If you’re doing a race with a corner–especially a criterium or circuit, a corner can be a place where you can make some serious time. It’s also a spot where you can lose some, which means you’ll burn matches catching up. Whether you use a corner to take off or move up, going around the bends right is an important skill in cycling.
Prepare for the corner
When you’re getting ready to go through a corner, you’ll want to consider a few things. Irrespective of the sharpness of the corner, you still want to make the turn as straight as possible. That means when you are about to enter the corner, you should stay as wide as you can. By starting the corner on the outside, you can dart right through the apex.
Stay calm, loose, and relaxed
It’s key to stay relaxed. If you’re tense or stressed, you may find yourself overturning and unable to correct if you’ve taken the wrong line. Take a deep breath and stay loose. If you’re clutching the bars as if you’re going to fall off a cliff, you’re not going to flow through the corner well.
Focus on the path ahead
In a race, you want to look ahead of you. Don’t stare at the wheel you’re following. Focus on where you want to go. By looking through the corner, you’ll be able to follow the optimal line.
Stay low
To maximize cornering speed, lean your bike more than your body through the apex by counterweighting with pressure on the outside foot and inside hand. Lowering your centre of gravity by positioning your hands in the drops and tucking elbows boosts speed by reducing the distance your body travels around the corner.
You want your hands firmly on the drops as well once you come out of the corner. Although it’s fine to have your hands on the hoods in straightaways, it’s always better to have them on the hooks through a corner.
Adjust your speed—just enough
If it’s the first time you’re going through this corner, you’ll have to guess what speed is the best. That means feathering the brakes before the corner, never during. Slamming your brakes in the corner of an apex will result in either a botched corner, or worse, a crash. This is why doing a course recon before a crit or road race is important. If there’s a corner that seems tricky, try it a few times at different speeds to see what works for you. If you have someone you trust as a rider, follow them through the corner and note their lines.
Positioning of pedals
Although you may be able to…
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