in pro racing: bike computer map/routing to see severity of corners as heading down mountain?

[bbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbb]

I've watched the Tour de France a few times in the past on and off. A recurring thought still holds: As they're descending down some mountain side with blind corners, commentators make comments along the lines of, the motorbikes ahead are useful, you can see their brake lights, comments about how the riders are completely blind to the corners etc., but bike computers for goodness sake?! They never mention that. My very old Garmin Edge 200 and 500 both have that simplified route, breadcrumb I think it's called, view. If you have it set to a fixed magnification you can surely use that to gauge the severity of corners? Maybe I'm wrong, but it seems that could be useful. And if it is, surely that's what riders do?

 

[Jody]

You'd have to be nuts to lean a bike on the limit based on a sat nav. They might be useful for really sharp corners that could catch you off guard but not much beyond that.

 

[Sittingduck]

I would doubt they have the map screen enabled on the head unit. Almost certainly just some core data fields, e.g. PWR 3 seconds, maybe HR, some zones info, duration etc.

 

[cyberknight]

really important / dicey areas will have been visited and ridden by some of the team or driven by the DS at a minimum .
The teams also have cars ahead of the race to radio anything they might spot thats dodgy but its still down to the riders to know how hard they can push it , sometimes they get it wrong

 

[cougie uk]

I've never used the Garmin to judge what a corner is like. It does beep at sharp corners but there's a thousand types of sharp corner.

I don't see them of use for judging how to take bends.

 

[bbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbb]

OK, just a thought.

 

[Ridgeway]

On a descent I’m looking as far forward as possible and not at my head unit. Factor in other cyclists, a few cars and then the odd camera bike and i guess it’s the last thing on a cyclist mind.

 

[I like Skol]

On a descent I’m looking as far forward as possible and not at my head unit. Factor in other cyclists, a few cars and then the odd camera bike and i guess it’s the last thing on a cyclist mind.

This^^^^

No time for looking down at a GPS display when you are flat out on the edge!

 

[DCLane]

Team radio from the DS plus warnings in the road book and recce's.

 

[cougie uk]

Team radio from the DS plus warnings in the road book and recce's.

Yes on the Never Strays Far podcast with Ned Boulting and Millar and Kennaugh - the DS is even going as far as telling the riders in a TT when to use the tri bars and when to come out of the tuck for trickier corners. That's some responsibility.

 

[Specialeyes]

I’m sure I read somewhere this year of a pro crediting their success in a race to being able to look ahead on the gps while descending… but of course now I can’t find it!

 

[figbat]

I use a satnav on my motorbike exactly like this - I can gauge what the corner might be like but also what’s coming after the corner: a long straight I can pin it onto or another corner. Of course I ride the road as I find it, but have at least some idea of what to expect. I’ve never been descending fast enough on the bicycle in an unfamiliar area to warrant this though.

 

[bbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbb]

I’m sure I read somewhere this year of a pro crediting their success in a race to being able to look ahead on the gps while descending… but of course now I can’t find it!

It wasn't Tom Pidcock was it by any chance? His descending was amazing, put down to previous mountain bike or cyclo-cross experience by the commentators.

 

[Ming the Merciless]

I certainly use a gps track at night on Audax’s to look at the bends ahead on descents. I don’t use it to assess severity as such, just more where the bends are coming up or where it’s straight and I can let the bike run for a while. Still keep an eye as far down road as possible.

 

[matticus]

I’m sure I read somewhere this year of a pro crediting their success in a race to being able to look ahead on the gps while descending… but of course now I can’t find it!

Yup - pretty sure I heard it too.
I was a little sceptical - as I've heard pros talk nonsense nearly as often as amateurs! - but I can see how it could be of help from time-to-time.
- Course recces are never perfect - and in most GTs they only recce key stages.
- Team radio? Well it sometimes fails, and the DS can't be commentating on every riders' experience all the time.
- the main instance would be a looong straight/gentle curve where you hit huuge speeds (let's say in the 50mph+ zone), and there is actually note-worthy corner coming up. You could go full tuck, off the levers, relax for quite a while, then have full attention when you need it.

Maybe.