Regaining descending mojo
mr.b-campag
Posts: 251
in Road general
Hi,
I used (according to others) to be pretty good at descending, but a few years ago I had a high-speed off on a greasy mountain descent in the rain. Ever since then I can't descend anything like I used to, even in dry conditions. For instance there is a downhill corner I go round a lot towards the end of one of my training rides that I used to comfortably roll through at 23-24mph, and I once went 'round it at 30mph whilst trying (and succeeding) to drop some people :-) Now if I come in to that corner at even close to 20mph I tense up and jam the brakes on.
Any useful ideas or resources that people have used that might me help enjoy and descend fast(er) again?
Thanks in advance.
B
I used (according to others) to be pretty good at descending, but a few years ago I had a high-speed off on a greasy mountain descent in the rain. Ever since then I can't descend anything like I used to, even in dry conditions. For instance there is a downhill corner I go round a lot towards the end of one of my training rides that I used to comfortably roll through at 23-24mph, and I once went 'round it at 30mph whilst trying (and succeeding) to drop some people :-) Now if I come in to that corner at even close to 20mph I tense up and jam the brakes on.
Any useful ideas or resources that people have used that might me help enjoy and descend fast(er) again?
Thanks in advance.
B
0
Posts
And honestly, if you've chucked it off spectacularly doing what you used to do, it sounds like slowing down is sensible. Put another way, just because you hadn't come off before doesn't mean that you were previously descending safely.
As a cautionary tale, I've always been a decent (if not exceptional) descender. A few weeks back I was going down a hill I know well, took my usual line through a corner and met a car reversing to make room for a bus. I was lucky to get away with no more than some bruising, stitches to my chin and a totalled bike. It could easily have been so much worse, but it did make me realise that even descending safely, there's so much that can go wrong that's outside of your control.
When I broke it, I had been on some great rides and I was improving and looking forward to August in the Italian mountains; I thought I was getting to the point where I was the fittest I had ever been on the bike. Obviously I couldn't ride for weeks after, and it got me down, the winter commutes to work were harder and more misery-making than usual.
Eventually I got some physio and things have improved, but still a 4 hour ride gives me grief. I am working hard and my goal is to get back to that stage in August 2018 when I think I am as fit as I can be on the bike, but going downhill fast just doesn't appeal any more.
Stuff like descending on the drops, keep your weight low, look round corners, brake before the corners, don't drag them between, slow in fast out, all that good stuff.
That's much easier on proper mountain descents with hairpins etc. like you get in Majorca or the alps than it is on the short steep stuff like you get in the UK. And the more you do, and the better your technique gets, the more your mojo returns.
So basically go on holiday to the mountains, think about your technique without worrying about how fast you're going, and your mojo will slowly return (but that doesn't mean you have to use it all the time).
Find a descent you know well and ride it often, doesn't have to be that long - just one with a couple of corners where you stiffen up. Ride it in good weather and practice those corners until you can nail them. Then start doing that on rides where you aren't as familiar with the corners, but have done them a few times. Eventually it'll 'click' and you'll get your confidence back - then you'll find you don't get shelled. My personal bete noire is steep technical stuff. I can bomb it down steep straight descents or shallow 'power' descents with the odd non-technical corner, but I'm STILL nervous hitting hairpins - and living in the UK we don't have much chance to practice those.
Specialising in Git Daaahns and Cafs. Norvern Munkey/Transplanted Laaandoner.
I do wonder if it's because I'm conscious of my speed going into corners in training, whereas in racing I'm more focussed on holding the wheel? That said I've not raced down any significant descents for some years, but I might do later this summer.
I understand the point about being older and more cautioous - I'd like to be a rider who can go through the corner I mentioned at 23.-24mph and (rightly) chooses not to go through it faster, even if I'm technically capable of it.
Part of the reason I've looked at speed in trying to improve going through those corners is I'd read somewhere that you should go through the corner at the speed you're comfortable with and then increase that speed by, say, 0.5 mphs increments. But I think what I might do from this is put my computer in my pocker and just do some skills focussed rides based on feel.
Specialising in Git Daaahns and Cafs. Norvern Munkey/Transplanted Laaandoner.
I was never a demon descender anyway due to being far too soft / scared but in January I decked it spectacularly on some black ice at 30mph+.
Not been back to the scene since & not sure I will although I have been up the hill the way I came down when I totaled it as the descent is a lot easier.
It's deffo a mental thing - hairpins etc would make me go slow anyway but even if it's a long straight road with no obstacles or corners & on a decent day I'm still on the brakes as I'm thinking the worst all the time.
I was careful (or so I thought) before, now I'm ultra ultra careful.
57 stitches, 3 days in the hospital, 6 weeks in bed. Took me two years to not flinch when a car came the other way on a descent. Be proud of being last to the bottom. then work hard training to be the one of the first up the hill which is the only thing that matters.
Rule of thumb is that your speed should allow you to react to anything that might happen in your field of view, whether that's gravel, water, traffic etc. So if you can't see around a corner you can't ride it like it is a closed road and so by extension the "Garmin method" is irrelevant.
I've glanced down at the mapping on my Wahoo on a straight bit of descent to see what may be coming up if I'm not sure how tight a corner may or may not be & as above I'm far from a confident descender.
I wouldn't look at my screen on a fast descent, I'm not that familiar with the maps to trust the screen is an accurate representation of what is coming up. Plus at speed, it doesn't take long for small issues to become huge.
I've also come to the conclusion that my bike is like an old Porsche 911, it's wonderful when you are on top of your game and completely focused. But if you're tired or lose concentration, or the conditions aren't ideal, it will exaggerate any mistake, certainly it won't help you out. I think I have had 6 crashes on it, broken bones two or three times, scraped most of the skin off my knees and elbows etc. I still love to ride it, but I take a lot more care than I used to.
Once I'm on the descent it's all eyes on the road.
Descending is one of the reasons I ride on a bike, I love the exhilaration of it. I've had a couple of spills but touch wood nothing serious.
There's a thin line though between descending quickly and being reckless and I'd always err on the side of caution.
A quick glance definitely gives you a clue as to what is coming up.
But I favour the not over thinking it approach. Unless it's intuitive you are still going to corner like Asimo the robot.
Smooth is good and it will feel fast even if it isn't.