Originally Posted by
elemental
Funny, I've always felt most in control in the drops, especially when cornering hard. This, of course, is not helpful if you are running risers or bullhorns. When I was learning to race crits, they told us to stay in the drops at all time for maximum control, whether we were in the wind or not. Not sure how scientifically valid that it, but it goes along with my own experience.
And if multiple hand positions are a plus, road drops are hard to beat.
Me too. When brifters replaced DT shifters, everyone started racing on the tops, even in sprints, and I think it led to an increase in crashes. Riding the drops, people could bump each other heeled over in a turn without losing control, but on the hoods you sit higher and farther back, reducing the weight on the front wheel and raising your center of gravity. It's easier for your front wheel to wash out when cornering, which 99% of the time means a crash. Everyome races on the drops on the track, except for TT events.