We close out the 6 Days of the Giro with our sixth and final installment.
A body at rest, stays at rest. A body in motion, stays in motion. Things get a bit more ambiguous when it comes to a body on a bicycle tearing down a twisty mountain descent at speed, particularly in the rain. But it is here, on the boundary between clarity and ambiguity, where things get interesting.
Cornering feels a bit like you’re stealing from Physics, as if you’re getting away with something. Momentum, as fundamental as it is, doesn’t know what’s good for us and stubbornly wants to carry us on its merry path. The faster we go, the bigger its influence becomes and the harder we push against it, balancing on the knife’s edge between our body’s lean and the bike’s pull. For those skilled in this craft, the bicycle and rider carve through the bend in perfect harmony.
I’m not particularly good at cornering, which is to say I’m not particularly good at descending. Its a shame, too, because given my size I’m not very good at climbing, either. The way to get better is to practice, and not to give Rule #64 too much thought. You will crash if you want to get better, but you mustn’t lose your nerve. A nervous descender is a bad descender and everyone knows where to find bad descenders.
The riders getting the most practice in this discipline must surely be les grimpeurs for it seems they would be riding down all those mountains they’re riding up. The surprising truth is that this does not always appear to be the case; one need look no farther than Andy Schleck to find evidence of that particular postulate. Furthermore, one would think that a professional, who by the very nature of their occupation is quite used to finding themselves on the tarmac, would be most able to come off and not lose their nerve. This, also, doest not always appear to be the case.
The Giro, known for its narrow mountain roads, is won as much on the descents as it is on the climbs. Who can forget the 1988 Giro, which was won on the descent of the Gavia, not its climb. Or the 2002 and 2005 editions when Il Falco used every millimeter of road as he swept through the hairpin bends to distance his rivals. This year, Brad Wiggins had already put himself on the back foot on GC when he came off on a slow bend and spent the rest of the stage riding like his tires were made of glass. On the same stage, Nibali attacked and came off on a high speed corner before jumping back on his machine and rejoining the leaders moments later. The difference is a question of not only skill, but fearlessness.
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@frank...Haleakalas - no idea how you pronounce that, but everytime I read it, it makes me think of Raul Alcala.
@Patrick
That's pretty much how you pronounce it!
Raul was a right stud, too. His win into Spa was one of my favorites.
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@G'rilla, there he is riding that Coors Classic jersey you like.
@frank
Thanks Frank; I've been thinking that too.
My wheels are Campagnolo Eurus which are light for alloy but not crazy. It also happened with my Shimano DA 24s that my last bike had - also light alloy but not super light. The only thing I can think of is that until recently I had not one but two magnetic sensors (two different computers......don't start..) on the spokes of the front wheel. Although placed opposite each other, I did notice (after my most recent Code Brown experience at 70kmh) that when I spun the wheel while holding it off the ground I could feel a pulse come through the bars & frame. I took them off and it disappeared. Their now permanently off and the computers are gone too, you may be pleased to hear. Hopefully this has solved it.
As an aside; my bike was a Cervelo S5 which I loved but found to be nervous handling and being a larger chap (187cm/100kg) I wondered if I was just too big to be on such a racey bike. Thus, the change to the Pinarello which is great so far.
@Patrick: I'm pretty sure its pronounced: Har-ley-ark-a-lar.
I love descending, but I am not terribly good at. I raced motorbikes for a season a few years back and while this helps you understand some of the physics involved with cornering, It's strangely different. With a motorbike your back wheel slides a lot and if it slides to much you can correct it by wacking the throttle, and o yah there is the full leather kit with armor and such instead of basically your under ware.
The biggest problem with descents in races is that the bikes go too fast to get good footage. The need to start using remote control mini-helicopters.
Isle of Man TT: https://vimeo.com/46856767 just because. Pure V
@frank
Love the feeling I get descending on my Golden Tickets. They are not the lightest, meaning more work getting up the hill, but the gyroscopic feeling is so stable going down.
@Nate
Word to that, the 'Tickets seem to be perfectly balanced. Not to talk up a tire too much, but glue a handmade tire like an FMB to a pair and you have perfect balance, perfect suppleness, and perfect grip. My goodness my Guinness!
@The Grande Fondue
Holy Fucking fuckcakes! That makes descending on a bike look positively tame!
There's a great line from an interview with former Australian Superbike racer & now National Road Seriese racer Shannon Johnston:
Are there skills from motorbike racing and cycling that transfer?
Without a doubt, I guess the most noticeable one is my ability to take corners at speed. When you are use to racing a 200 horsepower Superbike near on 300kph, 50-60kph on a bicycle feels slow through a corner.
http://nationalroadseries.subaru.com.au/news/qa-shannon-johnston/
@The Grande Fondue
That's some serious shit right there!