Originally Posted by
Moyene Corniche
As far as descending, it's all switchbacks with vertiginous drops on the downside and sharp rocks cliffs on the inside. Let's put it this way for a 2.5 hour loop, it's 20 minutes to descend back to sea level @ Monaco. the rest is all about climbing up to 900 meters. Probably because I ski raced I always loved descending on switchback mountain roads,treating it like running a GS or actually a super GS. If you are not hitting 75-80KPH descending then you are really not letting it go. It's all about picking your line and not handling the bike as you would a motorcycle. Two very completely different approaches. One with a low center of gravity and the ability to power out of a turn, the other with a relatively high center of gravity but also the ability to counter steer and drift both front and rear since it's such a small contact patch. I'll have to find some of the pictures of this loop and post them. ( They were not taken with an I-phone or even my canon 40D digital ).
One of the great things about that area is that you often get to join a group ride where some of the Pro's living locally will be on the ride also. Descending behind riders who do this day in and day out is really the best way to see the correct lines to take and make it thru.
I watched USAPCC descent off Independence Pass in the rain, and that night had dinner with my friend/part-time coach. This is the 6xTdF guy, and I asked him how they know how much brake to grab on a rainy descent that they're not familiar with.
"Brakes? You trust your tires and pray that there's no oil." He highlighted the situation: you're in a successful break, and maybe six of you summit together with a good lead, heading downhill to the finish. If you touch your brakes on a wet descent, and your break-mates don't, you're going to get fired for losing them. He told me a few stories when he was riding for one of the smaller teams, challenged by poor support, and nearly passed out from hypothermia on a rainy descent -- shaking uncontrollably at 45mph.
I had just descended behind the peloton in the rain, so the treacherous conditions were fresh in my mind. It really would be horrifying for most of us to attempt descending with these guys. I couldn't attempt it.