High Speed Cornering Tips

Crowie has some invaluable tips stored away from his lifelong experience as a pro cyclist.  Most pro’s don’t know how to break down these skills and techniques to teach them properly to cyclists like you and me.  This is why I love listening to Crowie so much.   Here’s some great high speed cornering tips in Q&A style from a reader that I passed onto Crowie to answer.

For some other cornering tips that I wrote a few weeks back, click here.

TOP 9 Strategies To Maximaze High Speed Cornering!

By Rob Crowe – Ridewiser

Q:  How soon after the apex should I be back on the gas? I’m guessing it’s the same as in my rally car, ie: ASAP.

A:  Start pedaling again ASAP, without hitting the pedal.  This is so much of an issue that riders have been known to execute these TOP 9 strategies to minimise the out-of-corner delay time for re-applying the accelerator!

1. Go very fast into it ‘as the first rider’, lay right over but wait for longer to pedal (have a rest!), and then accelerate harder than everybody else when they start to come around in the sprint
2. Put 170mm cranks on instead of 172.5 or 175mm (Crowie is usually on 172.5mm for criteriums for this reason)
3. Take the corner as wide as possible & don’t stop pedaling (recommended)
4. Enter the corner very ‘late’ which in turn means that the ‘lay-over period’ is quite brief and the angle of departure from the apex is tight to the inside gutter
5. Use a higher built Bottom Bracket in the bike frame (lift the clearance another way)
6. Use shallower pedals (slimmer models such as Speedplay instead of old bulky LOOK type)
7. Get out of the seat & tilt the bike for each LHS (left-hand-side assuming you’re riding on a anti-clockwise course) downward drive-stroke so as to ‘miss’ the bitumen while starting pedaling sooner
8. ‘Lay off the wheel’ of the guy in front; a pseudo-vacuum is created between riders during the corner, which means that the re-acceleration is late, but there’s less resistance to pick up speed again into the air-pocket behind your lead man
9. Just dig in early, hit the pedal & try to hold her up!? (not recommended)

Why Do We Love Climbing?

A couple weeks ago a gentleman who runs the blog TheClimbingCyclist asked me for my perspective on why we love to climb.  Personally, I used to hate climbing.  However, the more I hit the hills the better I got and I eventually learned to love it.  It’s different from the love that you’d enjoy with something like chocolate or beer though.  It’s a bitter-sweet kind of love.  It it’s slow, it hurts,  it’s exhausting and it exposes your weaknesses like few other disciplines do.  So why would so many cyclists love something like this then?

Here’s the questions that were asked and my response to each.

ClimbingCyclist: With so many flat roads around, what is it that inspires cyclists to “head for the hills”, as it were?

CT: There’s something deeply satisfying about climbing.  Climbs are where the boys are separated from the men.  Anyone can ride on a flat road and sit behind a wheel, but not on the climbs. There’s nowhere to hide and your real character starts to shine when things get tough.  And they will get tough.  Nothing worth achieving is ever easy. Getting to the top of some of these mountains is not easy.  Getting to the top in front of your mates is the best feeling (and worst) feeling in the world!

ClimbingCyclist: What advice would you give to recreational cyclists who are keen to have a go at climbing the major mountains?

CT: Know how to pace yourself and stay out of the red zone until the time when it counts.  Some of these climbs can last over an hour.  There’s no sense hitting the climb at full pace only to die in the middle. Start moderately and finish with all you got.  Know when you are pushing above your limits and try to moderate your efforts.  Once you blow, you’ll lose several minutes in order to recover.

ClimbingCyclist: Victorian cyclists are in the privileged position of having a multitude of fantastic climbs available to them. What is your favourite climb in the world and in Victoria?

CT: My favorite climb in the world that I’ve done is Mt Ventoux.  The best one in Australia that I’ve experienced is is Mt Hotham.  It’s not may favorite because I’m good at it.  It’s my favorite because it’s my nemesis.  It cracks me at the end and it makes me a better cyclists because of it.

I’m much better at a Mt Buffalo type of climb.  Nice steady gradient and my strengths tend to shine more on this type of hill.

Mt Baw Baw I’ve never tried and I’m quite certain it’ll make me squeal.  I’m afraid of this mountain!

ClimbingCyclist: What effect, if any, do major cycling events like Le Tour de France, the Giro and the Vuelta have on cyclists’ desire to climb?

These climbs are where races are won and loss.  There’s some intense history left on these climbs and they’re on every cyclist’s bucket list.  Most of us can only dream to ride on these mountains and quite often I find myself pretending I’m on Mt Ventoux when on Mt Hotham (they’re very similar).  I imagine Phil Liggett and Matt Keenan’s voices as I’m climbing up at a snail’s pace!

The 42T Chainring

The other day I finally did something I should have done a long time ago. I put (or rather Andy, our team mechanic, put) a 42 tooth chainring back on my bike. After an absence of what seems like almost forever (9 years in fact) I feel truly reunited with a great friend.

I can remember the moment that I had to concede defeat and begin my long and painful separation from the 42 tooth inner ring. When, after many successful years in the youth category happily and smoothly turning a 42 over, (firstly as my big ring as an under 14 when the maximum gear was 42×12, then as an inner ring when I went up to 50×15 in under 16 and on to 52×14 as a Junior) I moved into the senior ranks and onto the World Class Performance Plan and was told I would have a 53/39 on my Trek.

I’m not an Old-School devotee or anything like that; there are few bits of kit I really hanker after on a bike. I think bikes have to be a bit fluid to work really well, as in you should be able to change them around to suit what you are doing and where you are. Nothing is really ruled out (except Oli Beckinsale’s mud guards, which frankly bring the tone right down in training). I would say though, for what I, a British-based Elite rider does, the 42 inner-ring is just perfection.

I learnt quickly while I was racing pro in Italy that there are no real hilly races in the U.K. and when and if we do ever go up what might be called a hill, we didn’t actually race up them. The hills here just aren’t long enough for anything more than a quick sprint up to the top. A 39 is great when you have to sit down and tap out a rhythm for 40 minutes, or when you have to haul yourself up the Mortirolo and still have something left in the legs to race the next day. But let’s be honest, we here in the UK are mostly better off having a bit of something to lean on.

That is exactly what I found when I put the 42 to use last week. While others would drop down into the 39 for the incessant drags and sharp kicks the Bretons liked to litter the finish circuits with, I’d see their bodies flop down as the huge drop from the 53 to the 39 scuppered their stance and strength. Then, as we crested the drag, they would twist and bow uncomfortably in their seats as they twiddled their gears around before eventually caving in and losing the wheel in front in a desperate scramble for the big ring.

I, however, would calmly slip from the 53 to the 42 barely noticing the difference between ratios, allowing me to maintain my regal air of cool while powering past the little men. Then, as we would crest the drag and the attacks would stretch out the line, I could quite happily remain smoothly turning the 42 over the top of the hill and even down the other side. I didn’t have to drop a wheel, I never felt under or over geared.

I was totally calm as I had lost my inner ring fear. It might be odd but I often worry that by being in the little ring I am exposed to being smashed by someone who just stomps by in a bigger gear. It just doesn’t seem like you can do anything in a 39 apart from go up very steep hills or spin around on a recovery day. Having a 42, however, empowers you: There is no hill I race up or train up that you can’t get up really on a 42, and if there was such a hill I wouldn’t be near the front end of the race anyhow.

It is also, as I discovered today to my pleasure, an ideal gear in which to roll around the Mendips on for three hours. Even on my recovery days I get pretty sick of trying to go about on the 39. It feels like I am having to pedal too fast and am in danger of falling forwards off the front of my bike, as one does when their chain slips right off. It’s just not comfortable to roll, whereas the 42 does just that: On the flat, over drags, even if it needs to be leant on a few times on the climbs, it is still a generally more pleasing sensation than twiddling about, going nowhere or knowing you are wearing the pins out more than necessary in the 53.

Nowadays though the 42 is hard to come by, and when you do put one on it looks enormous. But I like that a lot, as I am sure it scares the weaker people, and that’s half the battle won right there.

Cycliquette

Judging from the events that transpired last week it’s obvious there’s some heated tension between cyclists and motorists.  This is nothing new but with the consistent negative media we’ve been getting I think it’s time we recognize that something needs to be done to change the perception of cyclists on the roads.

There’s no sense getting in a war of words with motorists and fighting things that are out of our control. The only thing we can control is our actions.  Once we clean up our own backyard we will then be in a position to demand respect.   Once we earn that respect, the time will be ripe to engage motorist groups to ensure they campaign to clean up their act as well.  This is a two way street and both sides need to be on board for the road to be a safe place to ride.

If you’ve been cycling for a long period of time chances are you’ve had an altercation with a vehicle.  This isn’t something unique to beginners.  In fact, it’s likely that the experienced cyclists have had more issues with motorists than anyone else.  These top level cyclists are the ones that everyone else looks up to.   Judging by my reader’s survey these people are YOU (88% to be precise).  YOU can influence the way other cyclists behave on the roads.

Have you ever taken a drive during a Saturday morning on a busy cycling route (e.g. Beach Road in Melbourne)?   My wife and I were driving a few weeks ago just as some bunch rides were coming past.  They completely swarmed the car and even I was paranoid that I was going to hit one of them (many of my mates incidentally).   I knew from experience that if I just kept the car steady and predictable the cyclists would take care of themselves.   However, can you imagine how someone who isn’t in the cycling world would respond to this?

I remember first arriving in Melbourne and joining some of the bunch rides.  Riders would go flying through red lights with no regard whatsoever.  This used to be deemed as being acceptable.  Now I go out on the same bunch rides and if someone runs a red light it’s highly frowned upon and the rider gets heckled and scorned.  It takes a strong character to speak up in these situations but I’m seeing more and more riders out there with a backbone.

I’ve seen this change happen over the past couple years and I see no reason why other ill perceived acts cannot change as well.  All we need is some common sense etiquette that comes from us as riders.  There’s no doubt in my mind that every cyclist would want to be on board.  Does anyone out there think that running red lights is actually good for cycling?

I’ve seen many campaigns trying to get cyclists to shape up throughout the years.  I disagree with the approach many of these cycling bodies take.  Most of them simply tell everyone else what to do.  I believe that  cyclists themselves need to get behind it and take ownership.  This has to come from the ground up.  All cyclists need to be on board with a common etiquette on the roads that we can all agree on and adhere to.

I’ve seen some code of conduct rules written by various cycling bodies. Most of them are far too general and do not focus on the specific problems that cyclists and motorists encounter with each other.    Rules like “show respect for fellow drivers and share the road” is not going to change anything.  I’m talking about specific common sense stuff like “it’s not cool to let your bunch swarm in front of the cars at a red light and make them pass you again….”

After we make the first move and clean up our own act we can then raise awareness to motorist groups and drivers and create some real change.  These rules need to come from you as cyclists and be agreed upon as “cool” and “uncool“.   We have rights on the road but we sometimes abuse them.  Let’s make sure our rights are understood and respected by motorists.

I was speaking to some fellow cyclists about this issue and we all thought there was an opportunity for us to create positive change on our roads. From this fertile discussion we coined the term ‘Cycliquette’ in good fun.  I believe it’s time that we, the cycling community, to create a code of conduct that is not just shared amongst cyclists, but is also extended to motorists.

This etiquette must be shared and accepted by everyone and must be created by you.  Put forward what you believe Cycliquette should entail and I’ll compile the initial top 5 from which it can grow.

This is something we all care about and have an opinion on, so let’s channel it creatively and create positive change.