Fear of hills

Tiny lady

Hi, Am new to this. Would love some advise on how to keep my fear at bay when riding my bike.
To keep it short I had a nasty accident as a child where, whilst going down a rather steep grassy bank I basicaly ate the break lever of my bike. So now many years on and just getting into bike riding I have this huge fear of anything that resembles a downhill gradient.
I ride with my other half who is a real speed freak and has zero confidence issues. So he has suggested that we ride at Swinley Forest this weekend, AARRHH. I can feel the nerves already and dont want to make a complete twat of myself.
Would love some ideas on how to master my fear and enjoy my rides.

danlikesbikes

Firstly don't feel that you need to be pressured into riding something that you don't want to.

Get off & look at parts if your unsure how to ride or which line to take.

Relax when riding the bike and let the bike guide you and use your elbows/knees to damped any bumps.

When going over anything steep get out of the saddle and get your weight over the rear wheel, even if your going slow it will give you much better control.

Apply your brakes gently but firmly when trying to slow but don't grab at them and lock your wheels up.

Ask your other half to stop and talk you through parts that your unsure of. Ask why/where/speed/balance just ask lots.

Don't feel that you need to keep up with anyone as its only yourself you need to be concerned with.

If you find a part that you did but were not happy with do it again & again so you get used to it.

schweiz

I'll quite happily descend mountain passes on the road at 80-90 km/h but get me on single trail and I lose it. Unfortunately it comes down to practice. You've just got to build up your confidence whether that's a step at a time or 'big bang' until you master something 'worse' then the grassy bank where you had your accident.

I'm sure you know it but the worse thing you can do is tense up. Friends are always telling me 'relax', 'don't hold your bars so tight'. I repeat the mantra but when I get to the bottom of a fast, technical downhill by arms are sore! Also, look at where you want to go, not rocks, roots or any other things that are in the way. You'll ride towards whatever you are looking at.

Tiny lady

Thank you so much for taking the time to read and reply to my post. To danlikesbikes, I will definatly be taking your advise and getting off my bike to asses the situation before I ride any particular part of the course. I try my best to relax on the bike whilst riding but think that may take some time. But I'm patient. I do tend to snatch at my brakes if I find myself going to fast for comfort and have found myself skidding to a halt on occations. Scary.!!
To Schweiz: My husband is always telling me to relax, I cycled for 4 hours last Sunday (Road Riding) and could not move my shoulders by Monday morning. I have seen the single trail at Swinley forest and it lookes realy narrow and not much room for error. I will be the slowest person riding it this weekend me thinks. But have to start somewhere and regain my confidence. Will let you know how it goes.

danlikesbikes

For relaxing try standing on the bike even when you can sit & get used to moving your weight around by bending your knees & arms and try not to hold onto the bars like your trying to kill them. The bike will try and 'tramline' at times and go where it wants (sort of) and by holding and fighting with the bike you will find yourself getting quite worn out.

As for walking parts of the course is a good thing to do. If you can ride them it might by stopping to look show you how to ride them faster, safer, in a better gear. Plus it will get you to thinking how you should be approaching new parts. If can't ride it is the same really, just getting off and demystifying any concerns.

If you get to a part that your unsure of one way of doing it is to approach at a good speed, stop pedalling and freewheel into the section with pedals level (on both sides), stand up so you get the best view of where you are going, legs/bum towards the back of the saddle (unless its an uphill) so the bike and your are well weighted & just roll through trying not to brake. Let the tyres do the work for you and don't force the bike, keep your arms loose but covering the breaks. If you can ride through something slowly but under control and relaxed it will help your confidence. Learn to get a good basic technique first and worry about the speed later if at all.

Hope you have a good ride :-)

miss notax

Hello

Ok, am sending you a PM, I may be able to help!!

grant43

hi,a lot of the time a downhill section can look daunting but if you walk it first when you get to the bottom and look up and it doesnt look half as bad and you might see a decent line down hope this helps

lg18

Putting your saddle v v low for any steep downhill sections is not only easier/safer for when you put your bum right behind, but also gives good psychological advantage too. As said before, try little sections at a time, e.g. just an embankment or short slope.

Also, and I'm sure I'll get shouted down for this one, I have in the past found that having half a pint of beer with my lunch helps hugely with how relaxed I feel on the bike (or skis, or kayak or whatever) afterwards. Obviously you don't want to blur the senses, but if it helps you relax and enjoy the ride, why not?!

Lucy

Kowalski675

Can I do an obvious pun?...

miss notax

No.

Kowalski675

Never mind, it wasn't that funny anyway...

raldat

Best advice I had was to try something everyday that scares you. BUT would add, try something that scares you a little bit, i.e. don't go big, just take little chunks. I had a fear of slippery roots. I still do (no there is no rude pun intended). But I started taking little ones on straight lines, then bigger ones and am getting better. I still hate hammering over a root bed on a tight wet turn for fear of washing out, but every so slowly I get more confident.

So, find a gradient that scares you a little but not a lot and take it once. If you succeed, that's enough today. Take it again tomorow a little faster and faster the next day. Then try something bigger.

All the best...

Kowalski675

I reckon some friendly company helps too - I did some sections at Gisburn on Sunday that I may well have chickened out of on my own, and had a great time.

Tiny lady

Thank you all for some brilliant advise, I took the plunge and invested some of my hard earned cash on a skills course. This got me doing stuff that I would not have even looked at before. Gained a massive amount of confidence in my riding and hence have been tackling some steep and technical hills in total control of my bike as a result. I enjoyed it that much that went back for another skills session (intermediate) a month later. Have been riding every weekend at a local forest and practice a new descent every time. Loving it! I have now invested in my bike to with some wider bars and shorter stem for more control. Apparently the way to go? Cant wait to get back out there and give them a try....

pesky_jones

I'm glad to hear this worked out for you. Skills course seemed so appropiate from your first post - did anyone suggest it or did you just do it?

Tiny lady

I do beleive that someone on here suggested it, but I was looking online for help and came across mtbinstruction its run localy to me so gave them a call and signed up for the next available course that just happened to be that very weekend. Was very impressed had one to one instruction for whole day. The second course I did was a ladies specific course which was great to be with riders of similar ability to myself and we all helped each other.
I have since completed the blue run at Swinley forest and loved every bit of it.

fielonator

Good advice I was given was to whisper "be brave" (or similar) on the way into any section or obstacle you're not sure about. It works up to a point, and by the time you've said it a couple of times you're committed to riding the daunting section and the worst is over.

Following someone into a section is another good way to build confidence. Being chased (especially by someone you're competitive with) is a sure way to get you to commit to it.

Best of luck.

Kowalski675

fielonator wrote:

Good advice I was given was to whisper "be brave" (or similar) on the way into any section or obstacle you're not sure about. It works up to a point, and by the time you've said it a couple of times you're committed to riding the daunting section and the worst is over.

I looked at a drop at Stainburn yesterday and decided I'd give it a go, but bottled it on the approach four times. When I finally let the brakes off and committed to it, it was nothing, lol.

Tiny lady

I agree that following someone into a section that I have not done before really helps, I'm not sure about being chased mind you I like takle things at my own pace. I also try not to study the drop or descent to hard prior to attempting it as I will talk myself out of riding it otherwise. A quick look to see what I'm dealing with then the self pep talk of ( I can do this!!) Then go for it. Once beyond the point of no return, I start enjoying it. Seems to be working at the moment....