rides in your home town, go on them. Eugene, for example, has Wednesday Night rides where we wait for everyone. I always suggest that new riders in the area attend these as often as they can.

Now, here is the tough answer to being nervous or claustrophobic in a crit or crowded race. Trust. Now I know that's easy for me to say because I race with the Pro 1/2s, but the fact remains, you have to trust the wheel in front of you. S**t is going to happen from time to time, its unavoidable, but being tense or scared, will only make it worse. If you are in what actors call "a state of relaxed readiness", and you see something begin to happen, you can take calm measured steps to avoid being involved. If you just slam on your brakes, you will probably go down.

Mandy Lozano: My advice is practice practice practice. Ask a friend who is a good crit rider/bike-handler to take you on a little "tour de neighborhood". Take corners fast fast fast on their wheel. If you trust them, you can go fast. Stay low on your bike. Keep your center of gravity closer to your frame. keep your hands in the drops, NOT ON THE HOODS. Also, have your friend take you through turns next to you. Practice bumping a bit, but only at a speed comfortable to you. then, when you get into situations where you may not trust the other riders, at least you know how fast you can comfortably go in the turns.

Also, crashing is a fact of life in bike racing, but being afraid will not help. Yes, it's an old adage, but a true one. Just pretend you own that turn- know the various lines, so that if you're forced to take an alternate, you'll be comfortable. Lastly: try to stay off the brakes going into the turns. though the rider in front of you is slowing down, they will go faster through the turn, so don't create a gap you will have to close coming out of the turn. You'll sail toward their rear wheel, think you're gonna hit it, but when they hit the apex they'll glide out of it and you'll be on their wheel without expending any energy. It's beautiful.

Okay, lastly (for real): chopping people or sprinting around them before a turn to gain one spot isn't considerate, safe, or a good idea. Just chill.


Miffy: Just be sure to relax and don't slow too quickly. Once Kiffy panicked and slowed down way too fast going around a corner in our cage and I went right into her butt.
Kiffy: I didn't panic you doofus. There was a brick in front of my face.
Miffy: Yeah right.
Kiffy: No. There was a brick there you moron.
Miffy: Nyah, nyah. Kiffy is a wussbag.
Kiffy: No I'm not.
K-Man: GIRLS.