Technique is the key to fast and safe cornering
The Breakaway
Ignoring the sheer stupidity of riding a bike eg a trendy, beard friendly fixie, without brakes, mastering the skill of braking into corners is an essential cycling road skill. You only have to watch the pros come unstuck on tight fast corners to understand how important this skills is.
The Leadout
The key riding corners well lies in three simple points, B-L-L:
Brake – Brake early
Look – look where you want to go,
Lean – lean in
Here’s detail
The Peloton
| Skill | What to do |
|---|---|
| Brake | Alway, always, always brake before entering a corner, not whilst you are going round it. In races or your daily commute through traffic intersections its tempting to hit the gas and go round fast. |
| Look | Sounds so obvious, but its axiomatic. Look where you want the bike to go, not where you are and certainly not down at the road. Looking down may result in you panicking and slamming the brakes, mid-maneuver. This is guaranteed way to loose skin, break bones and scratch up your bike. |
| Lean | Body position in the corner is critical. A s you enter the corner raise your peal closest to the corner so that you knee is at a 90 degree angle. Place the weight of your upper body on same side. This counterbalancing helps with traction. |