I know for sure I am not alone in this, but the solution to this problem seems hard to come by.
I've been in a few pile ups in the big RR's here and I seem to have developed a phobia of riding in the claustrophobic environment of a tightly formed and fast moving pack of 150+ riders. I get nervous at the start and end up edging to the back during the neutralised start, and then often end up last wheel when the race starts, where it is very easy to get dropped once the speed goes up. i know all the golden rules about riding up front and saving energy etc. but when push comes to shove the fear kicks in and it doesn't help that every race I am in there are big crashes....I even have trouble sleeping the night before a race thinking about the possibilities for getting hurt, and it's made more complicated by the fact that working part time, I need to stay in one piece to make a living.
Does anyone have any advice or tips on coping with this fear? i am trying to be rational - telling myself there are 160 guys in the race - statistically only about 10 will crash in the race, of which only 1 will perhaps be seriously hurt, but the fear is still there - especially when the bunch is nervous and the speed fluctuates with braking and accelorating. It gets so tightly packed in there at times, and some of the younger guys are so excited and fearless they take big risks.
At the moment this phobia is wrecking my season, and it's frustrating because I never used to have this.
Has anyone had this problem and succesfully dealt with it?
I've been in a few pile ups in the big RR's here and I seem to have developed a phobia of riding in the claustrophobic environment of a tightly formed and fast moving pack of 150+ riders. I get nervous at the start and end up edging to the back during the neutralised start, and then often end up last wheel when the race starts, where it is very easy to get dropped once the speed goes up. i know all the golden rules about riding up front and saving energy etc. but when push comes to shove the fear kicks in and it doesn't help that every race I am in there are big crashes....I even have trouble sleeping the night before a race thinking about the possibilities for getting hurt, and it's made more complicated by the fact that working part time, I need to stay in one piece to make a living.
Does anyone have any advice or tips on coping with this fear? i am trying to be rational - telling myself there are 160 guys in the race - statistically only about 10 will crash in the race, of which only 1 will perhaps be seriously hurt, but the fear is still there - especially when the bunch is nervous and the speed fluctuates with braking and accelorating. It gets so tightly packed in there at times, and some of the younger guys are so excited and fearless they take big risks.
At the moment this phobia is wrecking my season, and it's frustrating because I never used to have this.
Has anyone had this problem and succesfully dealt with it?