To really improve your cycling you need to become a ‘master’ at cornering. To corner better you need to understand what you should be doing, how to do it and then go out and practice.
We have compiled a list of cornering techniques from simple to more advanced with some videos from GCN cycling to demonstrate.
The Basics
- Look where you want to go
- Drop speed before the corner and avoid braking in the corner
- Drop the outside foot to the bottom and push weight through that pedal
- Lean into the corner
- Relax
More Advanced Cornering
- Judge the speed you can take the corner
- Scan the road
- Can you see the exit – if not probably sharp
- How wide is the road – wider = faster
- Road surface, rough, wet, moss = slower and more upright
- Advance your technique
- Keep weight low
- Ride the drops
- Bend the elbow
- Backside slightly off the saddle
- Lean the bike more than the body on very sharp corners
- Lines
- Enter wide
- Aim for the apex (and look at it)
- Exit wide – once through the apex aim for the exit
- On sweeping turns can ride the corner tight the entire corner
- Exiting corner
- Pre select gear for exiting the corner when you have had to decrease speed, or there is a rise after the corner. Do this prior rather than in the corner
Perfecting It
- Body position
- Lower centre of gravity
- Thinking about weight distribution over front and back – ability to change depending on the road surface and tightness of the corner
- Do this by bending at the waist and having upper body parallel to the ground
- Easier to change lean and direction from corner to corner when centre of gravity is lower
- Counter Steering
- Use counter steering when very tight corners, as an example descending switch backs
- Practice, practice and more practice
