Lost confidence after crash

Eyon

Anyone else suffer this?

I've been riding for 6 months, road for 2 months, and I was getting real confident, attacking corners, feeling in total control of the bike and the road, until I had a fairly major accident on a corner near my house on my daily commute which knocked me unconscious and made a bit of a mess of my face.

Now I wasnt scared to get back on the bike, after i gained sight back in my right eye once the swelling was mostly down a few days later, i was back out, but corners now scare the living daylights out of me. No longer do i lean hard into a corner, either road or off road, like i used to, i now brake and turn in like an old deary, not a wannabe racer!

I think my accident was down to loose gravel and stones on the side of the road around a corner, so now I see things like man-hole covers, potentially loose road surfaces and slow down even further. god forbid if its been raining, i might as well walk around the corner. I used to love fast corners, was the "best bit", now I feel relieved when I get to the other side!

Obviously everyone falls off, to some degree or another, so i cant be alone having lost my confidence in cornering or high speeds, and what did everyone do it get it back? Just keep riding it until it becomes easy again? And before everyone tells me to MTFU, I'm being serious here, its not a fun situation!

Ian

One Man And His Bike

It will take some time to get that zest for barreling into a corner again, you did the hardest part and got back on the bike pretty quickly which is key I think, so well done there, you did the MTFU bit so anyone venturing down that avenue can get told to STFU and come up with something constructive or original, not a generic response that means nothing.

I had a crash a few years ago after taking a corner at speed, I wasn't able to ride for a year or so afterwards as I wrecked my arm pretty good, I can't MTFU as I'm now part machine and have metalwork still in my arm so I'd get called a cheat.

I still take corners a little easier these days, even though I crashed on an MTB and am now a roadie, I consider myself happier to go into a corner with a little more caution and make it out the otherside in one piece, having done the other version where I didn't.

Everyday though a little confidence creeps back but regardless of most other things, it's going to be down to when you are ready to do what you once did, and rushing it isn't going to help I believe.

Mad Roadie

Eyon
completely understandable - I fear the day have have a big off like the one you describe, and am never gung -ho on downhill corners for exactly this reason. I just think well I will have to work that little bit harder after the bend to catch up, but I am never a race winner cyclist so what does it matter

love cycling, and fear a major accident would trash me, my bike and my confidence - with that may go the desire. For that reason I dont go out in the wet to start a ride, and give respect (too much possibly) to wet roads and dodgy corners. I have one cycling pal recovering from two broken wrists - two separate incidents - and I am waiting to see if and how he rides again. Such incidents could be the trigger for a bike sale, especially with a little pressure from the Mrs

I hope you get most of your confidence back, but in all probability learning to back off and stay upright is no bad thing

Eyon

Cheers for the responses and support gentlemen.

One Man And His Bike, sorry to hear about your crash, sounds a real nasty one. I'm also a MTBer and i tend to fall off quite often, as you do, but for some reason its never been an issue off road. I was around some local trails this weekend and just couldnt find that flow through the trees, and hitting the berms wasn't easy or natural. I'm sure this will come back, as with the road riding corners, but its so infuriating knowing I can do it, just not being able to. And also, great work on the fund raising, I like to support East Anglian Air Ambulance, so will try summon a few quid together for you.

Mad Roadie, thanks for the support too. You're right I should probably learning to back off is a good idea, but the buzz you get from hitting a corner at the exact right speed is fantastic and cant be beaten, its easier said than done to back off I guess when you are enjoying your ride. Maybe back off a little, I got off lightly with this crash, if it was a busy road it would have been a whole lot worse.

Ian

Variado

Hi Ian, sounds very familiar - I crashed in a corner late last year, bit fast on the entry, mud on road, light rain, lost the rear wheel, the usual. No serious injuries but a broken bike and badly dented confidence. I forced myself through a hundred miles or so after that once the bruising and roadrash went away and felt just like you describe, hated the bike and slowed almost to a halt through any corner like the one I crashed on. Then I gave up over the winter and started running instead.

Five months later and I got back on the bike at the start of march, at first very similar with no confidence in the corners, after 250 miles so far this month I'm starting to feel it all coming back. Not yet powering through the corners, but a decent line and sensible use of the brakes. Bit more time and I think the crash will finally be out of my mind.

So try and get back on, it'll take time but you'll get the confidence back

giant_man

Man up and get back on, the quicker you go this the quicker your confidence will return.

andrewjoseph

Riding is meant to be fun, don't make it not fun by trying to hard to do something that' still worrying you.

I came off my road bike on a silly little cyclepath and broke my arm, bits of bone everywhere. This was in september and it's still not healed enough to let me ride.

I know I'm going to be wary when I eventually do start riding, but my confidence will improve, I may not get back to where I was before but I will still enjoy what riding I do.

TMR

One step at a time fella; just keep going and you'll get there

mrbrightside

Obviously not originally taking in the road conditions in the first place led to your demise, now build up confidence and speed taking in to consideration loose gravel, overbanding etc and pick you line accordingly and it should all come together.

Sounds like you took a hard hit GWS.

One Man And His Bike

Eyon wrote:

Cheers for the responses and support gentlemen.

One Man And His Bike, great work on the fund raising, I like to support East Anglian Air Ambulance, so will try summon a few quid together for you.

No worries and thanks, once I get the Justgiving details squared away I will post linkage too it, any amount helps and is welcome.

datpat64

SImilar experience here although not as bad as yours !

The confidence gets better evey thime you get back on the bike and eventually (especially now the weather is getting much better and the roads are dryer) you'll be zooming again.

My honest opinion is that as a cyclist, you're simply going to have accidents no matter what you do. Whether it's offs on corners you took too fast (or were slippy) knocked off by cars, dogs , pedestrians or any number of accidents waiting to happen.

Doesn't matter how cautious you are there will be minor accidents. Keep your fingers crossed they don't become major !

I don't know any regular cyclist (road or mountain) who hasn't had a t leat one accident during their riding

Dave

Steve_F

I had a big crash on the mtb last year, hit ice at a fair speed and stopped when my leg hit a tree sideways. Luckily was fully armoured but it completely knocked my confidence too. Next race run my mate was pulling away from me in every practice run and we're usually neck and neck. Just couldn't get off the brakes.

Don't push it, the only way the confidence is going to come back is with time.

You'll soon find you'll get quicker round corners and the crash gets further back in your mind. On the mtb you'll probably just hit the zone one day have a great ride and suddenly realise you've got your old speed back. That's when the confidence on the road will probably come back too.

Only natural to lose confidence after a big off, just stick with it and fingers crossed you'll be back to normal soon.

desweller

Let's face it, the buzz you get comes from knowing you're approaching the limits of what you and the bike can do in terms of roadholding, so if you don't stack it now and then you're not trying hard enough!

How's that for rationalisation?

Just make sure you always wear gloves, keep your tyres in good nick and check your brakes regularly ;-)

smokeysmoo2

I've had loads of minor off's and I've had a couple of major off's, one MTB and one Road and both came whilst in my thirties. Broke my ankle on the first one, and broke my elbow on the second. Minor off's never really bothered me, and I honestly think if i'd been 10 years younger the big ones would not have affected me either, but being that bit older, and knowing it takes a tad longer to recover I'm definately not the gung-ho, b@lls out cyclist I used to be.
Perhaps it's true when they say with age comes wisdom?

Eyon

Well things are looking up, I've got my speed back in the straits and its coming in the corners, slowly, but as you've all said above, its just a matter of time. The dry weather we've been having the last few days has helped a great deal, no chance of greasy roads. Once or twice I've "by accident" entered a corner at high speed, and got around, so I know I can do it, its just the mental block sayings I cannot.

I knocked 30 seconds off my PB getting to work this morning (17m32s for 5.34 miles), so I'm starting to feel it a little more, If I get those corners dialed in again, you never know, I might get a few more minutes in bed in the morning

Thanks for all the supportive words from everyone, it has been a great help!

Ian

fizz

I think thats perfectly natural. I got knocked off by a car that turned right across my path a couple of weeks ago.

I'm using my single speed at the moment whilst I wait for my claim to be processed, but I'm hell of a nervous on the bike especially at junctions that replicate the scenario where a car might behave in a similar manner and I dont like roads that the traffic is busy on either.

I guess it'll go after time and my confidence will return. I would think you'll be the same, now your back on the bike your confidence will return, its the only way to get over it I think.