WHO THIS IS FOR
IS THIS YOU?
The rider who slows to a crawl before every corner
You lose all your momentum through turns because you do not trust your tyres or your technique.
The racer who loses places in corners
You can climb and hold a pace but consistently lose positions to riders who carry more speed through bends.
THE ROADMAN VIEW
The Roadman view
Cornering is the most under-practised skill in amateur cycling. Riders will spend hours training their FTP but never spend twenty minutes on a quiet roundabout working on their line, body position, and braking points. The result is that corners become places where fitness gains are given back — you train hard to gain 30 seconds on a climb and then lose 20 seconds braking into every bend on the descent.
The technique is not complex. Brake on the straight, look where you want to go, weight the outside pedal. Three things. But they need to become automatic, which means deliberate practice at moderate speed before you try to carry speed through corners at race pace. Nobody learns to corner at 50 km/h — you learn at 25 and then the skill scales up.
EXPERT EVIDENCE
WHAT THE EXPERTS SAY
- Phil BurtFormer head physiotherapist, British Cycling
Cornering technique is fundamentally about managing the forces on the tyre contact patch. Weighting the outside pedal presses the tyres into the road, increasing grip. Looking through the turn keeps the body and bike aligned with the intended line. Braking in the turn reduces the tyre's available grip for turning — which is why all speed management should happen before the corner entry.
PRACTICAL APPLICATION
DO THIS WEEK
Practise the outside-pedal position on every turn
On every ride, in every corner: outside pedal to 6 o'clock, press your weight through it, inside pedal at 12 o'clock. This should become as automatic as clipping in. Practise it on gentle bends at low speed until it is reflexive.
Use a quiet roundabout for line practice
Find a quiet, flat roundabout and ride it repeatedly, focusing on entering wide, hitting the apex at the midpoint, and exiting wide. Gradually increase speed as your confidence and line consistency improve.
Identify braking markers on familiar descents
On descents you ride regularly, pick a visual marker (a signpost, a drain cover, a tree) where you begin braking for each corner. Having a consistent, pre-identified braking point removes the guesswork and lets you brake at the same place every time, building confidence through repetition.
COMMON MISTAKES
WHAT CYCLISTS GET WRONG
MISTAKEBraking mid-corner because you entered too fast.
FIXThe fix happens before the corner: set your entry speed on the straight. If you find yourself braking mid-corner, you misjudged the entry. Next time, brake 5 metres earlier. Gradual adjustment over multiple repetitions is safer than trying to fix it at speed.
MISTAKELooking at the inside edge of the road or the kerb.
FIXYour bike follows your gaze. Look at the kerb and you will track toward it. Force your eyes to the corner exit — the bike will follow a smooth, wide line without conscious steering input.
MISTAKELeaning the body with the bike rather than keeping it upright.
FIXIn most road cycling corners, the bike leans and the body stays relatively upright. This keeps your weight over the tyre contact patches. Leaning your body into the turn shifts weight off the outside tyre and reduces grip.
FAQ
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
How fast can you corner on a road bike?
Should I pedal through corners?
Does tyre pressure affect cornering grip?
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