Likewise. Hands-off skidding and such is WAY beyond my skill level. I mean I can adjust speed according to lighting and proximity to hazards, and slow down for turns that aren't too sharp. When traffic shows up, I go back to active steering and braking.

As I recall from Leonard Zinn's "Primer", pedalling is like going up stairs. Push hard on the downward moving pedal. Unload the upward moving pedal, but don't pull extravagantly. I've been trying to backpedal as if going down stairs, which is the opposite - push hard on the upward moving pedal. Unload the downward moving pedal but don't pull on it. That seems to give the best deceleration (without brakes) without putting tension on my sensitive knees. At least that's the mind set this newbie is experimenting with.