{"id":20815,"title":"Cyclocross Cornering Guide Part Two","description":"In the third of our Guides to Cyclocross, we look at the important skill of cyclocross cornering. You'll learn about the important techniques you'll need to master.","content":"<p><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/rijden.uk\/use-of-cookies-and-disclaimer\/\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong>How we use cookies on the Rijden website<\/strong><\/a><\/p><p><strong>Published in<\/strong>: <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"\/cyclocross-stories\/\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong>CYCLOCROSS<\/strong><\/a><\/p><p><strong>Guide to Cyclocross 2.2<\/strong><\/p><p>In the third of our Cyclocross Guides, we conclude our articles on the important skill of cyclocross cornering.<br \/><img src=\"https:\/\/images.teemill.com\/har3qy8rqgag0zwdmr0yajj3hp6ypohi418qodwxoamzs9bb.jpg\" alt=\"British National Cyclocross champion Hattie Harnden demonstrates the art of cyclocross cornering.\" title=\"British National Cyclocross champion Hattie Harnden demonstrates the art of cyclocross cornering.\" \/>In the<a target=\"_blank\" href=\"\/blog\/cyclocross-cornering-guide-part-one\/\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong> first article on cyclocross cornering<\/strong><\/a>, we looked at all the key steps before actually making the turn. By now you should have prepared for the corner, braked (if necessary) and selected your racing line.<\/p><p>In this concluding article, we\u2019ll cover three crucial elements to perfect your cyclocross cornering. Each one is important, but combine them, and you should be able to corner with confidence.<\/p><ul><li><p><strong><span style=\"font-family:Roboto, sans-serif;\">Look<\/span><\/strong><\/p><\/li><li><p><strong><span style=\"font-family:Roboto, sans-serif;\">Load<\/span><\/strong><\/p><\/li><li><p><strong><span style=\"font-family:Roboto, sans-serif;\">Pedal<\/span><\/strong><\/p><p><\/p><\/li><\/ul><p>These three elements are so critical that it\u2019s worth repeating them in your head as you approach a corner - \u201clook, load, pedal\u201d.<\/p><h3 style=\"text-align:center;\">Look where you want to go<\/h3><p>A few years ago, I was racing somewhere in the wilds of Wiltshire. I was having a bad day, fluffing lots of corners and struggling on the straights. There was one corner in particular that I was getting wrong every single lap.<\/p><p><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"\/gift-ideas-for-cyclists\/\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><img src=\"https:\/\/images.podos.io\/2maznnpigustonhhlmo3qyjzojpaqariujfljm9bjlrqu5pq.jpeg.jpeg?w=1140&amp;v=2\" alt=\"Cycling gifts by Rijden.\" title=\"Cycling gifts by Rijden.\" \/><\/a><\/p><p>It was slightly off-camber, not very slippery and followed by a long straight.<\/p><p>Every time I found I was running too wide, and having to scrub off speed to avoid careering into the course tape. Consequently, I was exiting onto the straight far too slowly. As discussed in article one, corner exit speed is what really counts.<\/p><p style=\"text-align:center;\"><img src=\"https:\/\/images.teemill.com\/eax0qvl15mr4ablbbrelnskjfvyvlcyopu51dz80ugz5dob5.jpg\" alt=\"Cyclocross rider looking around a corner\" title=\"Cyclocross rider looking around a corner\" \/><strong><em>Look where you want to go, not where your bike is going<\/em><\/strong><\/p><p>I decided that if I did anything, I\u2019d get this corner right. On the penultimate lap, I decided to really exaggerate twisting my head and body to look around the bend towards the straight. I nailed it. It was the same the next lap too.<\/p><p>The moral of this story is that where you look is where you tend to go. On tight bends, don\u2019t just turn your head but your whole body. It\u2019s quite remarkable the difference this makes. The tighter the turn, the more you need to turn your head and body.<\/p><blockquote><p>Effort is required to physically twist your neck and trunk<\/p><\/blockquote><p>In theory, this sounds easy, but in practice, it requires effort and confidence. Effort is required to physically twist your neck and trunk, sometimes quite considerably. That\u2019s one of the reasons in the first article why I recommended stretching and core exercises.<\/p><p style=\"text-align:center;\"><img src=\"https:\/\/images.teemill.com\/fad4b5b6ow8whd4cmu4fkoeh4hkctsmek03gpxgkn95blux7.jpg\" alt=\"Rider practising their cyclocross cornering drills\" title=\"Rider practising their cyclocross cornering drills\" \/><strong><em>Looking where you want to go helps you to corner in smooth arcs<\/em><\/strong><\/p><p>Confidence is required to look where you want to go before your bike has started to head in that direction. You need to trust that your selected racing line is correct and you need faith in yourself to avoid looking at the ground immediately in front of your cyclocross bike.<\/p><p>As well as ensuring you end up going where you want to, there\u2019s another reason for looking where you want to travel. In article one, I explained the relevance of the Centripetal Force to cornering.<\/p><p>The formula to calculate the force required to keep your bike turning includes the radius of the turn. The sharper the turn, the greater the force and the more grip you require.<\/p><p>If instead of making a graceful arc through a corner you ride it like the edges of a 50 pence coin, then every time you make a slightly sharper turn you ramp up the required Centripetal Force. Each time you do that, you increase the chance of sliding.<\/p><p>Looking right around a corner increases the likelihood that you\u2019ll complete it as a nice smooth arc. Sometimes your racing line might necessitate riding like a 50-pence coin. But that\u2019s because you\u2019ve chosen to optimise the available grass or the terrain.<\/p><h3 style=\"text-align:center;\">Load the outside of the bike<\/h3><p>If you\u2019ve ever been skiing, you\u2019ll have quickly learnt that when you take a turn you lean into the corner. For example, if you are taking a right-hand bend you lean to your right. You\u2019ll also have learnt that, even though you\u2019re leaning to the right, all your weight is going through the left ski.<\/p><p style=\"text-align:center;\"><img src=\"https:\/\/images.teemill.com\/krcdf9grksfspscsofph9orgmicsnvgxiyxgte6lwo8ew4wy.jpg\" alt=\"A person skiing\" title=\"A person skiing\" \/><strong><em>Cyclocross cornering is rather like skiing<\/em><\/strong><em> Image: Valentin B Kremer<\/em><\/p><p>So much so that often you can lift the inside ski off the snow entirely. If you try to turn right and put your weight on the right ski, then you\u2019ll end up sliding down the mountain. That might be why I fell off so many times during my inglorious skiing holidays.<\/p><h3 style=\"text-align:center;\">Load - Lean your body and your bike<\/h3><p>It\u2019s exactly the same when riding a cyclocross bike. Although you may wish to turn right and lean right, you need to load your weight on the left or outside of the bike.<\/p><p>This transfers weight onto the outside of the bike. See how the leading rider in the image below leans his bike to his left but has kept his torso upright by leaning it towards his right.<\/p><p style=\"text-align:center;\"><strong><em><img src=\"https:\/\/images.teemill.com\/alhrqmvfkawi8zj7oma3ftckoxydgmv85qfrbdm1otqvzht6.jpg\" alt=\"Cyclocross riders demonstrating correct body position for cyclocross cornering\" title=\"Cyclocross riders demonstrating correct body position for cyclocross cornering\" \/>Lean the bike into the corner but your torso away from it<\/em><\/strong><em> Image: Mick Searle<\/em><\/p><p>To be able to do this, you need flexibility in the hips and strength in your upper body.<\/p><p>How much you lean away from the corner and how you lean is dependent upon how much grip you need and whether you\u2019re pedalling or not. Simply, the more grip you need, the more you need to lean your body to transfer weight to the outside.<\/p><blockquote><p>Flex from your hips as you continue to pedal<\/p><\/blockquote><p>If you\u2019re pedalling through the corner, then you\u2019ll need to stay in the saddle and flex from your hips as you continue to pedal. It may seem odd at first but becomes quite easy with practice.<\/p><p>If, on the other hand, you are freewheeling around a corner and need lots of traction, then lift your bottom from the saddle so that it is just skimming the saddle. By leaning onto the outside pedal you transfer most of your weight to give maximum grip.<\/p><p style=\"text-align:center;\"><strong><em><img src=\"https:\/\/images.teemill.com\/tbevbdobkdl4i6dbei1q2snollkjh5hq0gvgohvcuwfhomte.jpeg\" alt=\"Cyclocross rider leaning their body to maximise grip\" title=\"Cyclocross rider leaning their body to maximise grip\" \/>Perfect loading of the outside of the bike on this left-hand bend<\/em><\/strong><\/p><p><span style=\"font-family:Roboto, sans-serif;\">If you\u2019re on a twisting descent but you\u2019re out of the saddle, you can still achieve the same effect. As you corner, keep the pedals level with one another and just transfer the weight between the sides of the bike by leaning your top half away from the corner.<\/span><\/p><h3 style=\"text-align:center;\">Load - Twist your torso<\/h3><p>Look at the photograph below. Note how the good-looking chap on the left has twisted only his head whilst his friend on the right is twisting much more of his torso. Obviously, this has been exaggerated, but you can observe two things quite clearly.<\/p><p style=\"text-align:center;\"><img src=\"https:\/\/images.teemill.com\/vtwx3hbwrmma9lcrtvbqjcmjt92dsmrqahmzrwistxf8dbwa.jpg\" alt=\"Cyclocross rider wisting their torso as they corner\" title=\"Cyclocross rider wisting their torso as they corner\" \/><strong><em>Twist your body as well as your head<\/em><\/strong><\/p><p>Firstly, the rider on the right is able to turn his head much more to look around the corner. Secondly, by twisting his trunk, he\u2019s automatically shifted the centre of his weight to the outside of the corner.<\/p><p>Thus, by turning your body as well as your head, you are not only more likely to steer in the right direction but also have loaded the outside of the bike. It\u2019s a win-win.<\/p><blockquote><p>As you twist stick your inside knee out<\/p><\/blockquote><p>As you twist, stick your inside knee out. This helps twist your torso and provides a handy counterbalance to ensure you keep the weight correctly balanced. You can achieve subtle adjustments to your weight distribution just by making small movements with your knee position.<\/p><h3 style=\"text-align:center;\">Pedal around the corner<\/h3><p>For the majority of cyclocross corners, you should pedal. There are two reasons for this. If you stop pedalling, there\u2019s a good chance the friction of sticky mud will just suck you to a halt. You need to keep pedalling so you don\u2019t grind to a stop.<\/p><p>Additionally, for reasons I don\u2019t fully understand, pedalling actually gives more grip. I\u2019ve tried to work out the physics without success. I just accept it as true from experience.\u00a0<\/p><p>What\u2019s important, however, is how you pedal. It\u2019s critical that you pedal smoothly. Ideally, as you pedal, the force through the back wheel remains constant. If you don\u2019t pedal smoothly, then you increase and reduce the force in a jerky manner. This may well lead to the tyre losing grip and the back wheel sliding out.<\/p><p>Additionally, if you suddenly push hard with the inside leg, then the load is suddenly transferred to the inside side of the bike, which is the very last thing you want to do.<\/p><blockquote><p>Too small a gear and you\u2019ll be bouncing about on the saddle<\/p><\/blockquote><p>How do you pedal smoothly? Obviously, it takes practice, but gear selection is very important. Too small a gear and you\u2019ll be bouncing about on the saddle as you furiously pedal.<\/p><p>Too big a gear and you\u2019ll be forced to grind and grunt and force the gear around. What you need to achieve is a pedalling speed that allows you to smoothly transfer the force from one leg to the other.<\/p><p style=\"text-align:center;\"><img src=\"https:\/\/images.teemill.com\/yozghxsd5ivfosokjog9vvemuuf0jh7byjd3zfq6wakjhool.jpg\" alt=\"Cyclocross rider demonstrates perfect one legged cornering technique\" title=\"Cyclocross rider demonstrates perfect one legged cornering technique\" \/><strong><em>Perfect one-leg cornering<\/em><\/strong><\/p><p>Everyone is different, but it may be around 60 RPM (revolutions per minute). This is much slower than you\u2019d pedal a road bike. You need to learn to use the uplift in your pedal stroke to even out the power dead spot.<\/p><blockquote><p>But beware<\/p><\/blockquote><p>As you come out of the corner and straighten up, you can start to apply more force through the pedals. But beware. If you start accelerating with the inside leg whilst still lent over and it\u2019s slippery, you may well find you\u2019re picking yourself up from the mud.<\/p><p>If you followed the advice about twisting your torso as well as your head, your legs will have twisted as well. Fortunately, this has a positive effect.<\/p><p>If we assume it\u2019s a left-hand corner, your legs will have twisted slightly anti-clockwise. The right-hand leg, that is the outside one, will normally exert more force than the left one.<\/p><p>This is exactly what you want to achieve. I\u2019ve tested this several times. The difference is not great, but it\u2019s measurable with pedal-based power meters.<\/p><h3 style=\"text-align:center;\">Unclipping<\/h3><p>When it\u2019s really slippery, you\u2019ll often see riders unclipping their inside foot. This has two advantages. First, it automatically shifts weight and any pedalling force to the outside of the bike. Second, if your wheels do slip, then you can easily dab the unclipped foot on the ground and prevent the slide from becoming a fall.<\/p><p>The disadvantage, obviously, is that your bike no longer has any forward propulsion. If you can reach the ground with your unclipped foot, then use it to scoot along and propel yourself forward.<\/p><p style=\"text-align:center;\"><img src=\"https:\/\/images.teemill.com\/fbrzohbm1hydtpgwwtjksos7cxsnbdzyanioqtptwg2smznz.jpeg\" alt=\"Cyclocross professional Anna Kay demonstrates the scooting technique\" title=\"Cyclocross professional Anna Kay demonstrates the scooting technique\" \/><strong><em>Anna Kay applies the scooting technique<\/em><\/strong><\/p><p>When Tom Pidcock won the junior World Cyclocross Championships at Bieles in 2017, he demonstrated the art of one-legged pedalling. The course was extremely icy, with about half the competitors crashing on just the first lap.<\/p><p>Pidcock mastered the conditions with supreme bike handling skills. What many of us noticed was that he was unclipping for some of the corners but continuing to pedal with the foot that was still clipped in.\u00a0<\/p><div data-youtube-video=\"\"><iframe class=\"youtube\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" allowfullscreen=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/BofMvMgToo0\"><\/iframe><\/div><p style=\"text-align:center;\"><strong><em>Watch Tom Pidcock master the icy conditions of Bieles <\/em><\/strong><em>Video: UCI<\/em><\/p><p>If you can master this technique, it can be very advantageous. You\u2019ve shifted the weight to the outside of the bike, got the inside foot free in case of slips, but can still drive the bike forward.<\/p><p>It\u2019s hard to do well because you need to continue to pedal smoothly with just one leg. In the next section, we\u2019ll look at how to practice these skills.<\/p><h3 style=\"text-align:center;\">Practice cyclocross cornering drills<\/h3><p>Cyclocross is a sport of compromise. One of the compromises amateur cyclocross riders have to make is between how much time they focus on skills and how much on fitness. Combining the two in a training session makes sense, but sometimes you have to slow down and focus on technique.<\/p><blockquote><p>Concentrate on technique at slow speed then progressively get faster<\/p><\/blockquote><p>If you treat every skills session as intervals with corners thrown in, there\u2019s a risk that you\u2019ll reinforce poor technique. Concentrate on technique at a slow speed, then progressively get faster.<\/p><p>Once you go too fast, you\u2019ll either overrun the corners, which is probably due to not turning your head enough, or you\u2019ll slide off. Making mistakes is important. It\u2019s how the brain learns. Assess the errors, try different techniques and work out what works best for you.<\/p><p>Where can you train for cyclocross? In an ideal world, we\u2019d all have the Sven Nys Centre in our backyard. Local clubs often run training sessions. If neither of these is available, you can create a training circuit in quite a small space.<\/p><p style=\"text-align:center;\"><img src=\"https:\/\/images.teemill.com\/fpdv9oozrc4vadjplfzdofsuyvfvixsrkvaptrn5izbog6tx.jpg\" alt=\"The equipment you need to make a cyclocross training circuit\" title=\"The equipment you need to make a cyclocross training circuit\" \/><strong><em>The ingredients of a training circuit - just add grass<\/em><\/strong><\/p><p>All you need are some cones, course markers or electric fence posts. Make sure that you either have permission from the landowner or use some land where people are unlikely to complain.<\/p><blockquote><p>Balance out the left and right hand turns<\/p><\/blockquote><p>You don\u2019t need lots of space. With ingenuity, you can create a really testing set of corners. Balance out the left and right-hand turns; otherwise, you\u2019ll end up cornering one way better than the other. To avoid this happening, change your direction of travel after, say, every ten minutes.<\/p><p>To improve the smoothness of your pedalling, pedal with one leg clipped in. If you have pedal meters, you should aim to achieve a constant application of force. This will compel you to develop your uplift technique. Be warned, it\u2019s hard work. Make sure you do the same effort on both legs.<\/p><p>And those Pidcock one-pedal pedalling drills? Create a small figure of eight circuit and keep changing which pedal is clipped when you reach the middle. That way the inside leg is always unclipped.<\/p><h3 style=\"text-align:center;\">But sometimes \u2026<\/h3><p>But sometimes it\u2019s actually faster to get off and run. Gingerly and slowly negotiating a tricky set of corners might be slower than running. Most amateurs, like myself, have it hard-wired in their brains to stay on the bike.<\/p><p style=\"text-align:center;\"><img src=\"https:\/\/images.teemill.com\/yxfo8ruwqepsskiewjvd3ykn1qhjk2dx7utxco6glzxqo9uc.jpeg\" alt=\"Image of a cyclocross rider running with the bike\" title=\"Image of a cyclocross rider running with the bike\" \/><strong><em>Sometimes it\u2019s just quicker to run<\/em><\/strong><\/p><p>It\u2019s also a matter of pride to be able to ride every corner. Professionals, on the other hand, have no such qualms. They just decide which is quicker and use the optimal technique. Don\u2019t be proud! Use whatever is quickest in the circumstances.<\/p><hr \/><p style=\"text-align:center;\"><em>9 September 2022, Tim Costello<\/em><\/p><p style=\"text-align:center;\"><em>All images and text are the copyright of Rijden unless stated otherwise.<\/em><\/p><hr \/><h3 style=\"text-align:center;\"><strong>NEVER MISS OUT<\/strong><\/h3><p><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/rijden.uk\/keep-in-touch\/\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong>Subscribe for free<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0to get all our latest stories and news by email. We run free competitions for subscribers too. We won't bombard you with special offers. We don't want to send you junk, and you don't want to receive it.<\/p><p><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/rijden.uk\/keep-in-touch\/\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><u><img src=\"https:\/\/images.podos.io\/fb8si3kxyaghhuowx2pzm1anzupttjfdjb7lszvxynjsfrzl.jpeg.jpeg?w=1140&amp;v=2\" alt=\"Subscribe to Rijden's free newsletter\" title=\"Subscribe to Rijden's free newsletter\" \/><\/u><\/a><\/p><p><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/rijden.uk\/blog\/tagged\/cyclocross-guides\/\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong>\u27b2 MORE Cyclocross Guides &amp; Skills<\/strong><\/a><\/p>","urlTitle":"cyclocross-cornering-guide-part-two","url":"\/blog\/cyclocross-cornering-guide-part-two\/","editListUrl":"\/my-blogs","editUrl":"\/my-blogs\/edit\/cyclocross-cornering-guide-part-two\/","fullUrl":"https:\/\/rijden.uk\/blog\/cyclocross-cornering-guide-part-two\/","featured":false,"published":true,"showOnSitemap":true,"hidden":false,"visibility":null,"createdAt":1662461239,"updatedAt":1784636288,"publishedAt":1784636288,"lastReadAt":null,"division":{"id":61205,"name":"Rijden_2"},"tags":[{"id":4651,"code":"cyclocross-guides","name":"CyclocrossGuides","url":"\/blog\/tagged\/cyclocross-guides\/"}],"metaImage":{"original":"https:\/\/images.podos.io\/drwao7tqszcv5lwesg6ntn8jgyxyxtqz0zidz5g70wilp65n.jpeg","thumbnail":"https:\/\/images.podos.io\/drwao7tqszcv5lwesg6ntn8jgyxyxtqz0zidz5g70wilp65n.jpeg.jpg?w=1140&h=855","banner":"https:\/\/images.podos.io\/drwao7tqszcv5lwesg6ntn8jgyxyxtqz0zidz5g70wilp65n.jpeg.jpg?w=1920&h=1440"},"metaTitle":"Cyclocross Cornering Guide part two | Rijden","metaDescription":"In the third of our Guides to Cyclocross, we look at the important skill of cornering. You'll learn about the important techniques you'll need to master.","keyPhraseCampaignId":12884,"series":[],"similarReads":[{"id":19480,"title":"Introduction to cyclocross","url":"\/blog\/introduction-to-cyclocross\/","urlTitle":"introduction-to-cyclocross","division":61205,"description":"In this introduction to cyclocross, I\u2019m going to explain what cyclocross is, what sort of cyclocross bike to buy, what cyclocross tyres to use and most importantly some good reasons to give it a go.","published":true,"metaImage":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/images.podos.io\/vlvdcep12p97ou24k24ldvw6yglskyrfdnxsokwgwee60pla.jpeg.jpg?w=1140&h=855","banner":"https:\/\/images.podos.io\/vlvdcep12p97ou24k24ldvw6yglskyrfdnxsokwgwee60pla.jpeg.jpg?w=1920&h=1440"},"hidden":0},{"id":19907,"title":"Cyclocross cornering guide part one","url":"\/blog\/cyclocross-cornering-guide-part-one\/","urlTitle":"cyclocross-cornering-guide-part-one","division":61205,"description":"Of all the skills you need to master for cyclocross, cornering is by far the most important.  A typical cyclocross course will have in excess of thirty corners.  This Guide to Cyclocross Cornering tells you how to improve your cyclocross cornering skills.","published":true,"metaImage":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/images.podos.io\/uaui7wkvbyvjr601txzwzuqy6xrxycpu4rn3xqok6b9qp2ue.jpeg.jpg?w=1140&h=855","banner":"https:\/\/images.podos.io\/uaui7wkvbyvjr601txzwzuqy6xrxycpu4rn3xqok6b9qp2ue.jpeg.jpg?w=1920&h=1440"},"hidden":0},{"id":21260,"title":"Cyclocross racing in Belgium","url":"\/blog\/cyclocross-racing-in-belgium\/","urlTitle":"cyclocross-racing-in-belgium","division":61205,"description":"If you\u2019re an adult male or female with a passion for cyclocross and you\u2019d like to race in the sport\u2019s heartland of Belgium, then this guide is for you.","published":true,"metaImage":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/images.podos.io\/86htpy3wz5wcgmsufo1hlkzgcc9lh9ccmsipoopemdzk7gky.jpeg.jpg?w=1140&h=855","banner":"https:\/\/images.podos.io\/86htpy3wz5wcgmsufo1hlkzgcc9lh9ccmsipoopemdzk7gky.jpeg.jpg?w=1920&h=1440"},"hidden":0}],"labels":[]}