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giro wet descent.pngA lesson in how not to descend wet roads
Most of us will have experienced it at some point – a dicey moment on a tricky descent in the wet that results in a sudden loss of nerve. So there’s bound to be a certain amount of sympathy among amateur riders for FDJ.fr’s Alexander Geniez, who had what can only be described as a nightmare on yesterday’s Giro d’Italia Stage 12.
The 27-year-old was out alone at the front of the race on the testing descent from Crosara, struggling to keep upright due to a combination of the filthy weather and a dodgy surface that is far from unusual on Italian back roads.
The Frenchman’s travails caused Eurosport commentator Rob Hatch to observe to Sean Kelly that there was “more clipping and unclipping than on the morning commute,” before the unfortunate rider overshot a corner for good, managing to avoid a family with a child and a man with a dog.
Geniez wasn’t the only rider to have problems on that descent yesterday – others can be seen behind him trying to cope with its problems, while Orica-GreenEdge’s Simon Gerrans crashed, and while he completed the stage he was missing from the start this morning.
In 2013, on another rain-soaked Giro stage, Sir Bradley Wiggins struggled after crashing as the road went downhill.
The then Team Sky rider, who exited the race a few days later with a knee injury, came under criticism afterwards for saying he had descended “like a bit of a girl.”
We have sympathy for poor Alexander Geniez though, descending in any conditions can be fraught with risk. If you're watching that video and thinking you could do with improving your descending technique, GCN has some useful tips to improve your skills and help you descend safely and in control in the video above.
Simon joined road.cc as news editor in 2009 and is now the site’s community editor, acting as a link between the team producing the content and our readers. A law and languages graduate, published translator and former retail analyst, he has reported on issues as diverse as cycling-related court cases, anti-doping investigations, the latest developments in the bike industry and the sport’s biggest races. Now back in London full-time after 15 years living in Oxford and Cambridge, he loves cycling along the Thames but misses having his former riding buddy, Elodie the miniature schnauzer, in the basket in front of him.
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13 comments
Good to see practical hints and not just the crashes!
Nothing wrong with speedway cornering... if you get away with it.
Sky reportedly switched to Continental tyres to help with bad weather traction. Just as well they've not lost time to tyre problems like punctures, eh?
Geniez needs serious work on his descending/cornering skills.
Number one skill for riding a bike is how to handle your bike- in all conditions. You can be the best climber, the best sprinter, all-arounder etc...but if you cannot corner properly, it's time to go back to training wheels
Hands down the best descenders are the former mtb'ers, bmx'ers and cyclocross riders. Pure roadies usually never have the same skills. And when crunch time comes...their lack of good handling skills bites them right in their skinny asses...
Oops yes, Rob Hatch, thanks to those who pointed that out.
Noticed after today's stage that Geniez is now one place above Richie Porte on GC ...
Been a cracking Giro so far, even a flat sprinter stage suddenly has consequences for the GC. Somehow Uran is back in things but Porte will have to do an amazing job to claw this back.
Excessive tyre pressures perhaps?
The lead rider was initially quick but after a few twitches lost all confidence then astana came by showing how it should be done.
Astana going off the course at 0:09
I'm surprised that we don't see more riders unclipping, putting their foot down and sliding the bikes round bends Speedway style.
Bonus style marks if you can get the front wheel facing forwards as you broadside the bike round.
Drift-King Stylee on full opposite lock...
full lock.jpg
Was one of the camera bikes leaking oil?! In the first clip the Astana guys following him overshoot it as well!
As for commentators, I haven't caught much of it but some highlights I saw last week had Carlton Kirby and Rob Hatch, which makes me think maybe they're rotating the lineup with Sean Kelly?
Anything but Sherwin and Liggett, I really hope they finally boot those clowns off the TdF coverage but I can't see it happening.
Yes, it is Rob Hatch on Eurosport (thank goodness).
Isn't it Rob Hatch with Sean Kelly on Eurosport for the Giro?