Mental block on trail features……

So I’ve had a bit of a mental block recently on some drops – pretty much all rollable.

Stupid thing is I can ride bigger ones further down the same trails……

Started at Nevis on the WC DH track – there were 2 or 3 no matter how I looked at it I couldn’t ride them.

Same again yesterday at Dyfi on Turns in the Ferns – first 2 features mental block….. Tried 3 times on first run but just kept braking.

Rode same trail 3 times and same again on each run.

Starting to really hack me off now, as my Daughter just rides them straight off.

Any advice?

Coach once told me – pick 3 things to focus on. Worked for me.

Another thing for me is if there’s something else following the feature, so knowing what the first thing to do next is. So you can avoid succeeding on the feature but coming a cropper on an easy feature just after because you’ve not had time or capacity to think.

• Give yourself three run ins, if you’ve not done it by the third then give it a miss
• Don’t keep on going back to it
• Go and get your steeze on somewhere else
• Go back to it when you’re feeling good
• Get a lesson

New bike!

Walk it before you ride it, I often find just going beyond a drop and looking back up the trail actually just shows the real size, rather than the exaggerated experience you can have just rolling in.

Go out with the aim of  seasoning the troublesome drops wear a lightweight full face helmet, knee and elbow pads, so you are less stressed about hurting yourself.

Ask you daughter to mock and abuse your failed attempts in an effort to get you to man up.

Give yourself three run ins, if you’ve not done it by the third then give it a miss

Or alternatively use the Jimmy Levan method- give yourself 3 goes and if you’ve not done it by the third then you hit it no matter what. Often we don’t commit because we make excuses like my foots not quite central on the pedal, the winds picked up, I didn’t get that corner perfect. If you know you’re committed even if your front wheel falls off it focuses your mind somewhat.

(Just don’t check Jimmy’s crash reel)

Thanks all.

I’ve gotten of and walked them to look back at them, looked at them sideways and stuck my bike on them so I know it’s rollable.

My brain is just not letting me do it.

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The irony of this post is that I also coach…..

Might ask one of the other coaches in the club to give me a session lol

I couldn’t ride blind drops.

I found a knee high blind drop at Cannock dh trails. It was 100% rollable. It was easy to walk. I pushed my bike over it a few times to prove to me I could roll it.

Then I did it 3 times.

So I’d suggest seasoning and easier version somewhere else for next time

best advice ive taken on is to say to yourself, this one is just a run in

so, run in

and stop

then go back up, picture the run in again, and choose to run-in or ride it…

and do what you decide

if you choose to just run in, then so be it, but don’t stray from either decision.

every time visualise the run through

Hahahaha…welcome to my world! I coach kids and they seem to really take to my coaching and suggestions. Can I get myself to do the same? Absolutely not…utterly infuriating.

Don’t stress it, there’s always something else to ride. Focus on that