These are 3 drills that will help you progress your cornering skill
Cornering is a multi-faceted skill with unlimited variations and it’s something you can keep improving on forever!
Just think about how many conditions a cyclocross racer would face, and then multiply that by how many bike types and styles of riding there are! Cornering a mountain bike in B.C. Canada will require different positions, braking techniques, and different tires than if you are in a more desert location like Sedona.
Like many sports, you can do isolated ‘drills’ but these should quickly be embedded into the sport. So taking your corners onto the trail or at least setting up a short course (like a short track or cyclocross race) and to get lots of corner practice but with more variability and more in context. Adding other riders and/or a timer will help make the skill and your ability more visible!
These are 3 of my favorite corner drills
- off bike lean – practice leaning the bike while holding your body position and while looking with your lean
- Leaning the bike while riding in a straight line – practice shifting your hips back and forth ( This can be setup by having a board or skinny that goes beside trees or posts so you need to lean the bike away from the tree )
- Cone Drills – Slalom and Figure-8 – these are common ‘bike drills’ but they can be made into really great training by adding in a friend (or many friends) to add some racing and speed to them, and to practice following a rider.
