# What is meant by a "technical descent"?



## mikefm101 (Feb 18, 2009)

I keep hearing this on VS cycling coverage and I am not sure what that implies. Presumably a descent with lots of sharp turns, but I thought I'd ask here. 

Thanks....Mike


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## Hank Stamper (Sep 9, 2009)

Pretty much. Not necessarily shap turns though. If the road is narrow the turns don't have to be sharp at all to make it technical.


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## mohair_chair (Oct 3, 2002)

Generally, it's one where you have to work your body to get down it, rather than relaxing and coasting.


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## Wookiebiker (Sep 5, 2005)

It can mean different things...A technical descent can have one or more of the following:


Lots of tight turns and accelerations
High Speeds
Bad roads
Off camber turns
Narrow roads (strings out the peloton)
Road obstructions (center columns, roundabouts, etc.)
Steep drop offs or cliffs (no where to go if you do mess up)

So it's not just a twisty road that can create a technical descent...lots of things come into play.


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## JCavilia (Sep 12, 2005)

They pretty well summed it up. You could look at it the other way. A descent that's NOT "technical" would have wide roads with good pavement, few obstacles or dangers on the roadside, relatively few turns, and what turns there are would be fairly wide and properly banked. As mohair said, you could mostly tuck and coast, and pedal hard when it gets flatter, without having to pay much attention to maneuvering the bike.


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## waldo425 (Sep 22, 2008)

Wookiebiker said:


> It can mean different things...A technical descent can have one or more of the following:
> 
> 
> Lots of tight turns and accelerations
> ...


This. Also, steep grades.


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## kbwh (May 28, 2010)

*Example*






The Poggio will be descented at race speed this coming Saturday.


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## Rhymenocerus (Jul 17, 2010)

Any decent where there is a chance of death from going over a cliff is a technical descent to me.


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## kmunny19 (Aug 13, 2008)

kbwh said:


> The Poggio will be descented at race speed this coming Saturday.


I suppose you could call that technical! Its like Lombard Street in San Francisco, only narrow, curvy , and steep.


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