How to improve our technique of descent on the bicycle?

Control the bike in the descents, apart from giving us more security allows us to enjoy and improve in the tests where there is a drop

Our collaborator Personal Running tells us on this occasion what we can do to improve our technique of cycling down

Delay the body's center of gravity

The steeper the slope, the more we must delay the center of gravity of the body to avoid falling forward, that is, we must delay our position so that the navel is practically above the saddle, keeping the cranks parallel to the ground with the feet at the same height.

For this it is essential to practice this maneuver in flat sections, advancing and delaying our position as we have said.

Do not grip the handlebar with stiffness

It is important do not grip the handlebar with stiffness nor to take the arms too stretched, since it would generate an excessive tension that would be transferred to elbows, shoulders, trunk and rest of the body and would cause a smaller control on the bicycle.

The ideal is to grip the handlebar with force but without blocking the hand, keeping the elbows semi-disabled and always a finger or two touching the brake to be able to brake more quickly.

Learn to turn with the whole body

Many times we think that the curves are drawn only with the handlebar and it is not like that. The desire to turn only with the front wheel turning the handlebar is what makes the bicycle stay too perpendicular to the ground and slide from the front causing a fall.

We must learn to turn with the whole body, using the hip to make the bike lie down from the saddle, playing with the changes of weight to one side and another.

For this, it would be interesting to practice in a flat and clear section with a circuit of very close cones between them, drawing them by drawing a slalon trying to turn using the technique we have just described.

The diagonal view of our trajectory

we must manage the seen diagonally to our trajectory, that is, looking too far down or too close to our front wheel will not allow us to foresee a possible difficulty that we find ourselves in the descent.

The ideal orientation of our view should be as one or two bikes forward, depending on the speed or descent of the descent.

The foresight and the mental quickness

La foresight and mental quickness When drawing the best path is essential. We must perform an analysis of the descent well in advance, or at least with enough that allows us to have time to perform the appropriate maneuver.

Anticipation is fundamental, since otherwise it is possible that when we want to overcome an obstacle or rectify our trajectory, it is late because we have entered a ditch or go straight to a rock.

To train it, a good method would perhaps be with the help of a partner and in a downhill section with not much slope and cleared, that we would pose different situations changing the order and place of certain objects, that force me in each repetition to have to make a different decision.

Further information:   http://personalrunning.com

Photo: Quebratahuesos