Originally Posted by
grolby
Yeah. I really think it wraps back around to familiarity and frequency. I was reluctant to go down the road of discussing technique, because in road races you are so seldom actually trying to go through the corners as fast as possible. It's just not safe to push the limits on turns you don't know, which makes road races more forgiving.
But discussing technique is exactly the topic, or more to the point here lack of technique. I see much emphasis on maximizing the motor's performance but not a whole lot on figuring out how to ride that bike at the limits. It's not enough to just group ride and incorrectly assume this will give all the required technical expertise. Far from it, as a good majority in a group ride have not raced much if at all and for the most part are not great at bike handling when things become technical. Familiarity and frequency being two key words here. Familiarity refers to the bike you are on, do you know where those limits are ? if you don't then you should not only know those limits but be familiar enough that when pushing the envelope it becomes a calm reaction to regain control. This becomes frequency, as in getting out there on quiet back roads and working on getting to not only know those limits, but pushing beyond them and learning in the process how to control the situation.
Originally Posted by
grolby
I think, to thechemist's point, if one really is having trouble with consistently losing position in the field through corners, that a) better bike fit, and b) some elementary study of cornering lines will yield big boosts in confidence. When I see riders on descents in road races who I desperately want to get in front of, their issue seems to be more a matter of confidence than anything else - it's not that they're slow through switchbacks, it's that they're hesitant and all over the place on every part of the downhill. It seriously does not help that the current trendy fit is to have the handlebars a meter below the saddle but horizontally quite close to the saddle. It's terrible for control, but people think they are faster this way. Getting the saddle in the right place and the handlebars appropriately positioned would probably make a big difference for some riders.
We may also be discussing two separate bike geometries here. A great Crit bike is not necessarily a great Road Racing bike. The former demands a very responsive almost twitchy handling characteristics as Crits demand constant quick adjustments of both line and speed. Not so much on the road bike which is much more about smooth transitions in speed, line and effort over a 2.5 to 4hr race. Crits being 75min. and all about drastic sudden changes.
This discussion is about not only technique but also what to do about those missing pieces of the puzzle.
Always seeking to ride with higher categories ( Pro's Cat 1's and 2's ) is a definite must, as it becomes obvious as to how they ride is based on efficiency. Case in point my own ski racings technical aspects in GS and SL always improved each time I was able to train with pro friends and/or former National team skiers. Same applies to bike racing.
To be able to go into a corner and without thinking about it just flow thru that corner ( for lack of a better description ) no matter the condition of surface or technical layout, is only possible with spending a lot of time practicing the variables.
A race is the worst time and place to be trying to figure out what to do. Mainly because a race is always in a state of flux. If you have to think about what to do at each corner then you really should not be racing ( yet ) Harsh, blunt, it is what it is. As I posted before, negotiating turns successfully in a race is about setup. Relating to who does what and when and why you want to be behind them or why you need to be ahead of them. Just this should be routine and so should the ability to see the corner / turn and pick the best line regardless of what the others are doing. This means that setting up yourself in the right place prior to that turn is critical. it may take an easy position change or it may require changing field position long before the turn is even in view..
If this is cryptic to some then it should be back to the drawing board..
