It has been said thousands of times that going down well on a bicycle is a matter of "instinct", "that it is something that is not learned" or "what a downhiller you are born". Although it is true that some cyclists are more predisposed to descents, you learn to go down and you can improve a lot.
The basis of a good descent is self-confidence, which will be conditioned by the technique, skill and risk perception that each cyclist has. All this can be trained and we leave you with some basic tips so that you can start to gain speed and safety the next time you have to descend.
The first element that will feed our confidence will be the state of our material. Going downhill, very high speeds are reached and it is vital that everything is in order. Especially the tires, the pressures and the brakes, since it is what will work the most during the descent. Of course you should also make sure that your helmet is not broken, because in the event of a fall it will be key. Once we are sure that we are on a safe bike, we can launch ourselves down.
High speeds can make more than one nervous, but the truth is that being rigid will only harm you. Relax your body to be able to position it as necessary at each point of the descent. You will only achieve that by knowing what descent you are facing and as you review it each time you will become more relaxed.
There isn't just one good grip, but there is one thing that all of them must have: being able to easily reach the brakes. A well-done emergency braking can save you from a good scare, in addition to the fact that in many curves you will have to touch them to correct your trajectory. The ideal position to gain aerodynamics will be to take the handlebar from the bottom as you will see in the photo. This way you can lean your body more forward and offer even less resistance to the wind.
Once you have perfected your position it will be time to start looking for lines. How you trace each curve will be the key to being faster. The aim should be to take the corner as wide as possible, close the line to make the tightest part coincide with the axis of the corner, and finally open up again. To make it perfect, the brake should only be touched before entering the corner, so that once you leave the axis you only gain speed.
Of course it's more important to come back in one piece than it is to corner faster so feel free to use the brake when you need to. In addition, it is also important to know that you are not alone on the road and that you should always ride in the indicated lane, even though the ideal line could mean encroaching on another space.
Finally, it is important to remember that your name is neither Tom Pidcock nor Matej Mohoric and that you should always descend according to your possibilities. Don't you know how to position yourself like the professionals to win in aerodynamics? Don't invent. What do you think you should go more inclined than you are going? Don't invent. That your groupmate always escapes on the descents? Do not invent and if one day you want to get down like him, there is only one thing left for you: train. But never improvise.
