Descend with confidence
RIDE DOWNHILL IN STYLE LIKE TRIPLE WORLD CHAMPION PETER SAGAN WITH OUR ULTIMATE GUIDE TO THE EXHILARATING ART OF DESCENDING
Watching Peter Sagan zoom down Alpine peaks is a thrilling sporting spectacle full of power, pace and precision. The three-time world road-race champion makes it all look so easy. But descending is a skill that requires technique, cool confidence and regular practice.
The ability to descend safely and quickly can deliver huge time gains in races, improve your bikehandling skills and enhance your safety in the hills. But, with most UK riders training on relatively flat roads and the joy of tackling long 20km descents often restricted to holidays abroad, it’s a skill that’s easy to neglect.
“Practising your descending will not only give you more confidence in your bike-handling skills in the mountains, it’ll also help you save time and energy, and give you a greater awareness of your surroundings,” says former Commonwealth Games cyclist turned coach David Lines of Espresso Cycle Coaching (espressocyclecoaching.com).
“If you can be smooth and controlled on descents, it’ll give you more confidence to push that little bit faster.”
Armed with the right skills, mindset and knowledge, you can transform yourself from a nervous descender into a confident downhill expert. Here’s how to get started…
“IF YOU CAN BE SMOOTH AND CONTROLLED ON DESCENTS, IT’LL GIVE YOU MORE CONFIDENCE TO PUSH THAT LITTLE BIT FASTER”