You never want your bike to slide sideways down a hill on an off-camber section, but watch any cyclocross race, and you’ll know that's easier said than done—especially in muddy conditions. To keep the rubber side down, Cyclocross pro Meredith Miller offers these tips:
Attack Position
“You always want to be in the attack position—elbows out!” Miller says. Attack position simply means being ready: elbows and knees slightly bent, head up, ready to react. On a cyclocross bike, your arms and legs are your suspension, so keeping them primed on off-camber terrain means you’ll be able to absorb whatever comes your way, which can help you maintain traction.
Think About your Feet
As you enter the corner, the most stable position is with your feet at three and nine o’clock, Miller says. But as you begin to lean into the turn, put your outside foot down (at six o’clock), and move your inside foot up (at twelve o’clock). Not only does this help you avoid clipping your inside pedal on the ground as you lean the bike into the turn, but it extends the contact patch of your tires by channeling all of your weight into your wheels—again helping to maximize traction.
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Don’t Take The Line for Granted
“In off-camber sections, you have to be able to pick the right line,” Miller says. A lot of times in cyclocross, if there’ve been races before yours, you can see lines that have been burned into the ground. But Miller cautions racers to look beyond the most-traveled path. “The course conditions might have completely changed,” she says. “When you’re pre-riding, keep your head up and look around. The first line you see might not be the best."
Brake Ahead
“Generally, you want to brake and scrub speed before an off-camber corner,” Miller says. The key to off-camber corners is to maintain a constant speed—drastically speeding up or slowing down will change your traction, and can send you sliding sideways. Once you’re in the corner, you may want to feather the brakes a little, but generally you should be able to ride through it without braking and maintain control.
