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Getting Back On The Bike After An Injury
I got back on my mountain bike for the first time yesterday after breaking my finger a couple of months ago.
Basically my confidence is all gone I rode Manly Dam and strugled everything looked ten times bigger. I even had a silly little crash in the mud and put the exact same hand out again but didnt break anything this time. I guess the body can heal but the mind needs to be retrained.
I think I will go for an easy ride up the Oaks before going back to the dam.
Any sugestions.
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damien, you gotta have the hunger to get the confidence back, im just back after about four months off, broken left arm and massive dislocation,torn muscle/tendons/nerves with a huge scar on the right after a week in canberra hospital.although ive sold a few of the bikes that might cause me to do silly jumps that caused the the accident in the first place, ive bought a new trail bike and cant get enough of it again, i still have to take it easy as ive got a long way till full recovery. just get out on your favorite trails and dont let pride get in the way. get off at anything you dont have the confidence to ride even if you used to fly down it. think, 'ill do it next time or even the time after' just enjoy what you do ride and ease your way back into it. dont let the crash beat you and let it teach you a lesson by honing your skills so you overcome the fear and ride better to avoid similar mistakes.
do a few fire trail rides and im sure you'll get the 'hunger' for something more challenging. if you love the sport as much as me then you'll be flying round the dam in no time.
good luck,
gazza
I did the dam for the first time at the NoBMoB Xmas party and also struggled since recently getting back on the bike after my broken collar bone, I have a fair bit of experience at going OTB and used to mostly land on my left forearm, I'm not so keen on that now feeling a little vunerable on that side now, I tried landing on my face once and don't recommend that at all.
What you need is some flowing single track with smaller drops than Manly dam to get the confidence back up, also being off the bike you get a bit rusty so easing into it makes sense, going up the Oaks is only good for fitness as there's no challenges due to the slow speed.(unless you're very fit)
Any way I'm riding here in the mountains everyday so if you want to try some of the best riding up here let me know.
John.
Oh, the ride offer is open to all.
This may sound silly (well, that's me most of the time!) but if you are not confident riding MD after hurting yourself, I find it is particularly useful to ride with some armour on (elbows particularly, but knee/shin too sometimes) as this boosts my confidence when riding more technical sections of trails. I also have 3 types of gloves as well, ranging from road riding gel fingerless, to some fat downhill with carbon knuckles. All of these things make my confidence much higher, as you know you are far less likely to hurt yourself if you stack it. It is strange, because your riding style is the same... you are the same rider you always were... but it can make all the difference to the space between your ears. Anyway, once you use it for a while and don't need it anymore, just leave them in the car.
I'm in the same boat and I've been amazed at how my confidence is around zero. I use the brakes much more and walk down difficult sections that I would have riden before. Just build your confidence doing what you're doing. Going up the Oaks for an easier ride, then throw in a lap of the dam and see how much better you ride it each time. Do 2 or 3 easier rides to 1 hard ride. Try and throw in a few testing bits on your easier rides. Throw in some St Helenas till you've had enough. Your confidence will improve. And if you analyze your bad crash to avoid it happening again, you'll be a better rider than you were before. Because time off bike is a waste of time.
armour up and throw the bike into it
turn off your brain and stop thinking about the what ifs
i did my shoulder and had alot of problems with confidence till i let it all go
remember fear is only a brain reaction to a sketchy situation
if you take your brain out of the equation you should be fine
no brains and armour till you get the confidence back
and as soon as its back take off the armour one piece at a time till your back to normal
My advice would be to find a mate, preferrably one you rode with before the stack, that had a similar or better ability level to you and more importantly, one that you trust. Make sure he understands where your mind is at. What you want, and need to do is hit a trail you love but one that now has you challenged, sounds like the Dam fits the bill. Get him to lead the way at a comfortable "safe" pace, not one that has him stretching himself, and then stick to his back wheel like glue. Aside from a fitness problem, it is very much a mindset issue and I can tell you from first hand experience the more times you stop at something, even if you once nailed it every ride, it will only get harder to get the confidence back to have a go at it again.
Riding behind someone that knows what they are doing, and more importantly that understands where you are at, someone that isn't afraid to talk (or maybe shout) advise / tips as you go, and that hits things at the right speed will get you back pinning your favourite trail faster than anything. Couple this with atleast basic armour, leg and arm, learn how to fall on it by falling and not sticking out your pinky and before you know it you will be grinning from ear to ear again.
Good luck
I Rode up and down the oaks on Sunday and had a blast down the single track on the way back and had no problems with the technical stuff at the end which was a good way to get back into it.
Today I rode the dam and tackled all the drops and technical stuff with no problems (minus the steps) the only moment I had was when I came across a 7ft snake (very dark brown with a yellow/orange underbelly) right in the middle of the track on the downhill section just after the second last waterbar or last (not sure now).
I even got up hart break hill in the middle ring and third biggest ring at the back heart break hill is a good discription I hit 203 BPM on my new heart rate monitor not bad for an unfit almost 39 year old.
How I did it - I droped my seat 20mm doown from its normal cross country hight and decided to stop looking for the easy lines and hit the middle or harder lines of everything I came across knowing that I have made these easily in the past helped a bit. I still have a way to go my left hand was quite sore by the end but not damaged. Hey if Gazza can to it after the crash he had (I was there) hell I have nothing to complain about.
I must admit I'm spooked by a few spots on the trail, and usually walk them courtesy of some painful OTB moments. Being in my mid-40s I don't bounce as well, nor do I bounce back as well. Skills are obviously something I need to work on.
You're doing well getting up heartbreak hill with that gearing. The last few times the waterbar about halfway up got me - front wheel came up and I had to abandon ship. Maybe I've been attacking it too slowly and in too short a gear.