What’s the best way to take a turn? In a race situation, you take the start in the best possible shape and with the best possible equipment. But there’s more to racing than that: taking a corner to perfection is essential to get the maximum out of your fitness and your bike.

Richard Bryne knows all about bike handling from his background as an athlete and coach of numerous top athletes. Along with the Speedplay pedals, Bryne invented the first aero bars and the first aero bike, making him an expert of how little details are not just details. Bryne: “My ambition has always been to optimize things, whether with a mechanical device, a technique or a plan.  Along with supporting the team as a pedal sponsor I felt a duty to share my expertise in bike handling with them as well.

“The fundamentals of cornering are hard to learn on your own, which is why I was so keen to give this class to the RADIOSHACK NISSAN TREK riders that are at the training camp. The hardest part is the speed, because I’m asking the riders to go beyond their comfort zone.

"How to control your bike, at which point to enter and exit a turn are easy questions when you’re going 25 kilometres per hour. Once you reach 45, 60 km/h or even more in a descent, it gets really complicated. We really took them to the edge of their ease.

“It’s all about building towards their threshold”, Bryne continues. “Every corner has a maximum speed and you have to develop a feel for it. If you brake more than is needed, you lose too much kinetic energy and have to do a big effort to return to the speed you had before the turn.”

Doesn't all this sound a bit like you don’t have to slow down in a corner? Bryne: “There are many factors that come in play to determine if you have to brake, and how much. You have to get the biggest radius possible in a corner, because it allows the highest speed.

“I’m hoping the riders got something out of it. The reactions were very positive and they had fun, which is important. Let’s hope they think about what they learned once they’re at the races.”