Getting back on the (cf) horse

[Don1]

So seven weeks ago I crashed at Aston Hill - a combination of being out of my depth and trying to run summer tires in winter conditions lead to an un-diagnosed fractured ankle for the last six weeks...

Three weeks ago I came off again- this time a lot more seriously, on a small gentle hill I know very well. A combination of dumb luck and Crank Brothers famous bendy wheels lead to a fractured/dislocated shoulder, damaged ribs, smashed helmet, internal injuries (including to my most favourite part of my anatomy) and a few scrapes. The bruises were good enough for a fractures doctor to go 'wow' . I know the wheels were bending, as they left marks on the inside of the frame....

During the downtime I upgraded the wheels to full Hope Enduros (on High Roller 2 rubber).

I went for my first (very, very gentle) ride tonight, and I have no faith in myself or my equipment. I hit the dizzying speed of 15mph on a fire trail and literally st myself with the fear. When I am fully recovered, I am going to book myself on a skills course, that's a given. But coming back from a serious injury in this manner has always been fine for me in other sports - will it be the same for the cycling after a period of time? I don't think I'm going to go out on the bike for another few weeks now, to give myself more time to recover!

[WinstonWolf]

Get back on and go for gentle rides where you are in control. You'll be fine in a while...

[SixPotBelly]

Mate, you've been in the wars haven't you!

Not in your league but I came off my MTB when I first got it. Landed awkwardly and broke my shoulder/humerus in three places. Probably wouldn't have been so bad if the dear old nurse hadn't thought it was just dislocated and spent 15 minutes manipulating it in an effort to reseat it before sending me for x-ray...

3 months later I was just getting use of my arm back and very nervous about the thought of riding. I actually bought one of those he-man body armour tops the downhill mob use, (though I didn't use it in the end). Initially I rode just a little, on easy terrain at first. Then a little more, and a then little more. It did take a while for the confidence to return, but it did return. I still stick to XC though. Anything downhill enough to have uplifts will never appeal.

[Mr Gearchange]

Aston Hill is lethal when wet!
Sounds like you've been suffering chap - I had one off over pissy little jump that broke 5 ribs, cracked my sternum and collapsed a lung.

I only really got my confidence back after a days coaching which sorted everything out


and a new bike. I bought a new bike while in hospital

[anonymous-user]

Don1 said:

So seven weeks ago I crashed at Aston Hill - a combination of being out of my depth and trying to run summer tires in winter conditions

Don1 said:

Three weeks ago I came off again- this time a lot more seriously, on a small gentle hill I know very well. A combination of dumb luck and Crank Brothers famous bendy wheels lead to a fractured/dislocated shoulder, damaged ribs, smashed helmet, internal injuries (including to my most favourite part of my anatomy) and a few scrapes.

ok, i'm going to say it, and i'm sorry if it sounds harsh, but generally, if you are regularly crashing, it is your bike handling skills (and to some extent your judgement) that is lacking, rather than any particular component on your bike!

Of course, "freak" crashes happen, you can't avoid them completely, but the trick is to make them "freak" events not regular ones, by riding more within your limits, and making better risk decisions etc. (at some point, you HAVE to push yourself and take a risk to ride something new, but the trick is to only do this when you have an acceptable chance of success)


Now you say you were "out of your depth" at Aston hill, so it sounds like you have been trying to ride things you don't really have the skill to ride (to be fair, AH is an absolute skating rink in the wet as Mr Gearchange mentioned!).

In all honesty, without really knowing much about how you ride a bike, the best value for money will be to get some proper tuition. This will ensure you have the basics correct, giving you a solid start and something to build on, whilst re-gaining your confidence etc

As usual, i'm going to recommend Tony at ukbikeskills, who i can personally vouch for in terms of pushing my riding skills on massively ;-)

[anonymous-user]

Mr Gearchange said:

I had one off over pissy little jump that broke 5 ribs, cracked my sternum and collapsed a lung.

To this day, i've never jumped that "pissy little jump" after finding out what it did to you mate!! ;-)

[yellowjack]

Don1, you'll be OK. Twice now I've taken big hits in bike crashes. First in the mid 90's when I fractured my sternum and c6/c7 vertebrae after getting caught out on an earth bank and flipping my MTB completely upside down. Recovery from that was long and painful, and when I got back on it was only onto a road bike for commute purposes. Ten years later I bought myself a MTB and then this winter just gone (another ten years on, nearly) I found myself entering a winter MTB race series.

Then it was a road bike collision - van hit me while I was on a roundabout (SMIDSY) and I broke a shoulder blade. 5 months of physio from that before I got back onto a bike, initially off road on the MTB to avoid the stress of traffic. It's just about exactly a year since I tentatively started riding again after the last big crash, and I've just started to eclipse old, long-standing (ie: 2013) PRs on Strava, so not only am I back to my old self, I weigh a bit less and I'm as quick, or quicker than before the injury.

So long as the physical injuries are healed, you can begin to focus on your mental recovery. Just start slow, and back off if you begin to feel stressed or nervous about your pace on any section. Gradually, as you did when you first started cycling, you'll learn to push harder, gradually building pace and confidence. If you can get your confidence back and handle the bike well, then the physical fitness aspect will sort itself out as you get out and ride regularly. Don't despair, though. It will surely come if you work at it. Just be sure to give it the time it needs.

[Matt_N]

I'm in the same situation, broke my femur mid January and whilst I've been on the spin bike in the garage a fair bit, I just can't bring myself to get back out on the road at present.

[WinstonWolf]

Just do it, the longer you leave it the worse it will be...

[Mr Gearchange]

Max_Torque said:

Mr Gearchange said:

I had one off over pissy little jump that broke 5 ribs, cracked my sternum and collapsed a lung.

To this day, i've never jumped that "pissy little jump" after finding out what it did to you mate!! ;-)

I rode it last night - it's really easy these days. Makes me laugh that it did such damage!

[anonymous-user]

Mr Gearchange said:

Max_Torque said:

Mr Gearchange said:

I had one off over pissy little jump that broke 5 ribs, cracked my sternum and collapsed a lung.

To this day, i've never jumped that "pissy little jump" after finding out what it did to you mate!! ;-)

I rode it last night - it's really easy these days. Makes me laugh that it did such damage!

to be fair, you're hugely more skillful these days as well! ;-)

[Mr Gearchange]

Max_Torque said:

Mr Gearchange said:

Max_Torque said:

Mr Gearchange said:

I had one off over pissy little jump that broke 5 ribs, cracked my sternum and collapsed a lung.

To this day, i've never jumped that "pissy little jump" after finding out what it did to you mate!! ;-)

I rode it last night - it's really easy these days. Makes me laugh that it did such damage!

to be fair, you're hugely more skillful these days as well! ;-)

Lol - I just embraced the concept of 'just fking send it'!' - we are overdue a ride out together, been a while...

[Don1]

OK, cheers all - jitters aren't unexpected and I need to get myself back into the swing of things.

Agreed to all on everything, bar Max missing the crucial bit of evidence that the wheels had impacted both sides of the inside of the frame. Who are you to deny me getting better kit? But agreed on your main point - inexperience, gung-ho speed and me being the weakest link in the chain didn't help matters....

Tony was on my hitlist anyway - he drinks at my local, so I need to get myself together for that course - singletrack first, then downhill jumps and the like when I have improved. Cheers all - much appreciated.

[Mr Gearchange]

A day spent with Tony is THE best money you can spend

[Don1]

Mr Gearchange said:

A day spent with Tony is THE best money you can spend

Cars and beer will have a violent disagreement with you!

[Nighthawk]

I totally understand and sympathise with the OP here, 10 years ago I had an off which resulted in a fractured vertebra, the fracture was originally missed on the x-ray and after a few months of extreme pain, Physio and limping my GP finally referred me back for another x-ray where it decided the bone had healed out of shape and has a high spot. Since that incident I lost a great deal of my confidence on a mountain bike despite several trips out on to trails i'd previously nailed.

I subconsciously put mental blocks in the way and start to think about the what ifs.......which results in going to too slow or half hearted and then falling off again even though I know full well that attacking the obstacle / jump etc and carrying speed would have got the bike and me over it.