confidence

docker0141

i broke my arm a while back and it took me longer than i expected to get my confidence back.

how long did it take you guys to get your confidence back after an injury?

andyonwight

Was involved in an accident whilst out cycling on the road at the end of August and have only just got back on. Broke my wrist and even now it can be a bit tender, to build the confidence up I am just using local cycle paths which in turn will build the fitness back up.

I think you just have to go slowly into things as you wll be suprised at how out of touch you are.

stumpyjon

It's quite common to lose confidence after a bad crash. Just don't push it, it'll come back slowly, can take longer than you think, worry too much and it'll make it worse.

SiLanc

I'd use green routes or fire roads depending on course on where you live. If it's easy enough for Mum and Dad plus one then you'll find it very reassuring I imagine. I have had a few spills and, fortunately for me, I haven't been in a situation where I was unable to quickly get on the bike and get riding again before I thought about things too much. Obviously in this situation it is essential that before you jump back on you check everything, and I mean everything, is in good shape on the bike and in working order.

Once you are happy riding around on the fire roads\green routes why not practice some very slow speed riding over uneven ground to get your balance back up to speed...I don't mean rock gardens, just rough ground with a few very simple roots to hop over or a tricky tree stump to negotiate. Practice doing track stands and bunny hopping over things too...cover your basic skills and you'll probably feel like you're back in control in no time.

I've bent a few wheels to 45 degrees so they look like a boomerangs before now but aside from a few trips over the high side, the odd fall due to being clipped in, as bad as it got was hitting a very large boulder head first two weeks after buying my first helmet which I remember feeling like a complete pussy buying at the time. I look at people who ride on the road or trail without a lid and it makes me shudder!

You'll be fine, just get back to basics.

Si