Fear of descending

gallybander

Spent all last year trying to overcome my fear goin downhill,had a bad crash in 2009 which involved major shoulder surgery and lots of physiotherapy, then fell badly on Mahon Falls on the SKT in Waterford and hurt the other shoulder.I realise i have huge anxiety about descending, never used to have before and it is really affecting my cycling enjoyment, not to mention losing so much time, any one any advice ?:eek:

velo.2010

Christ, reading this brings back memories for me. Similar to you I had a major crash only last year. Surgery, physio, months off the bike etc. And yes when I came back I had the fear when it came to descending/cornering in the wet. I actually crashed in greasy conditions on a roundabout though it was probably more my own fault than the surface. Anyway, when I returned, I bottled it a couple of times going down wet and unfamiliar descents on club spins or by myself.

I've tried to improve, and have sort of, by going out in the wet weather and trusting the bike more. Better in the dry though no world beater. I still take care in wet conditions and try to avoid any dodgy downhills that frankly wouldn't be included in any race or sportive.

Basically perserverance. Getting out on a regular basis and getting use to your bike. Maybe go to an empty carpark and practise your cornering and moving on to a descent your familiar with. Also, you don't need to be a hero on a descent. Look at the response to that mad video of a crazy descent that was posted in the 'Campervan' section.

thebouldwhacker

Try mountain biking, as it can be quite technical I think it teaches great bike skills which are easily transferred to the road and if you fall off (usually) its a lot more forgiving than hitting tarmac. I found it gave me great confidence when I started out. I'm not the best decender but I hold my own. Also hit YouTube, some good clips there on the technical aspects of bends. Best of luck!

Dr.Millah

I feel you pain man, I had a bad crash over the summer coming down from sally gap in the lashing rain and ended up bouncing off a car.

Cycling in the wet now with any speed and corner freaks me out, I have been doing the dog on bikes since I first started cycling when i was 6 or 7 and had full trust in everything I did, now it feels like its a new experience and I dont know how much grip I have.

I like the mountain biking suggestion as I used do alot of this also, will be going back to it now soon so will have to see how this goes. All I think is that with enough time the trust in the bike and yourself will build back up to a point where you feel fine. Hopefully anyway

Columbia

I understand it, I also had a huge crash a few years ago, which was actually in a sprint, not on a descent. My chain snapped while I was sprinting and I went flying over the handlebars. Still a nervous descender and sprinter to this day.

My advice is to get a good pair of sticky tires, they might just give you confidence, especially in the wet.

morana

I honestly dont think an amateur you can do much about it. I had a crash 5 years ago broken CB and its only now I feel like I am back to what I used to be.

Dont use the front brake when cornering.
try slow down before you enter the corner esp in wet.
Sit down head up look at the exit

its just a bit of time

bcmf

Have a look at the video I posted on page 56 of The Camper Van. It wont help you

Seriously though:
I find that if you look at the road ahead (say 10 -20 mtrs) your bike will follow the line you look at.

Dont fight the bike and relax.

Find out how you are most comfortable steering the bike: Hands on the hoods or in the drops. People will tell you different things about how your hand position affects handling but everybody is different.

Steer with your body by leaning and not 'steering'.

Learn how to brake. Feather the brakes rather then jump on. Scrub the speed as needs be by braking gently before the corner and using the the speed to exit the corner.

Learn the limit of your tyres.

HTH

gallybander

Its' not for the want of practice, I logged 4,000 miles on the bike last year, thats a lot of replacement brake pads and whitened knuckles.

fat bloke

Don't mean to be smart, but you if you don't go up, you won't need to come down. No solace to you of course if you live on the top of a hill, but you could just do less hills .

Other than that you could maximise your actual grip by using grippy or wet weather specific tires. They'll wear quicker and stuff but should feel a lot better and might instill some confidence. I think the mountain bike suggestion thing is good too. Would get you used to cycling in low grip conditions, and at relatively lower speeds, though it still hurts when you come off!

I've had a few motorcycle accidents and I only ride pushbikes now, but I've also given up on downhill speed thrills. Prefer to concentrate on riding uphill as fast as I can, and just riding sensibly down the other side. I don't have the kind of distrust and fear that you describe but simply slowing down, and avoiding very steep, precipitous or dodgy surfaced descents should ameliorate the problem to some extent I would have thought.

Best of luck.

Leroy42

Used to be a far better descender than I am now. Once it gets wet all bets are off for me. Also a few crashes didn't help.

I think as well as the 'fear' of crashing, I have more to worry about now. Back in school I was invincible, the whole point of going uphill was to go back down as fast as possible. Now I have a family, job, etc etc etc.

As already pointed out we are just amateurs, so the fact that we take it a bit easy on the way down is nothing to fret about. If going that little bit slower than the guys around you makes you feel safer then so be it.

I think the best way to overcome your fear is to find a team mate etc who is a good descender and try to copy them. Try to keep as close to them as possible, follow their lines etc. Each time you follow them try to last a bit longer.

It was worked, to a certain extent for me. I am still nowhere near as fast as I used to be, but I still enjoy a good downhill and now stay within my limits. It takes time, and practice. Don't try to force it. If you feel able to push a bit, then do so, if not then hold off till next time.

12 sprocket

gallybander wrote: »

Spent all last year trying to overcome my fear goin downhill,had a bad crash in 2009 which involved major shoulder surgery and lots of physiotherapy, then fell badly on Mahon Falls on the SKT in Waterford and hurt the other shoulder.I realise i have huge anxiety about descending, never used to have before and it is really affecting my cycling enjoyment, not to mention losing so much time, any one any advice ?:eek:

THis is a very natural and common reaction to bad falls and crashes. THe good news is it can be improved and overcome. One of the more effective way to tackle this problem is to use some visualisation techniques preferably with the guidance of a sports psychologist. THe pictures riders minds after bad fallls are often very negative when descending or cornering as in you can nearly see yourself falling this creates tension in the muscles which leads to less control on the bike and more fear..

Visualisation can really help this, by relaxing in a comfortable place at home and seeing yourself calmly descending and cornering etc along with some practical descending sessions as suggested by some of the board members should be helpful.. Information on visualistaion can be found on the internet or get a good sports psychology book Prof Aiden Moran of UCD has writen a few very good ones and you could probably source a sports psychologist through the UCD Dept of Psychology.

gmoorewest

This can be really debilitating. Need to tackle it to stop it taking over, as it can. Visualisation is a good way to go, but if you find it's not enough, a trip to a Sports Psychologist or a Cognitive Behavioural Therapist can be the answer. Was in the same situation myself last year and will need to talk about it with someone if it's the same this year. Towards the end of the year I was quicker going up hill than down. Visualisation has worked as I'm looking forward to getting out, we'll see how it goes. Definitely tackle it head on. If it was a pain in your knee you would be straight to a physio.