Help Cornering on loose sand/gravel.

[itsteevee]

Greetings,

I was riding on the inside of a peloton riding abreast. I was towards the back when we hit a corner with loose sand and gravel. The moment I saw it, someone yelled out, however it was too late and I probably couldn't do anything about it, so I went down. Gladly, I did not take anyone else down with me. However, one rider later yelled out "Go Home!"—they're all Cat 1/2 racers, and I'm not. I was too banged up to keep riding, but something like that is not going to discourage me from returning to the weekly ride.

Anyone have some good advice on cornering around such corner when there's really no room for corrections? Is it just the same like regular cornering? I.e. Put more weight on left pedal and left side of handlebar?

Thank you!

 

[ray j willings]

Greetings,

I was riding on the inside of a peloton riding abreast. I was towards the back when we hit a corner with loose sand and gravel. The moment I saw it, someone yelled out, however it was too late and I probably couldn't do anything about it, so I went down. Gladly, I did not take anyone else down with me. However, one rider later yelled out "Go Home!"—they're all Cat 1/2 racers, and I'm not. I was too banged up to keep riding, but something like that is not going to discourage me from returning to the weekly ride.

Anyone have some good advice on cornering around such corner when there's really no room for corrections? Is it just the same like regular cornering? I.e. Put more weight on left pedal and left side of handlebar?

Thank you!

I presume your wheels slid out? Try to take the bend more upright so less chance of the gravel taking your wheels out. If you are pushing the pedals to hard then that again will cause your wheels to slip. Why not go back to the same bend and practise a few times. It will do your confidence a world of good.

Get yourself in a position where your comfy when you hit the corner and don't let other riders pressure you. Speed up or slow down to give yourself more time and space.
The guy who shouted is a idiot. Small nuke will sort him out

 

[itsteevee]

I presume your wheels slid out? Try to take the bend more upright so less chance of the gravel taking your wheels out. If you are pushing the pedals to hard then that again will cause your wheels to slip. Why not go back to the same bend and practise a few times. It will do your confidence a world of good.

Get yourself in a position where your comfy when you hit the corner and don't let other riders pressure you. Speed up or slow down to give yourself more time and space.
The guy who shouted is a idiot. Small nuke will sort him out

Thank you for the feedback. Yes, my wheels slid out, and I will revisit that corner when I get better. I think I did feel some pressure to keep the pace; I'll make note it's okay to slow down for my own safety.

The guy who shouted is a idiot. Small nuke will sort him out

Heh.