Confidence On Bike After Injury

mph323

This was going to be a post titled "Strengthening Back Muscles For Cycling" but I had a freak accident on Sat, broke my elbow, and will be off the bike for about 8 weeks. I just got back on the bike after being off for over a year with a (non-cycling related) broken foot, and my confidence in my balance was destroyed. After working through it with the help of a bike clinic on balance and a lot scary practice I was doing really well, had even signed up for a metric century at the end of the month (I signed up on Fri. go figure) and now I'm back to square 1.

I was wondering if anyone has any tips for working through the fear when the injury is bike-related. I was having a lot of trouble getting up on the bike after stopping if I could see even a slight incline, cornering (for a while I flat-out couldn't make a left turn), riding in a group, and general ability to control the bike. I've been riding for 20 years and it's what keeps me sane, and my first thought after I fell was "I'll never ride again". I'm signing up for an easy metric in April next year so I have a goal and plenty of time to get there, but I'm afraid my head's going to keep me on the ground. Any advice would be welcome. Thanks for listening!

jagodfrey08

Honestly, from a psychology perspective, the only way to conquer this fear is to keep getting on your bike and riding. The more you reinforce the notion that you *can* ride without falling, the more your confidence will grow. Start small. Short rides in the driveway. Work up to going up to the end of your road, then around the block, then further. Your mind is what is blocking your potential. So you fell off and had a serious accident. Accidents happen, even to the most skilled cyclists. However, overcoming that fear will need determination and patience. I promise you, though, the more you ride, the more your confidence will grow. You can do this.

jagodfrey08

PS - I'm really sorry that you had to go through all that.

mph323

Thanks jagodfrey You're right, the problem's really in my mind and that's where I have to beat it. One of the things I did last time was jump right back into shorter group rides and within a few weeks was doing longer ones, and I was pretty much terrified most of the time I was riding. I really don't want to do that again - baby steps is much better.

NorthCascades

It could be that you're not ready to get back on. Maybe give it a week and reevaluate?

mph323

Sadly it'll be a couple of months before I can ride again Plenty of time to psych myself into that dangerous rider who just can't get herself up on the bike at intersections and swings out wide while braking in the middle of a corner.

NorthCascades

A couple months because you live in a place with harsh winters, or something else?

I think if you're a life-long cyclist, the want and desire will come back to you. I don't think you can help it. If the memory of what happened is too severe right now, I'd wait until your need to be on a bike is stronger than your aversion to it.

Now I could be totally wrong, like it might be that there are different kinds of people and what I'm recommending works for me but you need something else.

About a year ago I got hit pretty hard by a car on my bike, and spent a day in the ER and ICU. It was a hellish experience and I still get creeped out sometimes. I didn't ride for a while afterwards, until I just couldn't stand not riding again. I avoided where the accident happened for months after that, I still don't go near unless I have to, and it still makes me nervous. So I mostly find other routes. Some days it's harder to get on the bike and if I'm feeling really anxious, I'll do something else that day. On the whole, I still ride a lot.

_reno_

Just give it time. I took a bad spill a few years ago when I hit an unmarked speed bump. It took me most of a season to feel normal on the bike again. Maybe ride by yourself some instead of in a big group, and ride on bike paths vs roads.

I still get a little scared on screaming fast descents but mostly I am back to normal.

PennWalker

mph323 wrote: »

This was going to be a post titled "Strengthening Back Muscles For Cycling" but I had a freak accident on Sat, broke my elbow, and will be off the bike for about 8 weeks. I just got back on the bike after being off for over a year with a (non-cycling related) broken foot, and my confidence in my balance was destroyed. After working through it with the help of a bike clinic on balance and a lot scary practice I was doing really well, had even signed up for a metric century at the end of the month (I signed up on Fri. go figure) and now I'm back to square 1.

Just a question for you. You said it was a freak accident, but if you analyse it, was there anything you could have done differently, within reason, to safeguard yourself if something like that happens again?

sijomial

I used the same technique for both cycling and motorcycling....
Getting my own skill level and concentration the best I possibly can. Training and constant skills practise basically.

The accidents/incidents that were my fault were easier to overcome as I simply thought "I won't make that mistake again". I raced/crashed for ten years so had plenty of mistakes to learn from!
Those accidents that were either unexplained or caused by other people were far harder to get over mentally.

One peculiar technique used when I was training advanced motorcyclists was to get them to "flap their chicken wings" before turning into a corner to show they were relaxed on the handlebars rather than having a death-like grip and making the bike handle badly.

It's a conscious effort to use your mind to overcome your emotion.

mph323

@NorthCascades I ended up breaking my elbow so it'll be a couple of months before it heals. I'm so lucky to live in the San Francisco bay area and can cycle mostly year round. I like what you said about being a life long cyclist and the need to ride overcoming the fear. I do define myself as a cyclist and that's something important to keep in my head. Thank you!

Thanks too for sharing your recovery from being hit by a car, it must have been incredibly difficult getting back to riding in traffic. You have control over the bike but all you can do is trust that the cars stay predictable and aware.

Edited because I hit the post button too soon.

mph323

@_reno_ thanks for sharing your experience. I get a little scared on just moderately fast descents and I've never fallen on one!

mph323

@PennWalker I've been going over this in my head since Sat. I was riding along about 12 miles an hour on a suburban street with a small breeze. There was some yard waste between parked cars but I was holding my line outside the cars. My front wheel just stopped dead and I went over onto my left side still clipped in. The only thing I can figure is something stuck in my spokes or between the brake and the tire but there's no sign of it. I keep thinking I could have clipped out if I reacted more quickly but not sure if that's even true.

PennWalker

mph323 wrote: »

@PennWalker I've been going over this in my head since Sat. I was riding along about 12 miles an hour on a suburban street with a small breeze. There was some yard waste between parked cars but I was holding my line outside the cars. My front wheel just stopped dead and I went over onto my left side still clipped in. The only thing I can figure is something stuck in my spokes or between the brake and the tire but there's no sign of it. I keep thinking I could have clipped out if I reacted more quickly but not sure if that's even true.

I'm a hiker, not a cyclist, but I fell a couple of years ago, hit my head hard (which could have killed me, I guess), and got a concussion. I'm still a little timid about hiking off alone -- but I live near a national park and it's too awesome not to get out there. I analyzed why my accident happened and can take steps to prevent it from happening again. The truth is most of us do the best we can and you can't foresee everything. I think in the end it's a choice between living life or being overly careful and robbing yourself of rich experiences.

mph323

@sijomial I love the chicken wings! So true that the death grip leads to over-steering and that never ends well! Yeah I agree that accidents I bring on myself are easier to deal with - I know how to avoid them in the future.

lisaconklin957

I feel you on many levels! About a year ago I crashed on the bike portion of an Ironman triathlon and broke my leg. Devastating. Luckily (?) cold weather/winter came while I was recovering so when I got the green light to begin weight bearing I couldn't/wouldn't ride outdoors. So I hopped on my indoor trainer and hit up spin classes, which helped me mentally ease back into riding. Start small and hopefully your mind will recover as fast as your body.

meritage4

My pedals clip in on one side and are flat on the other (well at least on my mountian bike). Invest in a pair and it lets you unclip and flip the pedal for intersections, corners and other scary things.