Recovering from crash?

Elushion

I recently came of my bike while descending. I went over a wet man-hole cover in the rain and slipped. I injured myself quite badly but no broken bones, just a lot of road rash!

I now find im nervous in descents, and I slow way down for corners. This obviously is hintering my performance.

Is their anyway to regain my confidence?

cyclingjosh

Hi, sorry to hear about your recent crash. I have come off my bike a few times, with the same as you just lots of sore road rash. Its always hard to regain confidence, but just riding, even if its very slow, will build up your confidence, soon you will be flying around the bends. Its hard, but try not to think about coming off each time you hit a corner. Best of luck and speedy recovery

Cajun

You can download this eBook FREE from: http://www.roadbikerider.com/index.htm
("29 Pro Cycling Secrets for Roadies")

Riding in the Rain
Pros have to race, rain or shine. Here’s how to be a rider in the storm—and stay upright.
Pro: Ron Kiefel (7-time finisher of the Tour de France).
Secret:
“There are five key elements to riding on wet roads….
1. “Relax your arms and shoulders. If your arms are tense and you start to slide out,
you’ll crash. If you’re loose and relaxed, you can ride through a minor skid.
2. “Look ahead to the corner and plan your line. A rounded, sweeping path through
the corner is best. Abruptly laying the bike over will cause your tires to skid
unexpectedly. Watch out for lane lines, painted pedestrian crosswalks, or anything
metal—manhole covers or sewer grates. All these surfaces get extremely slippery
when they’re wet.
3. “Press hard on the outside pedal as you begin the turn. This lowers your center of
gravity and pushes the tires into the pavement for better traction.
4. “If you’re riding behind someone, you can get blinded by the roostertail of spray
thrown up from the rear wheel. Although it seems counterintuitive, the closer you are
the less spray will hit you. Farther back and you’ll get smacked right in the face. I like
to sit a bit to one side so the spray hits my shoulder.
5. “Use a helmet visor or wear a billed cycling cap under your helmet. This shield will
help keep spray out of your eyes.”

8
TIP! Ron Kiefel says, “Don’t wipe grime off your glasses with a corner of your jersey.
The road grit will scratch the lenses. Instead, give them a quick spray from your water
bottle.”
What You Can Do
Ride in the rain! That’s the only way to develop good technique. We know, we know—who wants to go out in abysmal conditions, get soaked, and then have a major bike cleaning task?
But it’s necessary if you want to feel confident when the rain is pelting down. Here are some tips to ease the pain of the rain:
Ride your beater bike. Every serious rider needs an old bike with cast-off components,
fenders, and heavy tires to use for winter training and commuting. Break out The Beast for rainy-day rides so you can spare your best bike from unnecessary wear.
Practice. Find an empty parking lot and use paper cups to set up a miniature 6-corner
criterium course. You won’t need much room. Keep corners no more than 50 feet apart.
You’ll get more practice that way and you won’t build up much speed—a benefit if you
misjudge the slipperiness of the pavement and go down.

CAUTION! When you do this or any other bike-handling drill that might result in a fall,
break out your in-line skating gear. You might feel silly riding in elbow and knee pads,
but this protection will boost your confidence. You’ll learn your limits faster. Don’t
forget protective long-finger gloves and, of course, your helmet.
Test the limits. How can you judge traction in the wet? Here’s a trick often used by pro
roadies: Roll along at a slow speed. Unclip your left foot. Turn sharply to the left while
applying the rear brake. If you start to skid, simply put down your left foot to catch yourself.
You’ll quickly discover the limit of tire traction.
EXAMPLE! In 1985, future Tour de France winner Greg LeMond hosted a cycling
camp at his home in California. It rained all night, and on the morning of the first ride
we were huddled in the parking lot waiting for Greg to arrive. Soon he rolled up,
unclipped his foot and skidded to a stop. It looked like a hockey stop on skates. He
said he did it often—as bike-handling practice, to judge a road’s slipperiness, and to
test how different tires behave when wet.
Once you’re confident of cornering in the rain, talk a couple of friends into riding with you the next time wet weather moves in. Don’t get aggressive and turn it into a race. Instead, stay in control and get comfortable having other riders around you. Get the hang of riding behind wheels without being blinded by the spray.

Blonde

All that said, I'd suggest you don't think about it all too much. I find that the more I think about how to take a nice line around a corner, how to press on which pedal, how to lean the bike etc, the less likely I am to be relaxed and to get it right. I would suggest that if you're riding with others you simply watch them take the bends and descents then follow their line, (not necessarily their speed) and it should all come naturally. Riding with others helps you to relax too, especially if you can chat whilst riding. (If not with others, singing could help you to relax and feel positive!) Being relaxed and feeling positive is the key to descending and cornering. I wish I could take my own advice though - I still sometimes get tense on descents, especially on narrow descents that are steep and gravelly or with rough surfces. DO avoid wet drain covers (and wet train lines, cattle grids etc) if possible in future though! If you must cross them, cross at right angles and do not brake, or steer/turn the bike wheel whilst crossing wet metal.

Cajun

Blonde wrote:

I still sometimes get tense on descents, especially on narrow descents that are steep and gravelly or with rough surfces. DO avoid wet drain covers (and wet train lines, cattle grids etc) if possible in future though! If you must cross them, cross at right angles and do not brake, or steer/turn the bike wheel whilst crossing wet metal.

I totally agree...if you don't recognize and prepare for the apparent mishaps, then you're likely to crash; and my worst crashes have been due to gravel I ride train-rails at 45°-90°, and like you, just keep the wheel steady. If caught in the rain, I generally let a little air out of the tyres [~80psi] of course I'm not a racer.

Elushion

Thanks for the tips guys, went on last night and my brain is now stuck in this "What if mode".

"What if I take a corner to wide"
"What if theirs gravel"
"What if i crash"