Controlled braking means not only more confidence on the road, but it can actually improve your overall speed. – By Brian Fiske

Braking is one of those things that is so easy – you squeeze the levers, the pads hit the rims, you slow down and eventually the bike stops – that, like breathing, we tend not to think about it unless we’re forced to. But just as controlled breathing can ease tension and stress, controlled braking can not only get you out of hairy situations safely, it can actually improve your overall speed.

“I don’t know if braking has helped me win a race,” says 2005 USPRO road champion and avid mountain biker Chris Wherry (Toyota-United), “but it has saved my life a couple of times.” Knowing how and when to brake can keep you from getting tangled up in a crash, help you stay in control in tight corners and even keep the people around you safe should you get a flat at speed during your next group ride. Here’s Wherry’s advice for the best way to scrub speed and save your skin.

1. Be Ready To Brake

“Stand, grab both brakes and get your weight back, all at once,” says Wherry. “It’s one simultaneous move.” Remember to keep your elbows bent, as well-locked arms make you far less capable of steering away from danger.

2. Stick To The Road

Hard braking pushes your weight forward, which gives the front tyre plenty of traction (and, thus, stopping power) while unweighting the rear, making it more likely to slide – and when it slides, it won’t slow you down efficiently and may cause you to lose control of your bike. “When you feel your back wheel slide, let up on the brakes for a millisecond to let it regain traction,” Wherry explains. “I equate it to pumping the brakes when your car is sliding on ice or snow.” On-bike antilock braking aside, with your weight back, you can hit the front brake harder than you can the rear – just short of locking it up without getting pitched over the bar.

3. Stay Clipped

Although the natural response to a scary situation is to clip out of your pedals, you’re much better off staying clipped in. “What it really comes down to is keeping your weight back,” Wherry says. “If you clip out, chances are you’ve already moved your weight forward, and then you aren’t going to slow down as quickly.” Wherry’s exception to the rule: when the foot you’re clipping out is going to see you through a turn. “There have been times,like in extreme turns, when I’ve slowed down enough, but I wouldn’t have made it out again unless I had my foot out like an outrigger,” he explains.

4. Look For An Exit

It’s hard to train yourself to look away from the crash that happened right in front of you or at the car that’s backing up into your path, Wherry says, “but if you get the bike into a controlled slowdown as you’re looking for a way out, you can usually steer your bike into a safe area.”

5. Sit Up And Drift

If you flat in the middle of a pack, don’t panic. Simply stop pedalling – stay off the brakes, sit up and coast to a stop. And try to keep your bike going in as straight a line as possible. “Any time you turn with a flat, your chances of going down are high,” Wherry says.

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