Author Topic: I may never ride in anger again  (Read 7858 times)

T42

  • Apprentice geezer
Re: I may never ride in anger again
« Reply #25 on: 15 November, 2018, 01:26:07 pm »
If golf is a good walk spoiled, what constitues a good ride wrecked?

Audax, obviously.

;D ;D ;D ;D
I've dusted off all those old bottles and set them up straight

Re: I may never ride in anger again
« Reply #26 on: 15 November, 2018, 01:48:52 pm »
Put yourself on the market as a rider for Battle Mountain.  You can go very very fast and will not get broken if you do crash ;)
If? 

Re: I may never ride in anger again
« Reply #27 on: 19 November, 2018, 11:44:11 am »
If you need a challenge while riding maybe consider racing via Zwift?  No chance of crashing, plenty of people to compete against and you can push yourself as hard as you want without fear of injury beyond possibly pulled muscles?

Limit your road riding to trest rides and deliveries, save the aggresion for the races.

Re: I may never ride in anger again
« Reply #28 on: 19 November, 2018, 07:00:32 pm »
If you need a challenge while riding maybe consider racing via Zwift?  No chance of crashing, plenty of people to compete against and you can push yourself as hard as you want without fear of injury beyond possibly pulled muscles?

Limit your road riding to trest rides and deliveries, save the aggresion for the races.

I've been on a bike less than a handful of times this year. Running and Zwift are where I hurt myself now. This time of year (two years since my big RTA) seems to bring it back. I can't face going on a bike ATM. The risk seems too great. I'm starting EMDR soon, and am hoping it gets better.

I know in my head that people who cycle live longer, but the benefits are distributed, whereas one poor sod takes all the harms. I don't have another big RTA in me. I've entered 4 audaxes next year. I half suspect they will be the only times I'm on a bike ouside. They are really there just so I have a reason to hurt myself on Zwift.

rogerzilla

  • When n+1 gets out of hand
Re: I may never ride in anger again
« Reply #29 on: 21 November, 2018, 08:38:08 am »
I get Teh Fear too but it never seems as bad when I'm actually out.  If I don't feel lucky, I take a slower and safer route.  There are things I'd do 20 or 30 years ago, like riding on DCs and major trunk roads, that I wouldn't do now.  Most of this is about worsening  traffic levels and anti-cyclist attitudes among drivers than me losing my nerve, though.  I still don't wear a helmet because I don't believe it will help much if I'm mown down by a texting moron.

We all make our own risk assessments and they should be flexible: day or night, traffic volumes and speeds, number of other cyclists, driver familiarity with cyclists (good in Oxford or London, appalling in Swindon), wet/dry roads etc.  Sometimes it just feels wrong.
Hard work sometimes pays off in the end, but laziness ALWAYS pays off NOW.

ElyDave

  • Royal and Ancient Polar Bear Society member 263583
Re: I may never ride in anger again
« Reply #30 on: 21 November, 2018, 09:06:02 am »
These fears are not at all irrational.  I was on a helicopter out to a North Sea installation several years ago where we had a very dicey approach to start with, and then the next day that very same chopper suffered a gearbox failure in the cruise, and went down killing 22 people.  I thought long and hard about going offshore ever again, but decided that if I didn't then I was putting more risk onto the rest of my team, which I considered unfair. 

I re-evaluated that again when the enquiry showed evidence that there had been chips of metal detected in the gearbox in the weeks leading up to the crash by the magnetic plugs, but nothing had been done other than e-mailing the manufacturer.  I've now stopped going offshore, but for other reasons, and have breathed a mental sigh of relief.

I've not yet contemplated getting back on the bike after my SMIDSY, but I know I'm overreacting in the car to drivers pulling out that I don't think are stopping quickly enough. 

All of these are effectively elements of PTSD in one degree or another and quite normal following a serious accident.
“Procrastination is the thief of time, collar him.” –Charles Dickens

Paul

  • L'enfer, c'est les autos.
Re: I may never ride in anger again
« Reply #31 on: 21 November, 2018, 04:41:51 pm »
Why would anyone ride in Anger? The Salzburg route is much prettier.
What's so funny about peace, love and understanding?

fuzzy

Re: I may never ride in anger again
« Reply #32 on: 11 January, 2019, 12:27:13 pm »
Today saw me 'forced' into my firat proper ride since getting borked. I had to take the car to the garage for some recall stuffs and had to find alternative means of getting home. The 29'er mtb was put in the boot and after dropping the car off I took a ride home via the school I used to work at.

I was absolutely fine on the roads dealing with traffic but, the off road stuff (which most of it was) had me feeling very nervous. Not so much a ride in anger as a ride in timid caution. On bridleway descents where I just used to let myself go and descend as fast as I could, I was dragging the brakes most of the way down. Small trees accross the trail which I would usually bunny hop or wheelie bump over had me stopping and lifting. Short steep ascents where my route crossed other tracks, previously hit at speed and occasionaly grabbing air on the exit were the worst. I almost crawled up the bloody things >:(

Still and all, the first ride since the big off is past me. I might go out again.

I think the bike is buggered though. It doesn't move anywhere near as swiftly as it used to and the saddle as gone really hard.............

Cudzoziemiec

  • Ride adventurously and stop for a brew.
Re: I may never ride in anger again
« Reply #33 on: 11 January, 2019, 12:46:31 pm »
Quote
Not so much a ride in anger as a ride in timid caution.
But a ride nevertheless.  :thumbsup:
Riding a concrete path through the nebulous and chaotic future.

Re: I may never ride in anger again
« Reply #34 on: 11 January, 2019, 08:41:21 pm »
Well done. Anger as optional extra.

Re: I may never ride in anger again
« Reply #35 on: 11 January, 2019, 09:07:04 pm »
Fuzzy, I shouldn't fret.  What you have discovered is that the way you used to ride got you injured and the way you are riding now didn't.  Some people never realise this, often because they have been extremely lucky and not been injured, or are obtuse and blame everything except their riding habits for their incidents!  Great that you are back on the bike!

Peter

Adam

  • It'll soon be summer
    • Charity ride Durness to Dover 18-25th June 2011
Re: I may never ride in anger again
« Reply #36 on: 11 January, 2019, 09:30:56 pm »
We all have to readjust to things as we get older unfortunately. 

It's interesting your comments Fuzzy about going off-road - I've never felt able to bomb around and would always have the brakes on any descents!

So maybe just try going out again, but not try and go for a record.  Just enjoy being on the bike.
“Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance you must keep moving.” -Albert Einstein

Wowbagger

  • Former Sylph
    • Stuff mostly about weather
Re: I may never ride in anger again
« Reply #37 on: 11 January, 2019, 09:35:30 pm »
Well done, Fuzzy!

The brain is a very clever thing! It knows that what you did last time hurt, and your subconscious is preventing you from overcooking things again. As you go out and ride more, you may find that your conscious suppresses your more sensible self, though. Beware...

I have found that I'm a lot more cautious these days largely as a result of not riding so much. When I did a ride with Jane last month we descended The Mighty North Hill. In the past, when I've been riding pretty well every day, I have just let the bike go. On that ride I was much more circumspect and I don't think I allowed it to go much over 30mph before feathering the brakes. Jane, meanwhile, was pedalling downhill and left me well behind, but I watched her descend Sleightholme Moor once on a road bike with skinny tyres and ever since then I have been in awe of her bike handling skills.
Quote from: Dez
It doesn’t matter where you start. Just start.

Re: I may never ride in anger again
« Reply #38 on: 11 January, 2019, 09:36:54 pm »
Adam, wise words about age!  Reactions slow, eyesight, even "corrected", can deteriorate and the knowledge and memory of past pain (and inconvenience to loved ones) all play parts. 

Edit: cross-post with Wow.

Kim

  • Timelord
    • Fediverse
Re: I may never ride in anger again
« Reply #39 on: 11 January, 2019, 11:35:48 pm »
I've been a lot more cautious about letting it go on-road since that 40mph blowout.  I could so easily have ended up hitting something hard or under a car.

On the other hand, I've restored some of my faith in tyres by silly bike racing.  It's easier to trust things in a controlled environment, with elbow protection, where there aren't any potholes or motorists to worry about, and the flatness of the average race track means that my speed rarely gets much higher than about 25mph.

I haven't done much off-road riding though.  Some of that's because I've been concentrating on recumbent fitness, which doesn't translate well to MTB fitness.  But I'm wondering if there's a subconscious not wanting to fall off factor.  Maybe I need to dose up on co-codamol and chuck myself down Sleightholme Moor again or something...

ElyDave

  • Royal and Ancient Polar Bear Society member 263583
Re: I may never ride in anger again
« Reply #40 on: 12 January, 2019, 09:04:43 am »
Having had two accidents in two months, my brain is now playing silly buggers all over the place.  I'm nervous around junctions and roundabouts on the bike and not pushing on the downs that there are round here, and every time I come up to a roundabout or side road in the car I'm fully expecting some twat to pull out on me as well.  I'm also finding myself far less tolerant of people close following me in the car.

I think this will pass with time, but serves its purpose at the moment as a reminder that constant vigilance is required.
“Procrastination is the thief of time, collar him.” –Charles Dickens

LittleWheelsandBig

  • Whimsy Rider
Re: I may never ride in anger again
« Reply #41 on: 12 January, 2019, 09:16:38 am »
It takes me a couple of years to get my confidence back after a major prang.
Wheel meet again, don't know where, don't know when...

rob

Re: I may never ride in anger again
« Reply #42 on: 12 January, 2019, 09:24:07 am »
My crash wasn’t as bad as yours but I hadn’t ridden on the road since October until Thursday.   I went straight into the commute but rode without any data or music so that I was watching what was going on around me.

It did feel a bit odd and I’m definitely wary passing junctions and working my way through queues of traffic.