Knowing how to go downhill well is first a question of feeling good on your bike and of gaining confidence. From then on, you\u2019ll have to do a quick check of the general state of your bike: brake blocks, cables, tyre wear, tightening…<\/p>\n
During the technical movement of a descent, your position on the bike is important. It\u2019s not possible to be stable and efficient in a bend if you\u2019re not comfortable on your bike. Check the height of your saddle, stem length… If you\u2019re too far forward, the weight on the front wheel will be too heavy. You\u2019ll lose manoeuvrability in your choice of line.. If you\u2019re too far back, you risk losing the motivity of the front wheel.<\/p>\n
During the descent, the optimal position is to be seated, leaning back slightly, hands on the bottom of the handlebars, elbows bent, head into the shoulders, and using two fingers to brake. In bends, the pedal should be up and the knee open towards the bend (for a bend towards the right, the right pedal up, the right knee open towards the exterieur). Adapt your gears to the descent, anticipate restarts by adaptating your speed rear before the bend. When you\u2019re not pedalling because of high speed, opt for an aerodynamic position: the pelvis raised, head down and held slightly forward. Be careful, it\u2019s no use trying and find spectacular positions which could put you in danger just for a couple of extra seconds. You must find a comfortable, efficient position which provides the best conditions for a renewed effort in the valley.<\/p>\n
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Why should you choose your line carefully? For two main reasons. For one thing, you mustn\u2019t lose time in the bends, to go round quickly. And the descent is also a way to recover from the effort put in in the climb. The right choice of line will allow you to maintain the speed built up during the descent and to minimise the energy spent in the restarts. In general, when you approach a bend, there is a braking phase, a gear change in the case of a restart, then the choice of line which will allow you to pick up speed whilst leaving the bend, and finally a restart according to your speed.<\/p>\n
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The choice of line comes from basic principles common to all two-wheel activities.
\nSeveral combinations of position are possible on the road in order to follow a line which isn\u2019t necessarily shorter but quicker. It\u2019s a choice that should be made straight away according to the environment. You can come into a bend from the inside or outside of the curve and the same coming out of the bend. (For example: Ext\/ Int; Ext \/ Ext; Int \/ Int\u2026). In general, it\u2019s the choice exterior\/interior which results in the best curve and speed when coming out of a bend.<\/p>\n
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In order to go downhill quickly, you have to let go and be confident. It\u2019s impossible to turn well and gain speed if you don\u2019t have that confidence. First, work by short sequences so that you gain confidence, then increase the difficulty. It\u2019s no use taking thoughtless risks. The main idea is to go downhill well, without spending energy and with the best line. Your confidence and speed will then increase. If blocked by different technical factors, don\u2019t hestitate to do other sports with a similar technical base to road cycling: mountain biking, BMX, go-karting, skiing. Sometimes everything justs clicks into place and you\u2019ll gain minutes in the moutain pass.<\/p>\n
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Restarting is an essential factor for going downhill well. It\u2019s stupid to spend too much energy to restart just to gain a few seconds and arrive at the foot of the next pass with \u201cbig thighs\u201d. A good restart can be prepared. Anticipate your gear changes. In a hairpin bend, you can go from 70 km an hour to 30 km an hour and then back to 70 km an hour. To be efficient, you have to go up by at least 3 to 5 gears at the back in order to have sufficient velocity when you come out of a curve. When turning, try to be as stable as possible. You\u2019ll then be in the right position to stand up and to make the most of the speed coming out of the curve. Keep hands on the bottom of the handlebars so that you\u2019re more comfortable and go down gear by gear until you reach maximum speed, and then take up an aerodynamic position again. If the bend is a long one, don\u2019t hesitate to pedal a little and stretch your legs. Activating the muscle system helps get rid off fatigue.<\/p>\n
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In conclusion, downhill work is an integral part of your training. If you don\u2019t have a long hill near you, in preparation for an event, work on shorter sequences which you\u2019ll produce several times.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Material, adjustments, position… Knowing how to go downhill well is first a question of feeling good on your bike and of gaining confidence. From then on, you\u2019ll have to do a quick check of the general state of your bike: brake blocks, cables, tyre wear, tightening… During the technical movement of a descent, your position […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9,"featured_media":2089,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[281],"class_list":["post-3375","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-tips-by-sport"],"yoast_head":"\n