Ok, who stole what little MTBing talent I had??!

miss notax

Well, after panicing that a buggered up back would affect my weekends riding, ironically that was fine but my ability to ride over rocks wasn't!!

Spent the weekend at Afan and rode The Wall Sunday evening (fab ride), and after a late start this morning we did Whites Level this lunchtime. I've ridden it god knows how many times all ok, and can tackle it pretty well these days. Except if anyone knows the bit on the first ascent, about 1/3rd of the way into it, where there's high rock on your left and the drop to your right, and you ahve to ride over a few rock slabs? Nothing too bad, but the rock on the left can be a bit off-putting (it always used to freak me out). Well, rode over that as usual but twatted my handlebars on the rock on the left, toppled over and fell down the slope landing face first to start with and rolling down :?

Bike ok (my first worry!), few knocks and scrapes on me (luckily only a few grazes on my face), legs a bit bashed and my knee a bit twisted - some nice chap shouted if I was ok and then proceded to do the same thing himself, leaving Notax and me wondering if, as I was sat there on the slope, I was now going to have someone land on top of me :? All ok though.

Anyway, carried on but completely lost ALL confidence - walked the boardwalk and the majority of the drops :oops: I rode like I had lost the last 2 years and I was back to a complete beginner

So - how do I get myself back on track? I'm still feeling very sorry for myself - although cake at the cafe afterwards did help a bit

Any suggestions?

ETA - First time i've ridden Whites on my new bike, and my bars are slightly wider on this one. I had assumed that the difference was too small to notice, but I wonder if I had got into the habit of cutting it so fine previously that the few cm increase meant me whacking them this time? I'm usually pretty good at judging gaps!!

chedabob

Everyone loses their mojo after a crash. Tread gingerly for a while, and eventually you'll forget all about it and you'll be going hell for leather

Andy B

miss notax wrote:

Well, after panicking that a buggered up back would affect my weekends riding

You'd already set yourself up with a mindset that your riding might not be up to your normal level

New bike too, which could feel different, even if you didn't consciously notice it your sub-conscience would have noticed it & it would have affected your riding.

Set yourself up with a more positive mindset & keep on riding, your mojo will return once you've found out where you are with your new bike too

jairaj

its pretty natural to feel a bit shaken up a after a crash the same thing happens with me. You get used to it after a while and the step back doesn't seem so big.

I thing I do is find an easy trail and session that to get my confidence up. Slowly stepping up technical level. Sometimes it takes a while to get it back but try not to pressure your self and relax.

Mynameisdann

Hah i certainly havent stole any talent.

mobilekat

Hope you are not too sore now!

It may well be that the achy hips etc you were suffering were not helping, I know I end up riding like a twit if I am not feeling 100%

Plus a change to your bike can take a while to get used too- I even seem to ride differently if my saddle is 1 inch out!! And as for the swearing when I wore the wrong sunglasses!
My poor OH has taken a month to get used to his new bike and much cursing was had that he would rather have his 1998 Giant back, rather than his new Whyte 905.- thankfully he is now used to his new bike and riding much better now! (this has ruined my technical climb domination!!)

Some people seem to jump on anything and ride like a dream (same on horses) and others of us take a little while to get used to change!

Go on some of your familiar rides and keep re-doing your favourite bits until your body remembers how to ride them, and gets used to the new bike.- then you can go back to using 'muscle memory' and let your brain go back to enjoying yourself!

ilovedirt

You just have to get back on the bike and call it a fluke, it's all you can do. Crashes are a part of the sport and they happen. I'm not meaning to sound harsh, but you just have to try and forget about it.

When I crash, I get up, check me and my bike are ok, and then have a good laugh, say "did you see me stack it then? was a good one!" Then get back on and carry on riding! Don't let it phase you, instead, think about why you crashed, see where you went wrong, and use it to improve your riding, rather than letting it hinder you. Usually after a crash, I'll take that section a little more gingerly than I did before, but after a few minutes of having fun riding, I'll forget i crashed and carry on. You just have to try and not let it get to you really. Everyone crashes, just laugh it off.

Mccraque

i know the exact rock you mean, Miss Notax....the very same one claimed some skin off my elbow in the summer.

New bike will def take a little time to get used to.

Stick with it and will all come flooding back next ride. Would advise to get back out as soon as you can and don't let it play on your mind!

miss notax

Thanks guys

Mccraque - judging by the number of scrapes etc on that rock, I won't be the first or last to come a cropper there!

ilovedirt - yep, you're absolutely right. I'm usually really good at picking myself up and cracking on, I think it shook me so much yesterday as falling sideways and whacking my face are my two riding phobias... I would much rather go straight down something than have a slope to the side! I guess i've also got a bit too cocky recently, I haven't come off in months and months. Lesson learnt :? :oops:

Will go out tomorrow night for a ride in the Forest - familiar territory - and hopefully get my mojo back!

popstar

Most probably it was just a freak incident. Cockiness does play it's part on your mindset therefore lapses of concetration which may I pressume lead into balance loss on those technical sections.
Speaking from my own point of view from yesterday's Afan riding where I cased out a couple of times and noticing what lapse of concetration can do to you. Getting confidence back is all about just getting back to basics and try to understand what you actually doing, by any means it's not a black magic at all. Surely after a couple of rides, you will get that sweet spot back again and all will be fine.
I scuffed many rocks with handlebars (and pedals/rock strikes) on descent of Skyline's final sections, guess I was throwing myself to the sides instead of doing it with the bike. Can't tell what OP did cos obviously didn't see it in real life. Seriously riding a bike is dead easy as long as you understand and can put all 4 core skills together, the fear then just fades away and trail will open up with horizon-less feel to it. At least those are the words of my sensei Jedi and I follow them like a bible these days now.

Miss Notax, your last pics of getting airborne looked good. Surely you did skills course then and wouldn't have any problems of getting back into -Rad style riding.

Anonymous

crashing is part and parcel of mountain biking. You can't live your riding life in constant fear of crashing or you'd never get anywhere.
Get back ont he bike ASAP.

miss notax

yeehaamcgee wrote:

crashing is part and parcel of mountain biking. You can't live your riding life in constant fear of crashing or you'd never get anywhere.
Get back ont he bike ASAP.

Yeah... I know 8)

Don't have a constant fear of crashing - was just a bit scared yesterday after that!

Back out tomorrow night

Thewaylander

To be honest,

There is little to be scared off in afan, BUt the worst thing to do i find is feel sorry for myself if i have a bad ride. I promptly scold myself intensly then head off and ride as hard as i can untill i really scared myself.

Longer people sulk about having a bad ride the more likely it is to effect the next one, I have seen that a few times.

if you look at people who are really good(and i mean way better than I) they have a certain amount of ego, often kept in check sometimes not. But it is essential to develop it somewhat and then when the day doesn't go so well your ego will hold ya up

M1llh0use

Thewaylander wrote:

To be honest,

There is little to be scared off in afan

The only bit that really worries me is the last rockgarden on the black run of whites. certainly made my bum twitch a little!

Thewaylander

all been smoothed out Mill, the black run doesn't even rate red to my mind now its so smooth and dull, I hardly even bother to ride it these days

popstar

That final section of Black Run is actually a nice techy descent. I found out that opting for line going over rocks actually went smoother and faster than the line going around them. While my riding buddies, few of them were chickening around those rock steps they certainly looked jerky on a bike and struggling big time. Think looking at your front wheel rather than where you actually want to go does play it's part.

M1llh0use

To be fair it was the first (and only) "black" that i've done. when was it smoothed out as i was there at the end of june?

Thewaylander

April-May time i think can't remember to clearly. before that it was really rocky and and technical loved it , was the only place on the trail i used to clench my butt cheeks but now

miss notax

Shame, that was the first 'black' run I ever attempted a year or so ago!!

Thewaylander

if i want to be scared i ride up machen local to me when its dry

but yeh they nuetered the boardwalk even on whites now.. its all very easy

desmojen

I fell off my local boardwalk a few weeks back, and it is taking a while for me to get comfortable with them now. I walked the big one at Whites myself on saturday. I was willing to give it a go, and egged myself on as best I could but I got to it and just imploded mentally. So I walked it.
I am sure it will come back eventually, as I am sure you will rapidly regain your own confidence. I am willing to take it as it comes though, and not push too hard, because crashing hurts!

Jen.

gb2gw

Oh no, I'm sorry you took a tumble!

It can really shake you up though can't it, especially after you've previously been riding high on a wave of self-confidence in your ability and now suddenly feel like you're back at square one again.

I totally sympathise with ending up bottling everything tricky after that and still feeling a bit wobbly today. That's pretty much what happened to me on a lot of the days riding in the alps recently - the conditions were just so wet and greasy that stuff I'd previously ridden and enjoyed became treacherous and horrid, and after a couple of rather painful bruise-inducing wipeouts I often found myself chickening out and opting for the fire road option back down rather than the mud chutes that were the downhill courses.

Can only echo what's already been said though about getting back on and coaxing your confidence back up again. It'll return for sure, but make sure you remind yourself to R-E-L-A-X when riding any tricky stuff. Being tense and rigid on the bike goes hand in hand with offs and resulting clatterage...!

Hope you start feeling better soon x

miss notax

Thanks Rosie

You're spot on with your post - it's just so frustrating isn't it :?

Definitely right about relaxing too, I came so close to coming off on silly things for the rest of the trail because I way too tense and wasn't letting the bike do it's thing. Daft really, because I know i'm doing it - I just can't get my brain and body in sych!!!

Hey ho - a nice not too challenging ride tomorrow should sort it!!!