 Stage 14: Rapid Descent Preserves Yellow Jersey
Lance Armstrong has regained the gleam in his eye, and with it, the power in his legs. When we talked before the start of Stage 14, he was upbeat, confident, and ready to go. Having dipped deeply into his reserves to get through his dehydration ordeal, and with another mountain stage looming tomorrow, Lance's goal today was to stay close to Jan Ullrich, keep the yellow jersey, and conserve as much energy as possible.
Heading up the final climb of the day, Alexander Vinokorouv attacked Armstrong and Ullrich, as he said he would, and went off in search of a yellow jersey. Neither Lance nor Jan jumped with the attack, but Ullrich did crank up the pace in the final few kilometers of the Col de Peyresourde. Lance looked good following the German's wheel, he looked like he had a lot left in his legs, and that's very encouraging.
When Armstrong and Ullrich crossed the summit of the Peyresourde, the gap to Vinokorouv was 55 seconds. By the finish line it was down to 42 seconds and it was clear that all three men pushed their limits on the descent.
We're going to see a lot of fireworks tomorrow on the last summit finish of the 2003 Tour de France. But since we're just going to have to wait and see how things turn out tomorrow, today's finish reminded me about the importance of descending skills. When Jan Ullrich won the Tour de France in 1997, he was fortunate he could climb and race well against the clock, because he was terrible descending in the mountains. While descending doesn't appear to be his favorite pastime to this day, he has learned how to go downhill quickly and safely.
Lance Armstrong has always been a very good and aggressive descender, and it's important to understand that this doesn't mean he's reckless or a daredevil. Rather, strong descenders are smart, know their limits, and stay within them (barely).
To gain confidence, stability, and speed on descents, there are a few principles everyone should understand about going downhill:
1. Think and look far ahead. Traveling at 60 mph, you cover approximately the length of a football field (300 feet) every 3.4 seconds. With corners, rocks, potholes, etc. coming at you that quickly, you have to pick your lines early.
2. Brake before the corners. Almost all of your braking should be done before you enter a corner so you are complete control of your speed. If you go into a corner too hot, grabbing a fistful of brakes will send you sliding off the road.
3. Look through the corner. Your bike goes where your eyes are pointed, so look through to the exit of the corner. Don't focus on the potholes or the slick, melted tarmac unless that's where you want your wheels to go.
4. Plant your weight on your outside foot. To corner safely, you need your center of gravity to remain over your tires and your weight distributed appropriately across both wheels. With your body weight planted on the pedal facing the outside of the corner, you're increasing the traction your tires have on the road.
5. Lean your bike and not your body. This is relative. When you ride into a corner, both your body and bike lean to the inside of the turn, but you should lean the bike more than you lean your body. To do this, plant your weight on your outside leg and extend the arm facing the inside of the corner. As you extend your inside arm, you'll notice the bike drops into the corner and your body weight feels like it is divided between your outside leg and your inside arm. This is a very stable position, it provides a lot of traction, and enables you to see further ahead to the next turn.
While many men have built their cycling reputations on their ability to climb mountains, few distinguish themselves with their descending skills. There is a limit to how fast you can safely descend, and groups almost always reform when the road levels out, so phenomenal descending skills won't give you nearly as much advantage as phenomenal climbing power. One man whose descending skills set him apart from the pack is 2002 Giro d'Italia winner, Paulo Salvodelli. "Il Falco" (The Falcon) as he is nicknamed, has been known to wipe out two-minute deficits on steep twisting descents. Lance Armstrong and Jan Ullrich didn't need to descend like "Il Falco" today, but they accomplished their goals with solid descending skills and kept Alexander Vinokorouv in third place overall.
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