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Has anyone got over their fear of going downhill?

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  • May 15, 2015 at 7:32 am #24005
    charlie29

    From reading other forum posts, I know that I am not alone in being nervous of going downhill, but I wondered if anyone has actually managed to overcome this issue? :/

    I am fairly new to road cycling and with the help of this forum (and the funny anecdotes) have managed to sort out my initial worries over the clipless pedals. 🙂 I can’t seem to get over my fear of going downhill, though – I hang on to the breaks and feel completely embarrassed at how slowly I end up creeping down, especially when I am out with a group. :O

    Please don’t tell me to just get a grip – I can’t! 8|

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  • May 15, 2015 at 11:44 am #846177
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    pablo

    asked a very similar question
    asked a very similar question here several months ago. I wouldn’t say i’m cured but well on the way the cure is practice, practice, and more practice.
    Just got back back from Gran Caneria which has pretty much cured my fear with over 22000 feet of accenting and descending. The first ride i was so nervous my fingers were hurting from braking to much by the end of the 4 days i rode i was letting the bike run and really started to enjoy it. I’m still rubbish compared to most though just not fearing death.

    May 15, 2015 at 11:25 am #846175
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    Anonymous

    Hi, do it all in your own
    Hi, do it all in your own time, the general thread here seems to back how I feel, give me a nice road, that I know, and I’ll fly down it, give me a road with a clear view and I’ll descend Ok, give me a dappled country lane with poor views that I’ve not ridden before and I’ll be a bit more cautious. Others on the club runs may fly past but they’ve probably ridden the descent a lot me that I have. Descending is like just about everything else in life, the more you do it, the more confident you’ll be about it.

    May 15, 2015 at 9:36 am #846173
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    Chuck

    Also don’t get too caught up
    Also don’t get too caught up on what other people are doing. A couple of years ago on a ride in the Lakes I was pretty surprised by how fast some people were going down very narrow, windy lanes with poor road surfaces and pretty much no visibility. I don’t think they actually had much control over their situation. Sure they were going much quicker than me, but they were also much more likely to end up in the windscreen of an oncoming car. There’s nothing wrong with being cautious on roads like that, although here in the Midlands we don’t have many roads like that so I guess part of it was just my relative unfamiliarity with that sort of thing.

    May 15, 2015 at 9:27 am #846171
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    jasecd

    I do love descending but I’m
    I do love descending but I’m not just going to tell you to get a grip.

    Are you confident on how to approach descents? I take the whole lane as it’s not going to be safe for an overtake if you’re doing thirty plus. I also use the whole lane, moving to the outside or inside of the lane as appropriate and looking for apexes to cut corners in order carry as much speed through as possible. Follow the same logic as a racing car – brake before the corner whilst still travelling in a straight line, look for the apex and then accelerate through it and out the other side.

    Position on the bike is important – sit back slightly so your is weight further over the back wheel and get lower to the bars, in the drops but covering the brakes. You want the bike to feel planted – if the rear wheel feels loose then sit further back and vice versa. Keep your pedals level on straights but on corners lower the outside pedal so your leg is straight and your inside leg is raised.

    It’s probably worth working specifically on this – I’d start on familiar roads of around -5% gradient before building up to steeper sections, where there is more chance of losing control. For me confidence is a big part of being/feeling safe so building confidence should be your aim

    I would also add that I only really push on roads which I know well. There’s no shame in holding back on unfamiliar descents or narrow roads where cars may be coming uphill.

    This video of Cancellera chasing back on to the group shows you how to do it. Watch how he uses the whole road and how he flares out his knee to shift his balance for tighter corners:

    May 15, 2015 at 9:26 am #846169
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    devoid99

    It’s healthy to have some
    It’s healthy to have some fear of such things, especially things which are not in your control. As long as you don’t let it control you or stop you pushing yourself it’s fine.

    Do some cross/MTB to push/pull the bike around and improve your handling skills. Test the capacity of your brakes and know how they behave under load/stress, don’t wait until an emergency to try it out. As for on road, as long as you move your weight correctly and get the most out of the tyre grip, the rest is picking sensible routes with decent road surfaces, free from emerging/hidden hazards.

    At the point that you know the road well and are confident that the risks are reasonable, you can push it out and open the throttle/hold off the brakes.

    For me personally, the roads around here are to risky and I tend to err on the side of caution, not because I’m afraid I’ll lose control of the bike, but that someone will run out, a car will pull out, loose gravel, pot holes, oil/grease on the road. There’s a few stretches where I’ll push it in the highest gear if the roads a quiet in the morning, but it’s not often.

    May 15, 2015 at 9:22 am #846167
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    Martyn_K

    It sounds like you are riding
    It sounds like you are riding according to the conditions and/or the environment. There are no medals handed out to the first one to the bottom of a narrow twisty decent.

    Stick me on a wide open B road descent with open views through the bends and i’ll easily tip up towards the 45mph mark. However, when the road tightens up and gets twisty i’ll happily hover not far above half that.

    Being confident in your equipment plays a massive part so make sure that everything is working perfectly. Also make sure your position is sorted. Get in the drops to shift your weight on the bike. Stay relaxed too, being stiff on the bike amplifies your movement through the bike.

    But after all this don’t feel pressured to be fast. Descend in your comfort zone, stay upright, stay safe and ride again tomorrow.

    May 15, 2015 at 9:16 am #846165
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    gdmor10

    I find when I go downhill
    I find when I go downhill that it helps if I stand very slightly out the saddle with knees flexed to take up the lumps and bumps on the road that are rougher at higher speeds. Then I concentrate on the road ahead and forget everything that is behind me.

    That said I don’t actually claim to be a fast descender and might also sit on the brakes a bit when I am doing that.

    I think it is important not to let anyone else tell you to speed up and end up feeling unsafe, you are in charge of your own safety at the end of that day.

    May 15, 2015 at 8:04 am #846163
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    Al__S

    I only get “scared” when the
    I only get “scared” when the road is narrow with poor visibility- or in damp. Give me a wide open descent and I’ll spin my legs happily

    May 15, 2015 at 8:02 am #846161
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    southseabythesea

    Choose descents with good
    Choose descents with good open views, not in residential areas and not with blind bends. Build up your confidence and remember coming off on tarmac at 30+ is going to strip your skin off so don’t take unnecessary risks. Confidence will help a lot.

    May 15, 2015 at 8:02 am #846159
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    ianrobo

    I am exactly the same, some
    I am exactly the same, some of my starva segment times are embarrassing on downhill sections !

    However it is about practice, I am getting better and braver. The one tip I found from a GCN vid was to gently keep braking downhill to take the worse of the speed off. Get on the drops, sit back and two fingers on each of the brakes, gently squeezing.

    Now my times are improving, confidence is up.

    May 15, 2015 at 7:51 am #846157
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    charlie29

    That’s interesting to hear,
    That’s interesting to hear, Ianm. I’m much better anyway on wider and smoother roads that I know are ok, but as soon as it’s more bumpy, narrow or I don’t know the road, I freeze. :S A lot of other people don’t seem to have this issue – they either fly past (which isn’t hard because I go down so slowly!) or tell me that they actually love descending very fast.

    In terms of braking, is there a ‘right’ way of doing it when you go downhill??

    May 15, 2015 at 7:37 am #846155
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    ianm

    I was the same after coming
    I was the same after coming from a background of mountain biking where brakes are way more powerful and I was most likely lulled into feeling they had more grip.
    I just gradually built up over a few months of descending on the road bike practicing slowing in a hurry with good brake modulation to avoid locking up so you know you can still stop safe when your speed increases. . Find a nice straight descent that you know is safe with nowhere cars may pull out of suddenly and practice there, your confidence will then grow to go for longer descents and with bends.

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