Afraid To Fall

[Zhen25]

Oh dear, I have fallen thousands of times from a bike in my life. Ended up with scratched knees, elbows,a lot of holes filled with small rocks in my legs, terrible. But, I always got up and tried again and again. I guess that is why one has to do. You know how the saying goes, “And falling's just another way to fly.”― Emilie Autumn.
That means, if you do not fall down sometime in your life, you will never realise, first, that life needs to have some balance, that not everything is just straight in life, and second, that you have not died and disappeared if you fell down, you can always get back on your feet, because there is a huge chance that you get wings (metaphorically speaking), that is become even more successful at doing something.
Two years ago, almost, I fell on ice and broke my leg in half, completely got separated..I was immobile for 2 years, but I am back on my feet now. I could say now, oh no I will never leave my house when the winter comes along, and just stay in my safe comfort zone. But, I can't do that. Life is too precious and there are so many things I still want to try out, just like you do in your case, to get back on that bike and enjoy the wind in your hair, again.
Just go for it my friend, you will be just fine. And if you fall again -- well, you can always stand up, right? Peace

Thank you. You have definitely inspired me to get back on that bike again. I think when something like this happens to you as a child you tend to be scarred from it but I guess it's time I get over it by now.

 

[Susimi]

The slope did not need to be all that steep if it was covered with slick wet grass or leaves. . . Your feel will *not* slow you very much in that situation. Also Zhen25 mentions that this was as a child, so cut some slack please. . .

I don't mean any disrespect to the person, I think you might have misinterpreted me.

 

[Gnufrau]

It is just that your post (#12 in this thread) sounded accusatory, particularly when relating to a childhood incident.

. . . Aaaaand I guess the mother in me got protective. Call it even?

 

[Susimi]

It is just that your post (#12 in this thread) sounded accusatory, particularly when relating to a childhood incident.

. . . Aaaaand I guess the mother in me got protective. Call it even?

If it sounded that way then I can only apologise for any offence caused because my intentions far from the case.

 

[Gnufrau]

No worries from my side. All good.

 

[Susimi]

To lighten the mood, the thread reminds me of when my brother rode into a 7ft high stack of potato boxes. The ground was flat, he was riding on concrete, he was looking ahead, yet he just slammed straight into these boxes.

To this day I still don't have the answer as to why he did it, but we all had a good laugh over it after so all is good.

 

[Gnufrau]

Why he did it is simple: He was the stud of spuds! (sorry)

 

[sunshiney]

I think the best way to get over something like this is to start slow, and allow yourself to get comfortable with what you're doing before you try to progress. Maybe try riding on the grass at first or on a flat, clear bike path until you don't feel as nervous anymore, and then working up to more varied terrain until cycling can become something you actually enjoy

It also might help to find a group to ride with once you feel comfortable enough to go on longer rides (if it's something you enjoy, of course). For me riding with more experienced cyclists was a great way to build my confidence because I wasn't completely on my own with the whole process and they were able to give me some really good advice.

 

[Gnufrau]

I'd go with the flat clear bike path. Grass can get slick when it is wet. In fact, that is likely a factor in the original incident. . .

 

[Zhen25]

Hey guys thank you all for the encouragements. So guess what I finally decided to put my fears aside today. I tried riding my hubby's bike today with him right beside me of course. I didn't tumble at first but as you said, I just have to get back up and move forward and that is what I did. It felt so good to finally get back on a bike after 15 years. One thing though, I just realized I totally forgot to take any pics.

 

[Gnufrau]

You can take pics later. Good for you that you are getting back on a bike! Congratulations, now take hubby out to celebrate!

 

[moneyman]

I believe every one of us have some sort of tragic experience on bicycles and it is normal trial and error type of learning. I haven't felt off a bike for years or a decade as long as i remember. You should not be afraid of cycling because of one unlucky event.

 

[Susimi]

Why he did it is simple: He was the stud of spuds! (sorry)

I'm not sure he saw it that way at the time

It was just some sort of surreal situation, I mean he was riding along, looking straight ahead and just went straight into the boxes. I'm gonna have to ask him about it when I talk to him next.

 

[Djordje87]

Ok, so your brakes were not good and it was steep , you panicked. It happened to me several times even now and i'am 28 now. My brakes broke and instead of changing them i just make a decision to continue riding. So i collided with another biker, a girls actually. It was funny because we were going very slow and her brakes were not good as well. So i was like ,'NO, NO, NO', and then i lowered my voice and said one funny 'oh, no'. Meantime she was telling me that her brakes were not good. So we crashed with smiles on our faces. It was really funny because we couldn't do a thing. It was a narrow path. You need to go slow and be sure that your bike is functioning. If you do not trust you bike you cannot trust yourself riding it. Relax and go slow, do not miss the joy of ride.

 

[Damien Lee]

That's a common problem, especially with newbie cyclists. It's pretty much a given that you will fall from your bike sooner or later. Even experienced cyclists have to deal with this reality. After all, you're riding a vehicle which has only two wheels. It's best to choose routes that you already know and there are few potentially dangerous obstacles. Ride these for the first couple of months as a beginner until your confidence builds up.

 

[RoadRover]

Hey there! I couldn't agree more - familiar routes are great for newbies. Just take it slow, enjoy the ride, and soon you'll gain confidence. Cycling's all about fun and meeting new people, so don't stress about falls. We've all been there! Keep pedaling!

 

[LBCBJ]

Absolutely, muscle memory is a powerful thing. The more miles you put in, the more instinctive cycling becomes. It's like your body takes over and your mind is free to enjoy the ride.

But don't forget, it's not just about the miles. Proper training and technique are crucial too. As a new cyclist, I'm finding this out firsthand. I used to be a runner, so I thought I knew what I was getting into. Boy, was I wrong! Cycling is a whole different ball game.

I'm lucky to have joined my university's cycling club. The experienced riders are always willing to share their knowledge and offer tips. I've learned so much from them already. And I'm looking forward to doing some racing this season.

I'd love to hear from other new cyclists out there. What has your experience been like? What challenges have you faced and how have you overcome them? Let's support each other and share our ideas. Together, we can all become better cyclists.

And for those of you who are more experienced, please don't hesitate to share your wisdom. We can all learn from each other. After all, that's what makes this community so great. ‍

 

[Pyranha69]

Sorry to hear about your crash, it can be pretty scary! I've had my fair share of spills too, but I always get back on. Maybe consider taking it slow and building up your confidence again? You might find it's just like riding a bike #mountainbiking #backontheride #bikelove