deacon mark

Ok, I am flatlander and never really been down any hill steep enough to get to about maybe 40-45mph at very tops. I generally start getting a bit nervous above 35. I have been watching those TDF riders and some decents especially Cancellara's in 2010. I could maybe see them ok if they were straight but the roads curve all over. My question is if the pros that do these really worry or simply go down with no thought. I did notice the roads I saw were pretty smooth compared to the chip seal I have to deal with but otherwise it is a crap shoot what is around the turn.

Now I realize if you are getting a bit nervous then basically you might just give up and take it easy. From what I can tell they simply go down fast and have no fear. I suppose they do this enought that it gets routine but still that has to be bit scary. If you wipe on the roads I see you are dead person or pretty close. A video shows a group going down at 62mph and they way I see it, is if you go down you are done with life or close.

Do these really become routine or do they simply have some nerves the old deacon just does not and most others I hear on the threads about downhill speed. Are they human and get a bit jittery.

DropDeadFred

nerves, technique...and just knowing how to go into the turns...I get faster and faster everytime I ride...more confident in steeper hill turns etc. eventually...I'll crash

Bioluminescence

Not to mention all that adrenaline from competing.

ericm979

Some pros are known to be poor decenders. But like pro "non climbers" who climb faster than the best local amateur race climbers, it's relative. Those poor descenders are still better than us amateur good descenders.

Unlike climbing, where once you have conquered the mental and training aspects you are limited by genetics, you can improve your descending by practice and analysis. Do it a lot. Get coaching or at least advice from someone better who can watch your lines and tell you what you can improve.

The pros are good because they've done a lot, and because they work at it (some practice on motorcycles), and because being pro selects for outliers in all aspects of riding, not just a high VO2max.

hhnngg1

They have fear. A lot of it. They commonly complain that certain roads are 'too dangerous' for racing on - happened multiple times last year and they even canceled on road in Europe after enough complaints and crashes.

Pros are awesome descenders, even the bad ones. You have no idea how good they are until you get passed by them on a hairy descent. I was training in Socal, and I'm a respectable but not hellacious descender, but usually nobody in a hammerhead pack can pass me in a descent. One day, BAM, a squad of elites or pros (complete with SAG car that I had to make way for) come blowing by - literally 2x as fast as me, and without even waiting for me to clear the road so they could corner better. Just rode right around me - at 40+mph on a hairy descent with less than 20-30 feet of visibility before a blind corner. (I was probably doing about 28, and that was nail biting enough.)

They practice a lot and ride a lot. They know their limits, but they still push them on race day. They also have fear - listen in their interviews - they ride to their limit and take risks as they deem fit - which includes crashing.

big john

They're young and it's their job.

Minion1

^^^ yep. They ride for a paycheck. They take more risks and descend a hell of a lot faster, but when they come unstuck they bang seven shades of cr*p out of themselves.
Also, one of the best ways to improve is to descend with someone better than you, and to try and keep up. Neo pros by the time they get onto a team are normally very good descenders - by the time they've learnt a thing or two from more expereinced teammates, they're on a differerent level.

max power

Levi Leipheimer was dropped on the queen stage of the US Pro Cycling challenge by Tejay on a wet/nasty decent (almost lost the race that day), afterwards Tejay politely said that Levi was old and didn't have the nerve to take chances that day.

Andy Schleck is known to be a good descender but all bets are off when the weather gets nippy

ilvwhtgrls

rearry?

Menel

Nerves, skill, comfort level, and lots of practice and training.

Once upon a time, only jumped into the 30's on flat sprints, or long straight downhills... then I was introduced to mountains and 30's were scary slinging bike around turns.

Then 40's were scary.

Now 40's are comfortable and 50's start pushing the nerves. I'm using a significant amount of brake to keep from exceeding 50 on some descends around here, I'm too afraid to see how far above 50 they can will take me.

chasm54

They brake later than you do, and corner more sharply. They do have nerves, though, I've heard Jens Voigt interviewed about backing off and thinking "I don't want to die here" on some of the hairier descents. Another interesting interview was with Sean Kelly, who was clocked at 124kph/77mph on a descent while chasing to get back on in the 1985 TdF. He said "we took a few big risks that day". Seventy seven mph. Makes my sphincter tighten just thinking about it.

jamesdak 

Practice, practice, practice... I ride mountains regularly and the more I do the descents the more comfortable I feel. I'll run down my local mountain now at 50+ and keep trying to tuck better to find more speed. If your equipment is in good shape and you are comfortable with your skills than speed is quite comfortable. Just recognize the fact that if you do go down at high speeds the outcome is not going to be very pretty...

For me many factors come into play when descending, my skill, road conditions, traffic, wind, etc, etc...

shrinkboy

77 mph WITH NO HELMET!!

Kimmo

Like a man, powderpuffs.

gsteinb

I call BS. Try and get above 55-60. It's not very easy. TV commentators exaggerate the speeds all the time. Do they go faster than you? Sure. But the idea that some pro is putting 25-30mph into me on a winding descent is absurd.

patentcad

Just hunker down on the drops and relax. The bike will do the rest. Once you get over 30 mph there are no panic stops on bicycles, only crashes, so you may as well enjoy the ride. 30 mph or 60 mph, makes little difference. And Gary's correct, it's VERY hard to get a bicycle to go over 50 mph, that requires a long mountain descent with straight roads, most of us don't ride on those.

I did a lot of long descents in Greece, rarely got much over 40 mph. You can't carry too much speed with curves, you'll crash.

big john

I think even 60mph is tough. I've been up to around 54 on a steep in a tuck and I just can't see the thing going 20mph more than that, unless we're dropping off a cliff.

patentcad

I hit 51 mph on a long 10%+ straight grade coming down off the Shawanagunk Ridge just west of New Paltz, NY, that's the fastest I've been on a road bicycle.

rfomenko

That's how fast I went down the same hill. You really need some serious long descents to do any more than that. The help from wind is also mandatory

gsteinb

I've seen 56 coming down whiteface from the tolls to wilmington. That's 3 miles of 8.5% dead straight. Someone wanna say a young crazy pro can go faster there. I'm game. To say he's doing that with hairpins is BS.

patentcad

If you carry 50 mph on your bicycle into a switchback curve you'll be off the edge and over the side. You might manage that maneuver on a motorcycle (if you know what you're doing) with big disc brakes and some rubber on the road, not on a racing bike with rim brakes and two 1" square contact patches. There are similarities in handling between my motorcycle and my bicycle; the biggest difference is you have some serious braking capability on a motorcycle. Bicycles don't have brakes. They have speed modulators. I doubt bicycle disc brakes would improve things all that much. Bicycles are more limited by the lack of traction available from skinny road bicycle tires.

Farby

Ever ride up from New Paltz to Mohonk Mountain house? and then back down. If i remember correctly those were some long steep hills, but may have too many turns to get up speed.

eippo1

Do some descents on dirt roads at high speeds with some turns mixed in there. It really helps to show you the limits of what you can do. Plus it's fun to drift your rear tire moreso that you really can or want to on pavement.

chrisvu05

at 77mph I doubt the helmet does much then catch the pieces of brain oozing from your skull after you crash.

rbart4506

During the Tour of Catskills my Garmin says I hit 85kmh on one of the descents...Must have been a pretty straight section...Never felt I was over my head on any of the descending...

At home I have one descent where I routinely take the sweeping bottom left at 75kmh...Takes practice and you learn about position, handling and how to pick a line...When things get harry is when you get into compound corners, where the radius tightens as you go around...I've been caught by a few of those, but I have learned to take it easy descending roads I am not familiar with...

The pros will scout routes when possible and will have a pretty good idea of lines to take when descending.