It's Crit Season! And Sal has written a crit primer for all of us.
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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.
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,
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