Tires vs Technique

I rode at Pontiac Lake on Thursday night. I was thinking it would rain all weekend, so I wanted to take advantage of the good weather. I'd been feeling like I was reasonably fit on the group rides I was doing. I don't know if it was the trail, or because I was riding faster by myself, or what, but I'm not as fit as I thought. I definitely felt worse riding than I usually do when I have "mid-season" fitness. To be expected I guess...

I've still been using my Hutchinson Python tires. They probably won't become my favorites, but they're really not too bad. The tread pattern reminds me of my Michelin Mud cyclocross tires. Anyway, using them has gotten me thinking about how my technique has improved. A couple years ago, I probably would have crashed a few times already on these tires, particularly in some of the muddy and sandy conditions I've been riding in. This year, no problem so far. The difference is that I'm doing a much better job of loading the tires in the corner and staying on top of my bike (leaning my bike more than my body). If you do that, even if the tires slip a little, it's no problem...