The Art of Cornering
Danish pro Nicki Sorensen has been racing with the Pro Tour CSC team for seven seasons. During his career he has won a stage in the Vuelta, the GP Marseillaise, the Danish Championship and Circuit des Mines.
His experience as a pro has honed his bike handling skills over the years, and he’s been around just about every corner in every bike race in Europe, in every kind of weather, making him just the man to show us how to corner pro style.
If you ever sit on the inside of a corner at a fast moving bike race, especially a criterium (‘crit’), it will make your heart race. The whoosh as riders fight for position at breakneck speeds can be terrifying to watch. Looking on from the sideline it’s hard to imagine how it’s possible, a whole bunch or riders practically touching each others wheels and banging elbows, pedals skimming the tarmac, their tyres gripping nervously to the ground, held down literally by a few millimetres of slick rubber.
Add in some rain, grit, an off camber section and few painted lines and it becomes even more of a feat to get around in one piece, let alone at speed. And then when you watch a bunch of top pro riders soaring off a mountain in a grand tour, that is truly awesome. The best of these guys coming down a tightly hairpinned descent is truly a sight to behold. It’s as if they’re on rails, every line is pitch perfect, and the road is used flawlessly to it’s maximum, edge to edge, barely a beat missed. It’s a thrill to watch.
Then again, there’s always the flip side of the coin. For every group of riders you watch in action there’s always a handful who excel, seemingly stuck to the road by gravity itself, and then there are those at the opposite end of the scale—riders who just seem to be fighting their way around the corners, tensely and hesitantly approaching, choosing bad lines, faltering and getting the whole deal wrong. They either ending up kissing the hard stuff or fighting to stay with the other riders who’ve just left them behind.
Watch a pro race on TV and see the difference between certain riders—they all have the same bikes, tyres, and kit, and ride on the same roads; yet when it comes to a fast moving corner the differences can be amazing.
Whether you’re riding a local crit, coming around a bend on the chain gang, or simply alone and trying to stay upright on a greasy corner while riding to work it’s crucial to learn how to corner properly, not just to be able to go faster, but to be able to keep yourself off the road, and those around you from joining you.
We headed to Tuscany, a hotbed for top pro bike races and asked CSC ace Nicki Sorensen to take us out on the road and show us how the top pro racers go around the bends.
Bike Setup
“We always tend to ride the same bike, no matter what the course is like and how many corners there are – although some specialists do ride different bikes for criteriums, usually with steeper angles to make them more responsive on the corners. But if there are a lot of corners in a race something you should really pay attention to are your wheels and tyres. Your wheels need to be responsive and rigid, so you can react fast coming out of the corners. I avoid deep section rims on twisty races as they don’t respond as fast, and they are prone to being taken away a little by the wind.
“Although we usually use just one or two different tyres it is important to know how they handle in different conditions, and to see how far you can push them; tubulars are more responsive on the whole. If it’s wet I always ride about two bars (about 30 psi) of pressure lower than normal, it allows more surface area to grip the road.”
Braking
“First of all try and make sure you have good braking rims, so that you can leave things late when coming into the corner—this is especially important in the wet. Aluminium breaking surfaces are preferable. The overall idea is to be smooth and not to lose too much speed. It will depend on the situation, in a bunch you often just have to follow. But ideally I like to leave my braking very late, just coming into the corner, and then to let off the brakes as I lean in, keeping my speed for as long as possible.
“I tend to brake fairly evenly, maybe a little more front wheel braking pressure than back. If it’s wet you need to brake a little earlier. Brake once first to clear the water from the rims before you start to seriously brake for the corner, but avoid sharp braking, as it will lock your rear wheel.”
Gearing
“In a normal road race I don’t tend to worry too much about my gearing, as the race is not usually too fast coming out of a corner. If you’re swinging into a climb, then you need to change down just before the bend so that you can respond.
“In a criterium, or if it’s close to the finish, then you have to think more carefully. One sprocket too many could leave you struggling to hold the wheels, so check out the course if you can, if not look ahead and always go down at least one gear just as you start to brake.”
Mental Approach
“Confidence is one of the most important aspects of cornering. Even in the main pro ranks you see riders nervously approaching corners, which is dangerous. If you are too tense you will make mistakes, and either get left behind or crash. No matter what you do you will crash at sometime, but being nervous makes it more likely, and it wastes a lot of energy. In a stage race that can really drain you.
“You must push things a little in training; follow faster riders, learn the lines and how far you can push things, and try not to worry too much. If you can build your confidence by knowing that you can push further this will improver your cornering more than anything else.”
Body Position
“Coming in to a bend you should first of all be able to see what is ahead of you and see your intended riding line. Then push your weight back on the saddle, this puts more stability on to the back wheel, keeping it from slipping.
“I also bend my arms and lower my upper body, lowering my centre of gravity, keeping me more stable. My outside leg is generally down and has a little pressure on it, while my inside leg is up to clear the ground, with my knee out a little and leaning me into the corner. All of these subtle positioning changes make the cornering process more stable.”
Right Lines
“If you are on your own then choosing the right line is not too difficult. The principle is to make the corner as straight as possible, by lessening the angle of the corner – hence the classic racing line. Come in to the corner as far to the outside as you can, and then cut it tight at the apex of the corner and exit as far to the outside of the road as you can. Of course this is in an ideal world, but all corners are different, so you need to look well ahead and judge them individually. Always be aware of off camber sections, drains, pot holes and grease. These will always alter and compromise your perfect line—best to play safe and avoid them.”
In the Bunch
“In a bunch you don’t have too much choice of what to do; you really need to relax and take note of the riders around you. Try and position yourself as close as you can to the classic line, but avoid nervous or dangerous looking riders. Stay aware – but relax at the same time. You can judge your lines by looking at the riders ahead. They will always be taking things faster, and have a better view of what lies ahead.
“If it’s wet, windy, very twisty, or close to the finish, then you should try and stay close to the front on corners. There is always the risks of crashes holding you up, and you will always be fighting to hold on and move up due to the whip lash effect.”
Hairpins
“On hairpins you need to be very concentrated and focussed, especially as they always tend to be on fast descents. You need to keep everything very smooth—your braking and your lines. Look well ahead on every bend and get in to a gear to accelerate out of the bends; then take the classic racing line around them. Kick out of the bend and line up again for the next one. Unless you know a descent, letting other riders go ahead is a good idea, so that you can see their lines, and let them make any potential mistakes.”