Crisis of confidence.

extremedave

extremedave

Well-Known Member
Team MTBNJ Halter's
So I had a few bad crashes this season, two requiring medical attention. I've always had a cavalier attitude towards crashes plus I've been pretty good with the mid-air acrobatics and landings.😀 But this is the first time (ok, aside from a broken thumb at Mtn Creek) that it sidelined me for any amount of time.

Two of the bad ones this year were pretty explainable. However the latest was on a spot I've ridden before, which has left me scratching my head. I dunno if this season is just bad luck, or I'm pushing too hard, or maybe as I'm aging (45) I'm losing a bit of reflexes.

I've been the guy in the group who will look at something and go "screw it" and drop in. As stupid as that is, it made me happy. Kinda hate the idea that I might have to back off but I'm also getting tired of limping for 2-3 weeks at a time!
Thanks for listening.:popcorn:
 
you never told us the story about whoever fell in the lake at the tourne in the winter. Just sayin 😉
 
Ok well, Rob will throw it off (or into) ANYTHING, multiple times!
 
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were you descending? tackling a tech feature? etc?

Sometimes it's not about the skill of your riding.I f you're not feeling it, you're just not feeling it.
for instance, I got a pretty good shin digger at Mtn Creek this weekend. I got it cleaned up and dressed up and was going to go back out again. It's just the shin but it'll fuck with my head. I bagged it for the day.
 
you riding more than you ever have? i find if i am tired i cant ride technical stuff to save my life.
 
I'm not a super aggressive rider by any means but what has helped me not eat it as frequently as I used to is forcing myself to learn the theoretical right way of doing things first before I try something I haven't done before. Sometimes you can get lucky and clear stuff without knowing how you did it. The problem with that is that you may not get lucky the next time. So if you at least know what you are supposed to do, you can bring more consistency to your riding. After a while the right way becomes your reflex.
 
Your not learning or going faster or further if your not crashing. It's part of the biz period. Eventually they become fewer with the more years put in...
 
I've noticed the faster I went, the crappier I got at handling my bike. You need to adapt to your new found speed. Not sure if this is the issue, but something to think about.
 
THATmanMANNY said:
were you descending? tackling a tech feature? etc?
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Tech feature, yes. I guess my concern is the "more bad days than good".

clarkenstein said:
you riding more than you ever have? i find if i am tired i cant ride technical stuff to save my life.
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Funny, I hadn't really thought of it but I'm riding mostly road during the week and dirt on the weekend. Overall my fitness is equal but definitely less dirt miles. Hmm.:hmmm: Maybe.

pxs231 said:
So if you at least know what you are supposed to do, you can bring more consistency to your riding. After a while the right way becomes your reflex.
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Tough question. I've been riding and racing (road) motorcycles for years. Most of the moves feel pretty natural, but I dunno if I'm doing it right or not.
 
Are you actually going slower than normal? Riding with slower people?
 
mattybfat said:
Your not learning or going faster or further if your not crashing. It's part of the biz period. Eventually they become fewer with the more years put in...
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I would normally agree. Maybe it's just a rough year.

pearl said:
I've noticed the faster I went, the crappier I got at handling my bike. You need to adapt to your new found speed. Not sure if this is the issue, but something to think about.
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That might be part of it, but the other way around. The last one I was with a stronger rider and might have been a little more winded than at my usual pace.
 
i don't have to worry about crashing

my wife will kill me if I suffer serious bodily injury while riding my bike so that motivates me not to crash.

plus, I'm a big wimp and usually chicken out in the scary sections.
 
This is very likely not the case here, but a friend of mine noticed his balance wasn't as good as it used to be. He also noticed that he wasn't hearing high frequencies out of his left ear as well. It turned out that he had a small benign tumor growing on his left hearing nerve. He got treated with radiation and the tumor is not growing anymore and your brain is supposed to learn to somewhat compensate for the sensory changes after a while.
 
Indeed. Well at least we can close the thread now. Sorry about the impending death, Dave. On the other hand, limping is the least of your concerns.
 
Wow, um thanks. 😱
So, the good news: crashing isn't my fault.
Bad news: 4-6 months to live.
And here I blamed my tinnitus on loud music, air tools and motorcycles.
Love this forum!!!
 
Norm said:
Are you actually going slower than normal? Riding with slower people?
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Normal pace, although I think I know what you mean. I rode the Stonegate DH at about half speed a few weeks back and nearly crashed three or four times.
 
Dave i remember riding with you at the tourne last year and you seemed pretty fast to me. Different bikes messing with you? I know if I was to plot my downhill speed from my SS hardtail, to my scalpel, to my trigger the difference would be pretty noticeable. I have very little confidence on my SS, while on my trigger I feel like gravity isnt working hard enough.

I think speed/confidence just goes in waves. Lately I have been feeling confident and just going faster and faster...So im sure a huge pile up is coming that will reset my brain a bit. 🙂
 
extremedave said:
Normal pace, although I think I know what you mean. I rode the Stonegate DH at about half speed a few weeks back and nearly crashed three or four times.
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Over thinking it. Speed is also a cover for skill, so slower is hard in many cases, especially places where it is mildly technical as speed carries you over things that trip you up at slower speeds.

Clear you mind and focus 10 feet ahead.
 
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