Encouragement needed please

[Julie]

Hi Guys, I'm almost a totally new biker (38 years old and only been on a bike 4 times!)and wonder if I'll ever stop being petrified of my bike. I'm getting out about once a week for a 50k ride with my partner who has many years of experience and really have to force myself to go. The strange thing is I totally enjoy the last part of my ride home, it's such fun accelerating out of the corners. I just wish I could feel like I do at the end of a ride when I first set out. Any encouragement at all would be greatly appreciated.

[The Pastor]

You need to stop posting on kb and get out and ride.

Do a 300k trip every now and again (being easter you have the time!)

[The_Dover]

Smoke a joint before you get on it.

You'll be nice and relaxed and flow through the corners..

[Keystone19]

You guys are soooo helpful!

Julie, I hear what you are saying. Even to this day I often don't really get into a ride until I'm on my way home!

Strategies that I find help are to tell myself to relax, not try so hard, and perhaps focus on one thing only. The thing I find most useful is to focus on being smooth around corners - lining them up properly and concentrating on being smooth - even at low speeds.

You will get more comfortable the more you ride. Perhaps you also need to ride with someone other than your partner if possible?

[Ixion]

Well, 50km when you have ridden only four times is a jolly ambitious effort. So I would say you are doing very well.

Sounds like you are tensing up with anticipation. Perhaps, try to make your rides shorter and more spur of the moment. So going out ceases to be a "big thing" ? Try just taking the bike down to the shops or something.

[BuFfY]

You need to stop posting on kb and get out and ride.

Do a 300k trip every now and again (being easter you have the time!)

She has made one post!!!


Just go on a bike as often as possible, I used to be like that and now I pester for a ride!!

[Julie]

thanks so much fo a fast reply, I'm going to bite the bullet and go out and have a go this afternoon. Happy and safe riding over Easter

[Macktheknife]

Hi Guys, I'm almost a totally new biker (38 years old and only been on a bike 4 times!)and wonder if I'll ever stop being petrified of my bike. I'm getting out about once a week for a 50k ride with my partner who has many years of experience and really have to force myself to go. The strange thing is I totally enjoy the last part of my ride home, it's such fun accelerating out of the corners. I just wish I could feel like I do at the end of a ride when I first set out. Any encouragement at all would be greatly appreciated.

Hi Julie,
I am not at all surprised that you are feeling this way, after all it is very early days yet.
I would suggest thinking about your riding carefully in the light of your comments, specifically why are you really enjoying it by the end but reluctant to start.
Is it just fear of consequence or lack of confidence?
If it is fear, relax, breathe and remind yourself of your reasons for wanting to ride in the first place, spend time on the basics in a carpark or contained area on your own, practice is a good thing.
If it is a lack of confidence, understand that the only way to get confident is to do it. Prepare yourself for the ride, plan to practice specific things and notice what is improving in your riding skills. I would suggest doing more than 1 ride per week, even if it is just for 15 mins down the road and back, do more.
Above all, remember that this is a learning journey, compare it to other learning journeys you have had. This one will have similarity and differences, learn from your other experiences. Are you normally nervous about new things, this means it is nothing to worry about, carry on.
Are you usually scared of new things just because they are new and will challenge your skills, great, embrace the challenge knowing that you will be better for it once you have achieved your goal.
Riding is about having fun and doing something you love, you are experiencing that by the time you are coming home. As you improve that will just grow and grow until all the time you spend on a bike is pleasurable, and the anticipation is almost as good as the experience itself.
Relax and enjoy your learning and riding, it will go so much better if you relax. Don't beat yourself up about being worried about it, accept that this is a stage you must pass through to gain skills.

[Crisis management]

Harden up woman, if you can survive childbirth and rearing kids (there is a degree of assumption here) a little botormike shouldn't stop you!!

Stop whinging and go out and ride......


PS. watch out for gravity, it waits on corners and sucks at the unsuspecting.





This broadcast was brought to you in the interests of balanced discussion on open forums.

[Insanity_rules]

Hi Guys, I'm almost a totally new biker (38 years old and only been on a bike 4 times!)and wonder if I'll ever stop being petrified of my bike. I'm getting out about once a week for a 50k ride with my partner who has many years of experience and really have to force myself to go. The strange thing is I totally enjoy the last part of my ride home, it's such fun accelerating out of the corners. I just wish I could feel like I do at the end of a ride when I first set out. Any encouragement at all would be greatly appreciated.

Ride damn you ride!!!!!!! Seriously you got to get over this. Try and imagine how good it'll feel getting on and going for a blast in your minds eye as much as possible and pretty soon you'll link the experience with good things.

That'll be $105.50 please pay my receptionist on the way out.

[magicfairy]

I took up riding a "real bike" at 45. After riding scooters. I can assure you what you are feeling is perfectly normal, unfortunately you are past feeling 10ft tall and bulletproof as teenagers do.
Only time in the saddle changes that, and even now (18 months and 20,000k later) I still get nervous, especially if you have had a bit of a break.
I ride to work every day which helps - try and get out a bit more often even if it is only for a short time. So the weekly ride is not such a big event.
What I also found helped a lot in the early days is getting out on some newbie rides - meeting and riding with others with similar fears and ability.
Riding with an experienced rider can be off putting, they make it seem so easy, and they can get frustrated cos you are slow.
So hang in there, know you are feeling very normal feelings and try and get out for more frequent rides

[Trudes]

Keep going out for rides around familiar roads, don't try and do too much or have too higher expectations, it really does get easier with practice and bike time.

[Rosie]

Hi Julie!
I felt just the same when I first started riding. Going on lots of little, regular rides really helps, even if you just pop out for a couple of laps around the block in the evening or something. The more often you decide to go out, get yourself suited up and head out for a ride, the less intimidating it seems. At first it will be hard, but each time you go out, it will get a little less scary.
It's good to take time to get to know your bike as well, give it a wash, sit on it and make motorbike noises, practise pushing it around and 'parking' it, or just sit there and look at it.

[vifferman]

I took up riding a "real bike" at 45. After riding scooters. I can assure you what you are feeling is perfectly normal, unfortunately you are past feeling 10ft tall and bulletproof as teenagers do.

That's a good point.
I really can't relate to Julie's dilemma, as I started riding at around 15ish, and never felt anything but excitement before setting out for a ride. Still do.

I guess you need to work out why you feel so anxious and try to do whatever you can to eliminate the cause of the anxiety. Maybe focusing on what it is you DO enjoy about the ride will help here. Obviously, by the end of the ride you're caught up in the ride so much that you're forgetting to worry/be anxious, so you're probably dwelling too much on the things that make you uncomfortable.

Although thinking is necessary (especially as a newbie), m/cycling is a very visceral thing, and most enjoyable when you're NOT thinking too much and just letting it be a "right-brain" activity. This will come when you've taught your body what to do so you don't have to think about it. Just like with any activity, there's no substitute for practice, practice, PRACTICE. Just make sure you get as much fun from the practicing as possible, so it doesn't become a chore and make you anxious.

[Pwalo]

I'm afraid there's no magic cure. As my erstwhile comrades have said practice is what it's all about. Its the same as learning any new skill - whatever it is.

Go through what you need to do in your head, and then go out and do it. Visualise and practice. Once you've got the basics (starting, changing gears,ect) down pat, you'll have more time to concentrate on riding itself, and your confidence will skyrocket.

Probably.