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The Corner: Gettin' Down
By Marilyn McDonald
8/14/2009 |
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I first started riding a bike in an area where descending skills were not required. All the roads were straight and rolling.
My first trip away from home on my bike saw me as someone who had ridden a bunch of miles but had no idea how to descend. To add to the problem, I was pretty strong on a bike so the experienced riders with me just assumed I learned the skills already.
I pretty soon became a person who went quicker uphill than downhill and even lost a race or two because of it. As my confidence fell, I was terrified of going downhill in group. I had no idea how to handle the corners and I had more fear than skill.
Fortunately, with a bit of time, and a few very good teachers, I can descend with the best in pro women’s cycling and with most men I ride with. I thought I could share with you some of the things I learned to help you descend with less fear, more speed and confidence.
Free speed! If you can learn the skills well you have free speed over the people who don’t learn them :)
1- First step is picking a good line down the descent and through the corners , look past the corner (it's where you want to go).
2- Shift your weight back on saddle , the steeper the grade the further back you shift your weight, (especially important if you are on a triathlon bike where most of the weight is on the front end). Maintaining weight on the rear wheel, lean into the turn, letting your head guide you. As you enter the turn, your inside knee opens up, while you keep your body inline with the road (see photo).
3- Keep your outside pedal down firmly at about 5 or 7 o’clock depending on the direction of the turn (slightly forward, and weighted heavily). Keep your inside pedal up and apply lots of weight on the outside pedal. The application of weight to the outside crank, and the rear wheel, is what makes your tires stick through the corners (see photo).
4- Hands on your drops! Weight on your inside drop, the two opposing forces of outside pedal and inside drop is what keep the rubber down in hard corners.
5- Brake as late into the corner as possible. Use your front brake to slow your bike and feather your back brake (to help the front).
6- Release your brakes through the turn.
7- Relax your arms, hands and bend your elbows.
8- Lean your bike into the turn rather than turning your bike.
9- Last but not least, KEEP BREATHING :)
These are a few tips that have helped me. Practice them slowly first. Then once you have the feel your confidence will grow and the speed will come naturally.
Remember most of all going downhill is fun. It’s the reward for that hard grunt up the mountain. So relax and have fun.
Happy riding,
Marilyn McDonald
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Marilyn is married to Chris McDonald (www.trimacca.com), and is a past winner of Ironman Malaysia. Chris and Marilyn recently coached at an Endurance Corner camp in Boulder. At the camp they taught an old dog (Gordo) new tricks. He thought you might benefit from their tips.
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