https://youtu.be/BmSu2vlFfx8

Interview of the film biker who does descents etc on that YouTube and did
Tom Pidcock’s Tuna Canyon descent.

Roger Merriman

On Tuesday, March 28, 2023 at 7:26:40 AM UTC-7, Roger Meriman wrote:
> https://youtu.be/BmSu2vlFfx8
>
> Interview of the film biker who does descents etc on that YouTube and did
> Tom Pidcock’s Tuna Canyon descent.
>
> Roger Merriman

After I recovered from my concussion and got back into climbing shape I was in my late 60's. At that time I still rode like pre-concussion. I would descend without braking 12% road grades with left and right turn chicanes. Because this was two way traffic you absolutely had to stay in your lane so these esses were so scary that no one including our master descender Mike would even try it. So I would leave the entire group half a mile back by the bottom of the descent. Then I would ride hard and hold that lead over the long straight then a series of uphill right angles and wait at the end of that road for everyone to catch up.a

At some point in my middle 70's I got a lot better sense and stopped doing that. Perhaps it was because the roads were deteriorating so rapidly or maybe I just started getting careful after Ann moved back in. Responsibility and all that you know. But I even stopped descending the 17% grade almost all out and making the sharp right into the bike lane around Rodeo Ranch. onto the 5% grade on Dublin Grade road. This was STUPID because without a bike in the bike lane the traffic would wonder in and out of that lane and coming down that fast and turning into the bike lane would give these asses sufficient warning.

One thing - I ALWAYS stayed in my lane and didn't wander too close to the edge of the road like Pidcock did in several places. He had no trouble but jumping that rubble on the road in the one place could have turned out differently.

Tom Kunich <cyclintom@gmail.com> wrote:
> On Tuesday, March 28, 2023 at 7:26:40 AM UTC-7, Roger Meriman wrote:
>> https://youtu.be/BmSu2vlFfx8
>>
>> Interview of the film biker who does descents etc on that YouTube and did
>> Tom Pidcock’s Tuna Canyon descent.
>>
>> Roger Merriman
>
> After I recovered from my concussion and got back into climbing shape I
> was in my late 60's. At that time I still rode like pre-concussion. I
> would descend without braking 12% road grades with left and right turn
> chicanes. Because this was two way traffic you absolutely had to stay in
> your lane so these esses were so scary that no one including our master
> descender Mike would even try it. So I would leave the entire group half
> a mile back by the bottom of the descent. Then I would ride hard and hold
> that lead over the long straight then a series of uphill right angles and
> wait at the end of that road for everyone to catch up.a
>
> At some point in my middle 70's I got a lot better sense and stopped
> doing that. Perhaps it was because the roads were deteriorating so
> rapidly or maybe I just started getting careful after Ann moved back in.
> Responsibility and all that you know. But I even stopped descending the
> 17% grade almost all out and making the sharp right into the bike lane
> around Rodeo Ranch. onto the 5% grade on Dublin Grade road. This was
> STUPID because without a bike in the bike lane the traffic would wonder
> in and out of that lane and coming down that fast and turning into the
> bike lane would give these asses sufficient warning.
>
> One thing - I ALWAYS stayed in my lane and didn't wander too close to the
> edge of the road like Pidcock did in several places. He had no trouble
> but jumping that rubble on the road in the one place could have turned out differently.
>
Kinda assumed that it was a closed road, certainly no cars etc unlike other
videos down.

Generally the idea is to smooth the road ie take the bend wide, and I’m
sure the idea was for it to be dramatic, which it was!

Roger Merriman

On Tuesday, March 28, 2023 at 1:08:12 PM UTC-7, Roger Meriman wrote:
> Tom Kunich <cycl...@gmail.com> wrote:
> > On Tuesday, March 28, 2023 at 7:26:40 AM UTC-7, Roger Meriman wrote:
> >> https://youtu.be/BmSu2vlFfx8
> >>
> >> Interview of the film biker who does descents etc on that YouTube and did
> >> Tom Pidcock’s Tuna Canyon descent.
> >>
> >> Roger Merriman
> >
> > After I recovered from my concussion and got back into climbing shape I
> > was in my late 60's. At that time I still rode like pre-concussion. I
> > would descend without braking 12% road grades with left and right turn
> > chicanes. Because this was two way traffic you absolutely had to stay in
> > your lane so these esses were so scary that no one including our master
> > descender Mike would even try it. So I would leave the entire group half
> > a mile back by the bottom of the descent. Then I would ride hard and hold
> > that lead over the long straight then a series of uphill right angles and
> > wait at the end of that road for everyone to catch up.a
> >
> > At some point in my middle 70's I got a lot better sense and stopped
> > doing that. Perhaps it was because the roads were deteriorating so
> > rapidly or maybe I just started getting careful after Ann moved back in..
> > Responsibility and all that you know. But I even stopped descending the
> > 17% grade almost all out and making the sharp right into the bike lane
> > around Rodeo Ranch. onto the 5% grade on Dublin Grade road. This was
> > STUPID because without a bike in the bike lane the traffic would wonder
> > in and out of that lane and coming down that fast and turning into the
> > bike lane would give these asses sufficient warning.
> >
> > One thing - I ALWAYS stayed in my lane and didn't wander too close to the
> > edge of the road like Pidcock did in several places. He had no trouble
> > but jumping that rubble on the road in the one place could have turned out differently.
> >
> Kinda assumed that it was a closed road, certainly no cars etc unlike other
> videos down.
>
> Generally the idea is to smooth the road ie take the bend wide, and I’m
> sure the idea was for it to be dramatic, which it was!
>
> Roger Merriman

That was a one way road and at the speeds bicycles go on a road like that cars usually cannot even keep up let alone pass. So it was safe enough other than the hot-rodding style of riding he was doing. On a local similar road I would drop cars but there were a lot of driveways from which cars could come without warning or even slowing in some cases, so that was one of the reasons that I slowed down.