Read back to my first blog post regarding going down.
Ladies and Gentlemen, I can report with unequivocal
confidence that the above post is a thing of the past. While I’m not
going to barrel down at 75km/hr a la Tour de France, I do have some impressive
local Strava segments of the descending variety.
In fact, I will go so far as to share with all of you
readers some of the gems of wisdom, and some busted myths, I’ve gleaned on my
journey from terrified to terrifically fun.
Myth #1: Do not use your brakes.
Fact #1: USE YOUR BRAKES, but NOT IN CORNERS and DO NOT
GRAB THEM SUDDENLY or RIDE THEM CONSTANTLY
To be fair, the above myth does
have basis in fact. When you are cornering, and brake, it takes away your
traction and increases the risk of your rear wheel sliding out from underneath
you. In the corner you want ALL of your focus to be the tires gripping
the road and you staying smooth through the corner. Step down in your
outside pedal (and stand up slightly as a result), and press down in the inside drop (See Tip #2). Look through the apex of the turn. Relax!
Do all of your braking BEFORE the
turn. That being said, DO NOT grab suddenly right before the turn, as it
increases the chances of locking up your rear wheel. So, what should you
do? Lightly feather the brakes to maintain a speed that you are
comfortable with. Off on, off on, lightly, consistently. Again, NOT
IN CORNERS.
But please, for the love of God,
use your brakes. That’s what they are there for. As you get more
comfortable with your local descents, you will trust yourself more and use your
brakes less.
Tip #1: Look where you want to go. NOT WHERE YOU
DON’T WANT TO GO. Oddly enough, this also works well with horses.
In a schooling ring, riding with 50 other people, most crashes
happen when two riders lock eyes and panic. Same thing. If you do
not want to go over the side of the mountain, do not look over the side of the
mountain. Look at the road ahead of you. Do not look at the car
coming at you in the opposite lane. Look at the road ahead of you.
Do not look at the pothole 50 feet down the road. Look to either side of the
pothole (preferably the side farthest from the double yellow line).
Myth #2: Stand up on a descent
Fact #2: SIT DOWN ON THE DESCENT
With the exception of weighting the
outside pedal in a corner, you want to keep your weight in the saddle on a
descent. Why? The more weight on the rear wheel, then better the
traction. The better the traction, the less chance of sliding out.
STAY SEATED. If you want to be pro and sit on your top tube, you are probably too cool to be
reading this blog anyways, so good luck to you and your 10,000 carbon Di2 14
pound bike with 80mm carbon tubulars. I hope your Assos bibs don’t get
too many rips in them from your road rash.
Tip
#2: Ride in the drops. I know, I know, it’s scary, it doesn’t
seem to make any sense. But. This piece of advice, when embraced,
makes descending so much safer. You can steer better, you can brake
better, and your hands don’t get nearly as tired. If you’ve avoided
descending in the drops, please let this testimonial be the kick in the pants
that changes things. You will not regret it. In fact, this was
probably the most important step along my road to descending confidently.
And finally, a Pro Tip that sums it all up, courtesy of Ashley Powell www.catup.com.
Pro Tip: Confidence. It really takes
a lot to overcome the tires' grip on the road so the chances of sliding out are
pretty minimal. If you get going so fast that you're uncomfortable, feather the
brakes a bit to reassure yourself that you're actually in control, then keep
pushing the boundaries to see how much more you can tolerate. In a short time
you'll begin to trust the integrity of your machine and it's relationship to
the ground and you can relish the other side of the climb instead of fearing
it.
Happy Going Fast Downhill, everyone!
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