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.