Tom Pidcock Tells Us How He Descends SO FAST & How You Can Too!

Have you ever wanted to descend like a pro? Tom Pidcock, current MTB world champion and Tour de France stage winner, is renowned for his descending skills… BUT how does he do it? Reaching speeds of 100km/h and cornering with extreme confidence, Tom reveals his top tips that will improve your descending pace and precision on the road bike...
00:00 Intro
00:45 Bike Set Up
02:33 Confidence is Key
03:07 Crashing
04:01 Cornering
05:17 Does riding different disciplines help
06:16 Do you get scared
06:42 Choosing your line
07:24 Natural talent or good coaching
08:42 Braking
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Have you got any good descending tips? 🫵 🚵‍♂️
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[@gcn]

Got any good descending tips of your own? 🫵 🚵‍♂

[@Glopieo]

Close your eyes, hope for the best 🤪

[@davidhellyer5353]

Tip: Don't move to Iowa. No real descents. (though there are wonderful dedicated bike trails)

[@Rboy1975]

Just make it without any accidents, that's a good descend for me:)

[@user-wn1op6yn2v]

Your crank turns are more timed but dont over think it, your eyes need to scan the coming road for holes and such, like Tom said- progress slowly

[@I_hunt_idiots]

Mountain biking descents help. If you can drop.off an Alp off road, you can whack it off a road descent at 80kph

[@edwin.jansen]

Disclaimer: If you descend like Tom in normal traffic you will die. ;-)

[@sirac.kasgarli]

Hahahah thats very considerate of you! Thanks indeed.

[@SrFederico]

Oncoming traffic is completely overrated. Nobody needs that.

[@MattRose30000]

well technically that is certainly true because in my country, cars drive on the right :P

[@mrvwbug4423]

Or You're SAFA Brian haha

[@johnc5188]

Pidcock is a bike handling master, mountain, cyclo-cross and road. Multi surface riding makes your better everywhere. His descent of the Galibier was unbelievable. It's fine to ask for tips on descending but they should make it clear that he has 1000's of hours doing this at an elite level. Weekend warriors should take it easy.

[@gcn]

Pidcock is a master of his trade. We wouldn't recommend sending it flat out down your local hills but hopefully with these tips you'll be able to take those descents with ease. 🙌

[@adam-qu6dh]

so what you are basically saying is that the "DO NOT TRY THIS AT HOME" warning is missing from the video, ain't it?

[@dblissmn]

I have two words -- Tuna Canyon. Check out the video of Pidcock descending there into Malibu, California, having never seen it before that trip. It's just incredible. (Props also to the filmmaker, "SAFA Brian" aka Brian Wagner of Los Angeles, one of the best amateur downhillers anywhere, who more or less managed to keep up with Pidcock on his own bike to do the film.)

[@CommaCam]

Pretty sure Safa has the KOM down Tuna, or he did at one point. It's on his channel. His cameraman was on a motorcycle for that attempt.

[@mrvwbug4423]

Brian is also nearly as fast on a MTB, he did party laps with the Scott pro riders at Les Gets and was almost able to keep up with Marine Cabirou (ok so she was going fun pace and not race pace haha).

[@edwin.jansen]

I have watched a few vids by Brian and stopped watching when he gave a farmer in his tractor who came up hill a heart attack nearly dying against his tractor and even not thinking about not putting it on KZbin. I almost got a heart attack watching it. If I want to see cyclist almost dying it is enough to watch a pro tour race. I have no wish to watch a deadly traffic accident in the making. It is just ridiculous. It might be my age.

[@raymondrichardson538]

A note on that 61 psi: Pidcock is tiny - only 128 lbs. Heavier riders will want a bit more pressure than that.

[@Jarek.]

4:23 this is actually most important hint out of all of them. So called “countersteering” (aka put weight on the hand opposite to the down pedal) was a big thing to improve my cornering skills. I’m now in Mallorca and can see significantly better times in DH strava segments since last year. Cheers 👍

[@gcn]

Great to hear that you've been trying to improve your descending 🙌 Have you been smashing you PB's?

[@Jarek.]

@@gcn Oh, yes - literally, I've improved each and every descending PB, even without a big stretch. Many thanks for this 👍

[@Lockeness86]

I had the same experience. It’s amazing how much more responsive the bike is while using this technique

[@Atzan]

My tip is not to try a new descent at the end of a ride when you’re tired, or certainly don’t try railing it. In Mallorca earlier this year I was on the last mountain descent of the last ride on the last day of the holiday after riding Sa Calobra: bit tired, already thinking about getting back to the villa and starting my packing so I wasn’t fully focused and went too hard into a steep left hand bend, got caught out by the adverse camber and clipped the Armco on the exit to prang my front fork. DOH!

[@gcn]

Ah nasty! Great point about picking your timing right 🙌

[@stanislavkindiakov6334]

Never leave Sa Calobra to the last day. Do it EVERY day!

[@tbjtbj7930]

I'm the opposite. I'm not a great descender but my last hill of the day is always the best as my brain switches off and lets my body and bike get on with it. BTW Tom is correct - confidence is the secret.

[@Blukas410]

2 best tips: follow a good descender and do it on repeat until you don’t get dropped, the same is true for criterium cornering. If they can do it, you can too (assuming your bike set up is at least decent). It’s the best way to learn how to position your body in a corner as you will mimic them. practice on a decent you know, and do it until you can go as fast as possible. That way you push the limits in as controlled an environment as possible and are less likely to overcook it. Bonus tip: Cornering and descending are key skills for safety whether you are a racer or not. Learning to corner/descend faster will make you safer in the long run.

[@Blukas410]

Follow up… I think learning to corner on rim brakes can be very valuable. I love discs and they are certainly better for racing and riding. However, because of how good they are it’s easy to develop bad habits like breaking through corners or feathering your breaks. I just went back to racing a criterium on rim breaks after years of racing discs and I was blown away by how much more sharp and thoughtful I was about my technique, I was actually cornering better because I thought about it more.

[@mrvwbug4423]

Crit cornering is even sketchier, since you have to corner fast, in a peloton with 50+ other racers.

[@gcn]

Making friends with a good descender is never a bad idea! Having someone guide you down the hills can be super helpful! 🙌 Do you find this extends beyond just descending? Riding with others can be super helpful!

[@bearthompson6506]

Something to be aware of in going into a corner fast is what’s called “high siding” in motorcycle racing (maybe in bicycling, too, but I’ve never heard anyone talk about it in our sport). One needs to break hardest just diving for the apex, and let up as you enter the inside of the curve. When you are braking on the outside of a turn, the distribution the weight borne by the front and rear tyres is pretty consistent to how it’s been for the straight part of the descent that you have been on up until the turn, and you’re used to how much force you need to apply to the brake levers to control your speed. When you turn to cut the apex, you are typically moving to a steeper part of the road, and in doing so the force vector of your weight and bike is shifted forward. This shifts the load off of the rear wheel a bit and decreases the friction between the tyre and the tarmac. If that decreases enough, the rear tyre skids outward only to suddenly re-grip again and launch you to the outside of the turn. It’s happened to me and I’ve seen it happen to others many times. Once I figured out what was going on, I started letting go of the rear brake handle as I dropped into the apex. If I still need to scrub some speed off in the turn, I try to use only my front break until I’m out. The weight shifting onto the front wheel is actually increasing the friction and grip up there. It’s been many years since my high siding crash, and so far so good. As you guys covered, so much of descending fast comes from experience and confidence in yourself, your bike, and your tyres. As Rule #64 points out:”Cornering confidence increases with confidence and experience […] until it falls suddenly and sharply.” [www.velominati.com]

[@Frostbiker]

As Ryan F9 would say: I run out of balls before my tires run out of grip.

[@michaelw7438]

Great tips, thanks Tom and Alex👍

[@federicomurero]

Thanks for sharing these useful tips Tom!! Thanks GCN for the video

[@dalis994]

Practice makes perfect. I suck at descents. But everytime I spend some time in the alpes I feel so much more confident on my home turf.

[@gcn]

Well said! Great to hear you are working on your weaknesses 🙌

[@exusiaiii]

I always love the descent!! And this one makes me more confident in descent

[@DoNuT_1985]

Make sure your bike is in well-serviced condition so that you are not thinking about it when descending in any aspect. I made the mistake twice on a fun little local decent in my holiday spot: Once, I came there with old brake pads that generated more noise than stopping power (didn't matter so much where I usually ride), this year I was worried about a patched up front tire with a massive cut that I just brought home from a ride the day before. I usually have no hard feelings about going 70-80 kph on straights but I was mentally blocked because I didn't want a sudden blowout puncture due to a single piece of gravel. A local rider gained several 100 meters on a sweeping 3k descent (he was on disc brakes, too).

[@cubatea]

Would have loved to hear if he has any strategies for when he realises he’s overcooked a corner and needs to recover to prevent a crash

[@DigzGuy]

I suspect at that point it's "prepare for impact" 😂

[@SrFederico]

@@DigzGuy Yes, but how? Unclip, let the handlebar go, let the bike go, jump off the bike?

[@richcrompton6891]

It’s a joy to watch a great descender like Tom flow down a mountain road. I’ve always loved the thrill of going downhill as fast as I can go, but I know where my limits are and they certainly aren’t world class! I’m happy if I can occasionally disappear from my mates as we head downhill, but not by being behind them! 🤣

[@jascollinscork]

Great Tips there!! I used to be a wreckless descend like going down as fast as I could but since I’m older with kids now I find myself going handier down hills now….. especially if I don’t know them!!! Been kinda lucky with crashes only had 4 in 15 years!! One one very very serious one that was on the flat 🙄

[@emmetstiff1400]

Great interview. Lots to build on here.

[@robertgray9807]

One thing I learned that enables me to lean the bike more, thereby shortening the turning radius, is to slightly move one's bottom (arse for you Brits) on the saddle to the side opposite the turn. This puts slightly more of your weight over the contact patch of your tire, giving it a bit more traction.

[@immatureradical]

Well, he said two very important things, but very briefly: 1. Turning more by putting vertical pressure to one side of the handlebar, rather than actually turning the handlebar, is the way to go. In my experience, countersteering (in the most usual sense, where one turns the handlebars slightly in the opposite direction for a brief moment in order to initiate the turn in the opposite direction) is mostly out of place in these descents. It's great and actually essential when doing an evasive maneuver or taking a tight 90 degree turn. But when going down hills, the turning radii are actually on the large side. It's the speed that makes the turns extreme. You don't want to unsettle the bike's natural stability as if you're about to initiate an abrupt turning radius; you want maximum stability and to initiate a smooth weight transfer into the corner in order to manage to retain traction at these fast pace. 2: When you try to go as fast as possible, in many corners you don't just break in a straight line then go into a turn. You can trail your brakes quite a bit more, transitioning to using only on the rear brake until you let that go as well. I even think that going completely off the breaks while initiating a turn may even reduce your grip. Not only does the rear break give you the feeling that it helps you tighten your radius, but the right amount of braking also helps you put some more weight on your front wheel, kind of pressing it into the road surface. Naturally I don't mean one should stay on the brakes all the way to the apex; blending breaking and turning into a smooth interactive transition from one to another is more like the goal. For how amazing Pidcock is, he doesn't seem awfully good at explaining how he does it. His technique seems far more detailed compared to other good pro descenders, but still, I guess that a larger part comes to him very naturally.

[@Philatlondon1]

So good to hear a cornering tip where they actually mention counter-steering and how to do it. It's a game changer when you use it. It's a brilliant technique in crits too. I only learnt about it when I did my motorcycle training.

[@gcn]

Super interesting to hear about how we could learn from other sports! Are there any other tips from the motor bike that you think would apply to the bike? 🚴

[@angeleusjosh5533]

i used to be so bad at cornering at descends as i will go to fast, dont know when to brake and will always overthink that my bike will slide even if i bank in just a little bit and due to that, i unfortunately crashed due to my hesitation when i cornered. ( i understeered, hit the curb and flew ). but now i learned from my mistakes and im gradually becoming better and more confident on the corners!

[@onenotesolo256]

Alan, just ask the question and let him answer - you don’t need to feed him your version of the correct answer as option B every time. You would make a good barrister leading the witness, mind. 😊 Would’ve been good to hear a bit more about braking as well. Apart from that, well done. Don’t think I will ever forget Tom’s now famous descent - I’m glad that Netflix show captured it and gave us the context of discussions the day before (best bit of the series for me).

[@EdwardTBurke-pv3qr]

Tom Pidcock has extraordinary bike handling ability descending at speed! For us lesser mortals, a few words of caution. He is racing on roads that are closed to traffic. No one coming the other way around a blind corner. Hopefully, road hazards like loose gravel, potholes, poor road repair, are not present on the course. He is young and physically very fit which matters if you do crash hard. "When yer young, ya bounce. When yer old, ya break." If you are older than forty and get injured as bad as Chris Froome did in his high speed, level crash, you may not ever ride a bike again. Another consideration is that one of the advantages of having well over half a century of bike ride experience is that you're an old fart who loves cycling and can afford to buy a Pinarello Dogma super bike. If you crash trying to emulate Pidcock descending, you not only painfully trash your own body, but there goes fifteen thousand Euros or more of your own money with the destroyed bike. "There are old pilots, and there are bold pilots. There are no old, bold pilots." That applies to cyclists who like to ride fast as well as to military aviators.

[@nsjohnston]

I'm a coward when it comes to descending. It's not a crash that made me like that, I've always been a nervous descender. Most of the guys in the club seem to be braver than me, I think it's just the way I am, my brain just won't allow me to go faster.

[@_Tp__]

fair enough, if you don’t want to risk tumbling down a hill at 40mph that’s totally normal

[@michaelbantilo-kq9bg]

same with me, I always hit the brakes when over 55s tbh because i am scared

[@gcn]

That's fair enough! To want to go faster or are you happy keeping things under control. Being too stiff on the climbs can come with its own issues. 👀

[@davekiely2912]

I used to be fearless heading down hills. Unfortunately I had a hard fall in 2015 and ended up crashing quite badly (wife gave me CPR before ambulance came). After my traumatic brain injury caused by the crash, I’m back on the bike but I’m way more cautious and my wife makes sure I don’t risk everything just to get ahead of the group. Nurses are more practical in life! Descend safely, it’s not worth your life. Also .. wear a helmet .. saved my life!

[@steve-bs3qp]

Totally agree disk brakes and wide tyres help with descending like never before but it's a public open road and not for the weekend Warrior types chasing Strava Segments times see you all in A E 😂

[@squngy0]

You forgot the most important tip! If you can't see around the corner and it isn't a closed road or something, then go slow. You never know when someone is going to cut the corner going the other way. (not to mention just regular old garbage on the road or something) That Strava stat is not worth your life.

[@gcn]

Very true! stay within the rules 🙌

[@WerdnaLiten]

Yes, limit points - pretty important on an open road; be able to stop on your own side of the road in the space you can see.

[@alinapopescu872]

I'll just sit here and watch Tom do it. Much safer that way. You stay safe too, young man! 💖

[@WattWireNet]

Great questions / interview. My personal tip is: figure out how fast you can go and then dial it back 10-15%. Also mind the center line for on coming traffic--just like a gun should always be considered loaded, so should every blind corner having an oncoming car.

[@robertlynn9667]

is the psi for tubeless tires? what if you have tubes (& of course adjusting for body weight)

[@_vinceverano]

Totally agree with the disc brake. And apart from the technical stuffs, it's really just a matter of gradually building up your confidence. Increased confidence = increased speed. Ride safe, everyone!

[@gcn]

Gradual build up is a great point! Don't throw yourself down the biggest hill you can find, practice those skills. Maybe try the same corner multiple times to get a feel for how the bike descends 💨

[@jojoanggono3229]

As a long time motorcycle rider I never thought much about cornering. One thing is front-rear brake proportion affect your lean angle during cornering. More rear brake will cause your bike to lean more into corner. More front brake will cause your bike to straighten up. It's better to use front and rear brake together when needed, and manipulate the front-rear brake proportion as needed.

[@davideandreagalelli6175]

Maybe I have missed it out although, I have a question regarding braking in particular. As a general rule of thumbs I know that you want to slow down with your front brake in order to have your weight on the front wheel and have more "control" while corniring, and then after the apex, you accelerate again. Now every time I do have the feel that when I reach the apex of the curve my front wheel starts to close under me passing from the direction in front of me to my to my right (or left side) in an 90 degree angle. ( hope I am having sense here) Is it because the power of the brake needs to be redristibuted better ? Am I not carring enough speed instead? Or that is the correct feeling when you need to start pushing actively your bike again?

[@jackbmth7783]

You don't really want to 'load' the weight onto the front of the bike, as you are then reducing the amount of grip available for cornering due to the additional pressure and hence why the front wheel will feel like it is closing beneath you, especially as you release the brake pressure. Braking is best completed before taking the corner. It is possible to brake during the corner, but it's a delicate balance. A gentle application of the rear brake can bring your corner radius in tighter if needed. Try to keep your weight rearward and low, as keeping the centre of gravity low will also help, hence Tom talking about lower saddle height and the magic of Mohoric with his dropper post. Also remember to look through the corner to where you want to go.

[@alansheard553]

You should have all your braking done before you turn into the corner and aim at your apex.

[@Questioneverything72]

Best advice is: if you don’t get paid, don’t push it beyond your limit. Not worth the possibility of not being able to ride again.

[@darrylearnshaw7102]

All very well on closed roads, open roads for us mere mortals and we have to worry about cars coming around a corner on the wrong side of the road. Was going well over 60km/h yesterday on open roads round bends and I was constantly thinking of cars, slows you down

[@ACL9000]

I think, for beginner-to-intermediate cyclists who aren't engaged in competition, but are simply interested in keeping fit, having a good time and improving their skillset, taking up motorcycling can be very useful. It provides a lot of the aforementioned crossover experience, because the speeds are always relatively high. I have noticed, among casual cyclists, a lack of road-reading, bike-handling and body-positioning knowledge that can easily be gained aboard a motorbike. It works the other way, too. Endurance, in particular, aboard a motorcycle is substantially improved through cycling. Obviously, this divides the money and time one can devote to either task, which many might not like, but I have to say I enjoy each activity more for being engaged in both.

[@ajack6521]

I like the fact that you used a gmbn clip

[@andrei718pavel]

My tip for non-racers is to just recover (meaning don't push the speed, catch your breath after the uphill section) on descends and stay focused. It doesn't worth crashing.

[@cinakakar197]

The main thing is that you have to be thin and not fat. I learned it in a hard way and i wasn't even descending but simply taking a turning.

[@gideonmthembu8693]

Mr Animator himself. He is a demon. Am too scared to do even learn do these crazy stuff Pidcock does.

[@JDRELGOR]

I've always known it as the racing line and lean the bike, that's what I took from MX.

[@_Tp__]

hydraulic breaks are pretty important for descending as well. Mechanical cable brakes can be a bit dodgy.

[@pzkeeper]

Yeah 'coz no-one ever went downhill fast before we had disk brakes 🙄

[@MRDTBOSS]

@@_Tp__ you can tell his age by his response

[@_Tp__]

@@pzkeeper Before you send sarcastic responses like this, read the comment properly. I said HYDRAULIC BRAKES not disc brakes which have nothing to do with each other. Hydraulic brakes allow for finer adjustment of braking making them quicker and safer for descents instead of just on and off like cable brakes. Also, I use cable brakes.

[@_Tp__]

@@pzkeeper also even if you meant hydraulic brakes in some kind of incredible typo, I said dodgy, meaning less safe, not its impossible to go fast but someone riding a descent on cable and hydraulic brakes will go faster on hydraulic.

[@_Tp__]

@@MRDTBOSS back in my day we used to descend in horse and carriages, we never had these fancy "brake" things.

[@brianrichards350]

Assume any unknown turn without a visible exit is going to tighten...and reduce entry speed accordingly.

[@gcn]

Great tip! Descents that you done know, you should always approach with caution 👀

[@Thezuule1]

"Yeah but they don't need good brakes." -Tom

[@mrvwbug4423]

Tom basically just described countersteering, something literally every motorbiker knows or should know ;)

Cool content.

[@kelstad]

A follow up on the 'obvious things' would have been nice: rate Mohorics' use of a dropper post.

[@user-kh1qc7mh6y]

Being an expert skier and motorsport enthusiast helps with downhill speed, having less fear at speed and the understanding the “racing line” in corners

[@gcn]

That sounds like it would help! What do you think you can descend on quickest? Motor, skis or bike? 👀

[@user-kh1qc7mh6y]

Ski’s for sure. As know the limits I can push too

[@bobdobalina798]

Try practiceing on an mtb with hookworm or g-one tires then ease into skinny tires

[@russyJ20]

I've always got the thought something like a squirrel or cat is going to leap out of the hedge or grass whilst descending. Something like that did happen to me when I was quite young and guess that must be it. I have much more confidence when I can see 2 or 3 metres beyond the edge of the road

[@andrei718pavel]

If you've ever ridden a motorcycle your descending is visibly better than others who haven't.

[@wraith8323]

Routinely descend betweeen 85-100kph, this video should have been waaaay longer IMO.

[@andrewhayes1339]

Descended my local decent steep hill today on my new “Modern Era” ride & first bike with disc brakes, but I have to say regardless of brakes rim V disc, at 63 kph I was still 💩💩 myself. So hats off to Tom & the pro peloton guys & girls, because the must have some pretty big balls (sorry ladies) when it comes to descending at 80 plus kph ❤

[@a1white]

Check out the downhill video SAFA Brian did with Pidcock, it’s insane!

[@shenzhenpingpong]

Unexpected obstacle or your tyre flats on a pothole or some piece of glass with sealant spraying everywhere or hit by a side gust of wind (wasn't discussed) means you can't afford to descend at max speed in real life and expect to stay lucky forever. My best on local roads recently was around 110 km/hr but it was straight, but it didn't feel safe.

[@user-id4ye5so3l]

Fantastic line and skills. Unfortunately you need closed roads to try to replicate the line that he chooses. It would be interesting to see his line on a road with 2 way traffic.

[@homersadiarin9299]

Descend on the speed you can handle. Going down on a 100k is insane.

[@gcn]

THIS!! Keep within your own limits is a great idea 🙌

[@alexandercameron1977]

Tom Pidcock is one of the best all rounders in the world but…. at the risk of being trolled till my deathbed … he needs to have some coaching in interviewee skills . This interview made me cringe. He is unable to formulate answers in a flowing manner to allow viewers to enjoy his knowledge of cycling. Apologies to all of you who are offended by my observations and opinion.

[@bjm2762]

Is it best not to break while crossing painted lines or shouldn't it matter?

[@overcookit1433]

It depends - in case it is wet, those markings are very slippery. On straight roads it is very good to use those markings, as the rolling resistance on them is often lower than the road,even if very fine asphalt is used.

[@stuartfreedman6854]

It's ok, but keep it light. Never in the wet. Try to do as much as you can before the corner, while you're still going straight. Then let it go.

[@homersadiarin9299]

Not on a wet road. Don't brake while taking the corners. Brake before the corner and try to gauge how much speed you need to make the corner.

[@stuartfreedman6854]

Ahh yes. The zen of riding on the line.@@overcookit1433

[@Esperluet]

What about leaning on a competitor?

[@gerrysecure5874]

The right technique and mechanics is easy. The problem is you don't know the true limit until you crash 😂 Pro tip, motobike cornering class will help a lot to be less afraid of leaning in.

[@mddah01]

At 75 years I set a maximum descent speed of 50-60 kph and so do other seniors in the group. My nightmare scenario is that I crash badly, end up in the ED, there is only bed left in the intensive care unit. The critically ill 30 year old on the next trolley gets that last bed, an understandable decision. Oh and I was a doctor in ED for many years.

[@merlinsing]

Speaking from the standpoint of being a good descender in my own right….I personally always thought it’s a combo of instinct/skill/confidence in your bike….for me it was never about fear and worry…. Always felt good going 80-90 kms per hour….now with these guys…. Hitting over a 100 on some stretches…. I better have data on what’s up ahead…. Otherwise, you are certainly allowing speculation into your assessment… and one thing you do not want at those speeds is….approximates….certainties are the only way you can make this safe and actually pretty fun and exhilarating.

[@gcn]

Great to hear you feel so comfortable on the bike! How did you get so comfortable with your bike handling? Trusting in the kit is easier said than done.

[@merlinsing]

@@gcn years of experience….yet always felt natural going fast downhill.. helps that I have a titanium road bike though.

[@Esperluet]

4:38 looks like pressure is on the outside though

[@nemure]

guy invading the 2 lanes going against the traffic fast downhill. Way to go giving best example of what NOT TO DO

[@davidjones3955]

58.90 mph down Mt Teide

[@declanfaughey8471]

I love descending I live near the mount Leinster which is my favourite route is known as east descent my speed record is 75.7KPH. My top tip is to know you descent like the back of your hand.

[@Daniel-ynuhnunu]

Boa 👍

[@giovannifacci]

This is my opinion, but I may be wrong. I think cyclists still gets it wrong when going through a corner, they put the knee out like they are on a MotoGP racing motorbike and they lean into the corner. But motocross riders that have a much narrow contact patch on the tyre (like bicycle) they counter lean. There is a good video on KZbin that explain the difference between leaning and counter leaning. TL;DR: 90% of the time your are faster counter leaning unless you have massive amount grip like MotoGP bike

[@FuriousFilipino]

Motorcycle rider of just under 20 years here, but more importantly, competitive cyclist of over 30 years also. For the purposes of easier visualization, an motocross (MX) rider leans the bike and not the body, like a skier (or mountain biker), a MotoGP (GP) rider leans the body and keeps the bike more upright. The primary reason is that the MX rider, MTB rider, and skier are closer to their traction limits if not already exceeding them (i.e. the bike/ski is already sliding/drifting). When this is happening, you have to keep your center of gravity (COG) closer to directly above contact patch (i.e. more upright) to keep your balance while sliding. A GP rider on the other hand has so much more traction, so much so that hard parts of the bike, yes even a street bike, will touch the ground if leaned too far, before coming to the limits of all the available traction, they compensate for this by leaning their bodies shifting the COG farther inward and away from the contact patch. However, when the bike does start sliding, the GP riders do “pick-up” their bodies again to maintain balance-look up Gary McCoy and how he rides a GP bike like a dirt tracker.

[@FuriousFilipino]

TL;DR, I agree with your comment, but the body position is more subtle because the contact patch and lighter weight of road bikes (road bike wheels) make for sensing when the tires break traction a lot more difficult when compared to an MX bike, mountain bike, or road going motorcycle (or GP bike). The easiest bike to break traction and maintain control while doing so in all my years of 2-wheel riding is the MX bike. That is a long discussion on why that is so.

[@ELISRACINGTEAM]

55mph plus here 🙋‍♂️

[@gcn]

Flying 💨... Very scary!

[@Posthumus2323]

Too bad I will never have the balls (or at least when I fix my bike/get a new one) to descent without holding the brakes all the time. Most of the time after a descent my disc is red hot 🤣🤣

[@JeremyDawesJezweb]

Dropper!

[@sergio895]

4.2 bar? WOW

[@chriskros8858]

Maybe some bikers should have speed limiters installed as e-bikes to 25 kph?

[@cbandyxxx]

Wish you would convert kph to mph like you do with bar to psi

[@beatrix2523]

Only Mohorič is at this level in the peloton today

[@gcn]

Are they at the same level or does Pidcock have the advantage?

[@beatrix2523]

@@gcn maybe but not at Milano-San Remo 😉

[@Gixer750pilot]

Love Toms cycling suntan legs

[@paulhiggins9492]

Tom descends so fast because he’s never had a fast crash and he’s young.

[@Cuzzazbuzz]

Not sure how to lean? Imagine your Jersey is zipped up and the zip points straight forward. Now point that zip where you want to go. If the bend tightens you need to lean your body further off the bike to achieve this. It transforms motorbike and cycling in corners. And get pressing on the outside pedal. Don’t be lazy putting all your weight on the saddle, that way any small slip keeps the bike under control.

[@CheeseyWotsit]

Don't crash. Simples.

[@user-xg3vk2gz7b]

有人说:) 人生就是这样好像骑单车一样，如果您就是想保持平衡，您就是这样要不断地peddling (像丐帮帮主夫人一样做peddlers来乞求？:)，只要不断地前进，才能保持这个平衡和不会跌倒的呢？

[@Paganiproductions84]

Try to be dynamic on the bike and stay low

[@johnandrews3568]

I have no fear in descending and recently hit 94kph on one of my local hills. The only thing that would terrify me is having my tires at 60psi... not a snowball's chance in hell I'd run that low a pressure. Give me 120psi and 100% confidence to the point of a bit of slide. No problem.

[@HristoMitev123]

Yeah but hes super light and runs 28mm tyres. If he ran 120psi, he’d have to ride with a gum guard from all the road chatter. High pressure + skinny tyres are simply less comfortable and slower.

[@lucaairoldi686]

Fiiiiirstt, also, TP is a living missile on Earth

[@bartdw6807]

You have to admire his skills, yes. But just a tiny bit of gravel or dirt on the road and you’re a goner. Just don’t take his Galibier descent as an example cause that will eventually go wrong badly

[@filippopogacar]

I’ve already seen this one

[@MaTtYc0270270]

My tip is to just pretend your in an f1 car, cut corners, hit apex and just pray there’s not a car coming the other way 😂

[@ciprianclint]

Wait until Durian's head explodes!!!! Disc brakes are better for descending

[@gokaygs]

Oh my did he say 28 mm tires are good? Has that noob been watching gcn at all? Wider the better noob!

[@lemagnitio72]

Tom is amazing at riding a bike. Not so good at being interviewed. Don't think he'll get a job as a commentator when he retires from riding.

[@nezinot123]

he's just a bit thick, that's ok

[@dh7314]

Wiggins wasn’t a lot better but he’s improved

[@Richard-me6eq]

Nailed it. He is better at cycling😅😅

[@dblissmn]

He's only 24 and he's from Yorkshire.....give him some time.

[@nezinot123]

@@dblissmn aye but he’ll still be a Yorkshireman in 10years

[@daviddawn9043]

No thanks I will eat custard creams instead

[@Ystadcop]

.............. and my next comment will be from A&E.

[@warthogOP]

First

[@CG-99]

It’s like dumb and dumber this video…..silly questions and very vague answers.

[@ciprianclint]

To be honest , a very very poor conducted interview

[@99cya]

descending is overrated. just go the speed you feel comfortable. not being a pro has that luxury.