Getting confidence back after bad crash

sweetswing

Sitting here with broken collarbone and broken arm after coming off bike , was just wondering how long the mental recovery will take .
Any tips or tricks from the veterans on here ??

ninoon

Id say mentally it depends on how scary the accident was, physically in a few weeks you might consider getting on the bike on rollers in a safe environment ie walls, table etc and keep your fitness ticking over.

monkeyslayer

Getting back on the bike after breaking my neck and chest I started by rebuilding the bike, completely refreshing it and then spinning about the estate a bit. After a week or two I just went for it and threw the monkey off my back. It's tough but keep at it and it becomes normal again quick enough.

macnab

A friend of mine had a hard time getting over the mental effects of a cycling accident so he contacted a medical professional.
He was asked to describe the incident in minute detail, over and over again.
The process aims to demystify the incidend by making it seem like another normal occurance.
It worked for my friend.

D13exile

While I didn't break any bones, I left a lot of skin and blood on the road after coming off on gravel on a bend at the foot of a hill. My issue was the fact I stayed clipped in and couldn't get my foot down to save myself. So I didn't want to use the clip in pedals again. I started off again on my mountain bike with normal pedals so I knew I could put my foot down if I lost my balance. I got my fitness back and then started going for short spins on the road bike until I got comfortable again with clip in pedals. So if you have a mountain bike, use that to start out again. It's easier and more stable than a road bike

Good luck with your recovery

Lusk_Doyle

Beasty might be able to help here. Rumour has it that he had a major crash and we all witnessed his second coming!

sweetswing

I've come off the bike before due to my own fault but never broken anything, I just picked myself up and got on with it promising myself to be more careful and learn from my mistake..
But this was completely different, I hit a busted speed ramp and went over the handle bars , I never stood a chance .
It just brought it home to me that you don't have to be bombing along taking risks to really hurt or damage yourself .
I suppose I'll take it easy to start , I like the idea of a mountain bike ðŸ‘ðŸ‘

Dinging

Get your body right first, don't rush it. Had a pretty bad accident back in 2016. I tried to get back on the bike too soon, ended up aggravating the injury and set the recovery back a few months. By the time my body was ready my head wasn't. Haven't been back on the bike since. I always had a sense that I was a safe cyclist and that whatever happened to me out on the road I would be fine but over time I seemed to have lost this confidence. I am in the process of getting some help but in hindsight I could have managed this much better. Hope the recovery goes well.

ED E

I blacked out from impact to St. James (one short return to consciousness flat on my back). Really glad I did. Dunno if I'd still ride otherwise.

Beasty

Lusk_Doyle wrote: »

Beasty might be able to help here. Rumour has it that he had a major crash and we all witnessed his second coming!

You called?

I'm assuming no head injury here. Obviously you need to give time for the bones to heal. Ultimately though confidence is going to be an individual thing. I broke a wrist 7 year ago and started my racing career a couple of weeks after getting the plaster off (had trained on the turbo in the meantime)

After the major crash 3 years ago cycling became a means to an end. I was determined to get back to racing later that year (but failed to do so). I have little doubt my obsession with getting back to fitness massively aided and accelerated my recovery.

Did a couple of turbo sessions then thought that once I got the plaster off I would again be straight back on the bike. I tried it and then realised I did not have enough strength in either arm to brake properly (had broken one wrist and the other elbow, but they were minor injuries in the wider scheme things). Had to find a soft verge, slow down, unclip and hope for the best! Left it another couple of weeks before trying again.

3 years later I know I am still suffering from the injuries I suffered (which did include a massive bang to the head), and even though I've raced over the past couple of years I remain much more safety conscious whenever out on a bike. Don't think that will ever change.

Wishbone Ash

After breaking a collar bone and three ribs in a crash I was back in the saddle after a few weeks. I don't really recall any confidence issues but I found I was a little bit more cautious at the T-junction where it happened for a few weeks especially when approaching a vehicle which is indicating to turn right (i.e. my left).

sprite0

Broke 6 ribs, shoulder blade and a finger last July 30. Clipped the wheel of the bike in front on a group spin. Took two months to heal then started back on the bike the first week in October. Rode solo for the next 3 months building up confidence and fitness before getting back to the group rides this year. Best thing is to get back out there.

Fian

I went over the bonnet of a car a few years ago, right arm will never be able to straighten again. It didn't take me long to get back on the bike but i was definitely alot more cautious/slower for a year or two.

I am just glad i have never had an accident descending, I am already scared enough when going down hill, Following a speed wobble. Would not like to be dealing with it after an accident

Weepsie

I've a varied history of accidents myself in my short cycling life, mostly minor but only 1 knocked by confidence much. This was when I was hit by a van a few years ago and concussed and not quite myself for a few weeks. This put me off cycling for a few months. A friend talked me into doing a long distance cycle with him then so got a road bike and gradually built the confidence again and havn't looked back since.

In the meantime I've cycled into the Royal Canal (it only ever put me off ever being in the canal), and come off and fractured my elbow on a greasy corner.

I'm definitely practice a bit more self preservation, particularly on bends and anything remotely downhill, but tell myself I'd be more miserable not cycling.

who_ru

I came off the bike today but thankfully didn't break anything, went to fast into a sharp bend, couldn't make the turn and went straight into the ditch, went over the handlebars and headlong into it. Got a few cuts and scratches but otherwise unscathed. I was shook by it a little though.

A really nice family driving behind me saw the incident and stopped. The insisted I get in the car with them (7 seater luckily), put the bike in too. They had their young daughter in the back with me, I was bleeding on the face and lip and she was just staring. We got to the next village, the mother gave me baby wipes to clean my face and insisted I take money for a coffee as I had no cash on me. I won't forget them.

Like I said I was shook up by it, but after 30mins or so got back up on the bike and rode home. The bend where I came off is notorious and I've been out that way before but today just had too much speed going into it. Thankfully it was a ditch and not a wall.

Thargor

sweetswing wrote: »

I've come off the bike before due to my own fault but never broken anything, I just picked myself up and got on with it promising myself to be more careful and learn from my mistake..
But this was completely different, I hit a busted speed ramp and went over the handle bars , I never stood a chance .
It just brought it home to me that you don't have to be bombing along taking risks to really hurt or damage yourself .
I suppose I'll take it easy to start , I like the idea of a mountain bike ðŸ‘ðŸ‘

Who's in charge of this speed ramp? You could be due a lot of compensation.

sweetswing

Thargor wrote: »

Who's in charge of this speed ramp? You could be due a lot of compensation.

I imagine Dublin corporation.

magicbastarder

who_ru wrote: »

The bend where I came off is notorious

where is it?

sweetswing

Thargor wrote: »

Who's in charge of this speed ramp? You could be due a lot of compensation.

I imagine Dublin corporation.

who_ru

magicbastarder wrote: »

where is it?

On the way into sixmilebridge coming from Limerick. 2 really sharp bends pretty close together, the 2nd one got me. Mea culpa I should have avoided it.

In comparison to what others have described I did ok today.

Good luck to the OP with recovery. One day at a time as they say.

Aim to go for a short easy cycle as soon as you feel up for it. I think that helped for me.

Still get the heebie jeebies when I pass the same spot I came off last year.

Chuchote

OP, is there anywhere near you where you can go for off-road cycles every day for a while - wheeling your bike to the start at first? There are greenways being gradually built along a lot of the rivers and canals, for instance.

Take it easy at first, amble along and enjoy the ride. And maybe when you're ready to go back on the road talk to Rothar about one of their strategic cycling courses?

sweetswing

Chuchote wrote: »

OP, is there anywhere near you where you can go for off-road cycles every day for a while - wheeling your bike to the start at first? There are greenways being gradually built along a lot of the rivers and canals, for instance.

Take it easy at first, amble along and enjoy the ride. And maybe when you're ready to go back on the road talk to Rothar about one of their strategic cycling courses?

I crashed and hurt my wrist badly last October , it took only a couple of rides to get back into it , although I do feel myself tensing up on descents, so I just roll down now easy (no more bombing ) which is sad .
This crash was different, it happened out of nothing , no amount of stratigic cycling courses would have helped .
If worst comes to the worst and I find I'm to nervous, I'll just buy a fat bike and train on the beach :-)

Chuchote

sweetswing wrote: »

I crashed and hurt my wrist badly last October , it took only a couple of rides to get back into it , although I do feel myself tensing up on descents, so I just roll down now easy (no more bombing ) which is sad .
This crash was different, it happened out of nothing , no amount of stratigic cycling courses would have helped .
If worst comes to the worst and I find I'm to nervous, I'll just buy a fat bike and train on the beach :-)

To this day - some 50 years later - I am horribly conscious of my fragile bony elbows when descending fast after a nasty landing in my teens.

jimbobaloobob

Get well soon OP. having broken my collarbone, elbow and shoulder socket, i spent a number of months in slings and operations. As mentioned by others i rebuilt the bike, but started cycling a stationary bike soon as possible albeit with a number of cushions to build up support on the front end to prevent me leaning too much.

I worked a lot on motor sensory exercises with my arm and should following it, then with feet. Lots of athletics reaction drills to gain confidence in quick movement as i felt blocked on one side. Lots of ball bouncing catching throwing exercises.

No-one would know to look at me how bad it was at the time. Keep a diary so that you can see your own progress because at times it will seem slow. On wards and upwards.

sweetswing

Thanks for all the replies guys !!
It's a really ****ty position to be in , looks like golf ( my other love) is off the cards just as the weather picks up , I'm going to get back in the saddle asap and just take it easy .
Be careful out there :-)

stecleary

My crash involved a car, the first time i got back on the bike was a t 6am heading into work, I had little choice but to use the bike, the first bit of traffic i cam across i had to give myself a little talking to. once I got that first set of lights out of my system i was fine.

OleRodrigo

Some cyclist ran into me head first about a year ago. I had concussion , a fractured wrist, busted lip, black eyes, a bruised face and scratched decals.

Giving out about other cyclists helped my recovery a lot.