Talk to me about tires and cornering techniques

[velogirl]

Lower psi is definitely better. Try this next time you race. On your first pre-ride lap, put a higher pressure in the tires. By higher, I mean 45-50 in clinchers and 40-45 in tubulars. See how much you slide around. On your next lap, take some air out and see if your bike handles better. I highly recommend getting a little tire pressure gauge. Once you find the psi you like, check the pressure with a gauge and see what it is. That's where you want to start for the next course (similar terrain).

Typically you want to run your psi as low as you can without pinch flatting (clinchers) or bottoming out (tubulars).

Of course, differents types of courses and different terrain will warrant different tire and psi choices, but for the most part, the biggest mistake new racers make is running too much psi.