Confidence on a bike can depend on a range of things and it is important to work on and develop your confidence. This is especially true if you want to improve and try some new things.
Confidence or more to the point lack of confidence can really interfere with your enjoyment of riding. To try new things and ride more often you need to feel confident about your skills and ability. This is especially true for any challenging environments you may ride in. We want you to choose to ride more often and to ride to more places. Working on your confidence will allow you to do this.
Tips to Improve Confidence
Skills
- get some training from a cycle instructor, join a skills session or go to a skills clinic (local councils often run these courses through the local sports trust)
- include practice sessions in your weekly riding schedule. Choose a quiet, empty place and go through starting/stopping, smooth braking, balance and cornering
- choose to ride on a weekly basis throughout the year. Riding regularly will improve your ability on a bike. Large periods of time without riding make it difficult to maintain your confidence.
- ride your bike for different things. Ride for transport as well as fitness/recreation. Varying where you go and what you experience will widen your ability
Learn more at: How to Improve Balance on a Bike or choose to read Starting & Stopping – Bike Skills for Beginners
Support
- ride with a group or with your friends. You are more likely to try new things when in a group and other people will build you up and you can learn from them
- encourage other members of your family to ride with you. Including those close to you in your development and learning will make the journey much more enjoyable whether that is a partner, sister, children or grandchildren.
- make sure when you talk to others about your riding you do it in a positive way
- seek out information from knowledgeable sources and use any resources you can find. Look for websites, newspaper and magazine articles, books etc. People have been riding bikes for centuries so there is a lot of available advice
Practice skills in a quiet place
Safety
- wear protective gear like a helmet & gloves that fit well and make you feel safe
- choose bright or fluorescent colours for your outer layers. Be easy to see
- use lights even in the day time. A rear light set on flashing mode will attract attention even during the day
Be bright & visible
Set Goals
- chose a trail or a place you would like to ride to and train to make it happen
- enter a race or event that supports all levels of riding ability
- have a test ride that shows you how your riding is going. Doing this ride will tell you if your fitness has improved or your ability to ride over certain terrain has improved
- reflect on your accomplishments. It can be a great idea to have a record of all your rides – where you go and how it felt. When you look back over this record it will show you how much you have done.
Homestead Run – Hanmer Springs
When it’s hard…
Even when it’s bad look for the good. You’re outside in fresh air, connected to the environment and community around you. Your body is moving and working.
It often helps to be aware of things that make you smile or bring you comfort about your riding. Rituals and routines comfort us. Try some of the things on the following list
- ride at a time of the day that you enjoy or the same time of day every time you ride
- chose to ride to a place that you like or to see things you enjoy. A place for stopping or having a coffee
- wear clothing that makes you smile or prepares you for riding. A top that is your favourite colour, a pair of socks you wear every time you ride
- balance frequency vs duration. It is often a better plan to go for smaller rides more often
- talk to people about your riding and ask lots of questions. Find an advisor or someone you trust to help you with any problems
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