Oxon Hill Bicycle and Trail Club

Descending takes skill and practice.  Braking, cornering, body positioning, bike positioning, looking ahead, finding a line, reacting to road conditions – these skills and more come into play on descents.  A few resources:

Articles

• Cycling Tips: Descending Hills - Bicycling Magazine's simple rules for safe descending
  
• Descending Tips – good technique for riding downhill safely
  
• Descending – technique for handling especially curvy roads 
  
• Tips for a Controlled Descent – descending considerations and simple drills to improve technique
  
• Descending Hills on Your Bike: How to - tips for getting downhill with style and grace for mountain and road cyclists
  
• Basic Principles of Descending – reviews braking, cornering, positioning, drafting & handling wet conditions on descents
• Start Smart: Improve Your Road Descending - includes pre-ride bike safety checks, plus tips on body position, relaxing, braking & group riding.

Videos

• Cycling Training: Fast Descending on a Bike – Cyclingsecrets.com's general descending advice with specific guidance on cornering
  
• How to Descend on a Road Bike: Ride Downhill Fast –6 steps for safe, fast descending
  
• Descending – Marty Jemison’s tips for descending safely
  
• How to Descend on a Road Bike – Pro tips on getting down the hill quickly and safely