Downhill Fear

Dan Smernicki

Hello,
I came a cropper a couple of months back (entirely my own fault - a combination of steep gradient, greasy roads and daft braking) and I've found I've developed a morbid fear of riding down hills (Don't laugh).
Short of never riding down another serious incline ever again (the path to ruin, some very dull riding, and the top of Alpe d'Huez), what can I do to sort myself out? And has anyone else ever had this? I suffer from Vertigo and it's a similar feeling - the sensation that my bike is drifting out from underneath me when I know it's not.
All suggestions gratefully received,
Cheers,
Dan

nicklouse

have a read of this.

http://www.bikeradar.com/forum/viewtopi ... nhill+fear

fossyant

Practice - find some quiet descents that may be short and build confidence that way. It's natural for this fear to kick in - I back off these days a little as....... 1. I don't want to smash my bike, 2. I have work to go to..... Getting hurt doesn't really come that high up !

jpembroke

Do you use your drops? I ask because I have 3 mates who pretty much refuse to use theirs regardless of the steepness of the incline. Watching them descend steep hills, gripping those brake hoods with white knuckles, is just painful.

Rob Sallnow

Dan Smernicki wrote:

Hello,
I came a cropper a couple of months back (entirely my own fault - a combination of steep gradient, greasy roads and daft braking) and I've found I've developed a morbid fear of riding down hills (Don't laugh).
Short of never riding down another serious incline ever again (the path to ruin, some very dull riding, and the top of Alpe d'Huez), what can I do to sort myself out? And has anyone else ever had this? I suffer from Vertigo and it's a similar feeling - the sensation that my bike is drifting out from underneath me when I know it's not.
All suggestions gratefully received,
Cheers,
Dan

You're lucky...I wish mine had been my own fault as I could say 'don't make that mistake again and take it easy on greasy descents and I''ll be fine'.... my morbid fear of descending came from my steel fork suddenly parting company with the steerer. And although it only happened at 12mph up a country lane the vivid imagination of what would have happened either a couple of miles earlier or later when I would have been flying down hills meant my top speed since it happened 7 years ago is about 29mph, down from my best ever of 52mph years before. My added problem is that it affects my speed on the flat too. At it's worst about four years ago on a bumpy but shallow decent of half a mile or so I got off and walked it. I'm better now though....I tackle it at an exhilerating 15mph

Fab Foodie

Dan
A lot of excellent advice proffered. Descending is about confidence primarily and technique, fortunately both can be easily improved by practice. Descending has never been my strong point but I made a conscious effort this year to improve as I was heading to the edge of the Pyrenees this year and wanted to do them some justice.

I began on a hilly club run and simply tried to follow other riders, watch their lines, body positions and their speeds...If I could not keep-up it was not because of any technical limitation, just my own mentality, that hill could be ridden at that speed, I just had to build-up my confidence gradually. A particular steep twisty down-hill had me feathering the brakes all the way down...so I made a loop to do it over and over again....each time a bit faster until no brakes at all and I hurtled down at a splendid 42 mph with a big grin.
So far so good, but my first Pyrenees descent had me scarily hauling on the anchors again until I again built confidence to let the bike run and trust the brakes!!!!

I think trusting the bike's capabilities and letting it run is a big part and the other lesson is about looking down the road to the next bend and not just ahead of the front of the wheel and the bend you're in.
Having practiced descending from the beginning of the season, Mt.Ventoux last month became an average 40 mph blast and some of the most exciting 22 minutes I've ever experienced.

Keep practicing, the fear will go and the speed will increase.

redddraggon

It helps to know the descent, then you know when you need to brake, and when you don't need to. I'm always a bit nervous when I'm coming down a hill I don't know, so I'm a bit heavier on the brakes than I need to me.

nolf

Find a well surfaced hill, with a shallowish downhill.

It being well surfaced (non gravelly!!!!!!) I find makes a bigger difference to my confidence than steepness (unless like 1 in 3 or something) or how straight the road is.

Then go up and down that hill a whole number of times.

Call it hill training.

Then practice taking the decent.
First 2 times just take it easy, sit up, brake just before any corners, take it slow
Second 2 times, brake less
3rd 2 times, get into a more aerodynamic position
4th 2 times- Try going on the drops and minimising braking.

Once you can do this on 1 hill you'll be surprised how your confident goes up on other hills as you see similarities.

After a while you can have a go at resting your hands on the top of your handlebars, place your chin on top of them, and get your bum down on the top tube with your knees wrapped around the forks.

Can't really describe it but it's hellishly fast