Originally Posted by EventServices
As bizzare as it sounds, I ride in a cemetery that has several corners in it. Ride it at speed until corners become like breathing.
If you're turning the bike several times to get through ONE turn, you're doing it wrong. And you're scrubbing off speed in the process.
At the USOTC in Colorado Springs, we used to play a game called "Chop".
You get 10 riders in a grassy area the size of a tennis court, and you slowly ride around in it playing a sort of slow-motion demolition derby. This gets you used to bumping into other riders.
We also did a couple of different drills (on the lawn) where we'd ride along side each other bumping elbows, leaning on each other, and purposely overlapping wheels.
Then we did something called the Rickets. Two lines of riders ride side by side leaving a small gap between elbows. The guy at the back rides up between the lines.
It always amazes me that most riders will do Criteriums all summer but will never hone their cornering skills.
I agree. I was surprised that more people didn't reply to this thread. I thought more people would at least spend maybe 10 mins every couple weeks or something like that. I think cornering is my biggest weakness, so I'm eager to work on it.
I like the cemetary idea. Today I found this place by the football stadium that has a little path just wide enough for 2 people to walk on. It has all kinds of twists and turns and if I fall down I'll fall down in the grass. My theory is to get comfortable at a certain speed and then gradually increase it.