tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36139180.post4703158219491748649..comments2024-03-19T05:40:22.017-04:00Comments on Sprinter della Casa: Training - Working on DescendingAkihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00430651087205849350noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36139180.post-84459015417517662942012-09-17T09:41:57.706-04:002012-09-17T09:41:57.706-04:00http://www.ridexperience.com/2012/02/tips-for-fast...http://www.ridexperience.com/2012/02/tips-for-fast-street-riding-the-late-apex/<br /><br />Link it case it is helpful.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36139180.post-91507032005770099182012-01-16T12:27:21.541-05:002012-01-16T12:27:21.541-05:00I haven't seen CVV's 2007 descent.
Keep i...I haven't seen CVV's 2007 descent.<br /><br />Keep in mind that the game is just a game. But yes, you can make up some decent distance/time on descents. Although the best descenders are "great" (Popovych, Cancellara, even Sammy Sanchez), it's not unreasonable for a GC contender to be only a little worse than "great". Ideally a team would have a great descender in a break, get caught by the leader at the top of a long descent, and let his leader follow his line all the way down.<br /><br />btw Sammy Sanchez, in the 2011 Tour, went into a turn super hot and lifted his rear wheel about 6" off the ground mid-turn. Then he kept attacking the turns (with Contador).<br /><br />I focus pretty heavily on cornering when I drive. There's one particular turn in my complex which invites an early apex but is best done with a super late turn in. If you turn in early you end up on the wrong side of the road. You literally need to skip the first 20% of the road to the right before turning right - I think they moved the first part of the curb inward so 18 wheelers could get around the bend. I find myself looking across the passenger seat to look at the road.<br /><br />There's also an exit ramp (Exit 38 off of I91 north) where I do the same thing, look way to the right to see where I'm going. I have a dash cam so I record what's in front of the car - I find it ironic that I'm not looking at what's being recorded.<br /><br />It's like a movie where the camera points forward and you feel like you're being swung left and right as the car goes through turns (watch Steve McQueen's Lemans for a particularly disappoint example of that kind of camera work). It's one of the reasons why I wear the cam on my helmet and not my bars/bike - it's because it shows where I look.<br /><br />When I take that turn in the complex by my house my helmet cam shows where I'm looking - way around the corner, with glances forward to make sure I don't turn in too much (I've hit the curb with the car when I've apexed).<br /><br />I have to admit I haven't taken Exit 38 off of I91 on the bike with the helmet cam.Akihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00430651087205849350noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36139180.post-53938981023993724992012-01-16T10:59:42.677-05:002012-01-16T10:59:42.677-05:00You're absolutely right. You can only choose y...You're absolutely right. You can only choose your line if you're at the very front or at the very rear of whatever group you're in.<br /><br />In a tight field you really have to do the "flock" thing, react to whatever is next to you.<br /><br />Often you'll find that racing isn't quite that tight. There'll be times where the field is strung out, maybe there'll be gaps here and there, etc. That's when your cornering can make a difference.<br /><br />It is beneficial to know about cornering lines and be able to react to a bad choice of riders in front of you. For example I normally follow other riders quite closely but if someone makes one or two poor decisions I'll back off pretty quickly.<br /><br />I'll also choose to back off on a descent in order to set up a pass when a rider in front of me is cornering poorly. A late apex line is perfect for passing a scared early apexer - as they go wide and slam on their brakes, you're blasting by on the inside, accelerating.Akihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00430651087205849350noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36139180.post-23330562582093806902012-01-16T10:59:20.727-05:002012-01-16T10:59:20.727-05:00Loving this - after reading about your exploits in...Loving this - after reading about your exploits in treating aspects of driving like aspects of racing ("closing the gap" on the highway when you were transporting those Euro (German?) racers from the airport, late apexes, conserving energy (less braking, utilizing good lines and momentum) I've seen the subtle differences when in the saddle. Not an improvement in performance, persay, but confidence; instead of worrying about the corner, I'm thinking "past" the corner with my head on a swivel, ready to respond to a surge or setting up the next line.<br /><br />As for the Schleck-let, I was hoping that last year would be a turning point for him; he has the potential to win a stage race (or a stage) many a way, especially with his team. Instead, he seems to be (a trend that seems to be growing) pulling a "Lance" and only focusing on the Tour, and only, like you said, focusing on the climbs.<br /><br />And, not like it's exact (it's on a simulation), but use Pro Cycling Manager as an example (I've dabbled in the '08 version): you can lose a handful of time (1:30) on a climb and, if you climb it and leave a little bit in the tank, you can "attack" the descents and make up the ground a) in no time and b) using up significantly less energy than if you tried to close the gap on the way up. Climbing well gains you 3-5kph on the way up, but bad lines could cost you 10kph (or more) on the way down. Or, if you overshoot and land in someone's driveway ::cough:: Voeckler ::cough::, it's minutes. Also see CVV's botched descent in the 2007? TOur (the one they talk about in the Garmin-Slipstream documentary).WPI Cyclinghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01549743334633744116noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36139180.post-74465824821618149832012-01-16T10:27:23.233-05:002012-01-16T10:27:23.233-05:00if you're in a pack (not single file) - and no...if you're in a pack (not single file) - and not the 1st guy, doesnt that make late apexing difficult/impossible?<br /><br />seems like if youre 3 or 4 wide into a corner, say a crit, makes this technique difficult, no?<br /><br />(newly minted cat5 - dumb question alert^^)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com