Overcoming the fear of falling

If you are afraid of falling, you are in very good company. Fear of falling is the most common reason people give up learning to ride, and it is completely normal at any age. The reassuring truth is that nearly every adult can learn to ride, whatever their age, with patience, persistence, encouragement and the right technique, as Cycling UK puts it.

Understand the fear

Fear is your body trying to protect you. It tells you that you are not yet in control. The good news is that you can build control in small, safe steps, and when you do, the fear shrinks on its own. Falls while learning are usually slow, low and small. They happen at walking speed, close to the ground.

Set the bicycle up for safety

• Lower the saddle so both feet rest flat on the ground. This is the single best confidence-builder, because you can always stop.
• Check the brakes work, and keep your fingers over the levers.
• Pump the tyres firmly so the bicycle feels steady.
• Wear a helmet and, if you like, gloves and a long-sleeved top. Feeling protected helps you relax.

Choose the right place and company

• Use a smooth, flat, traffic-free place such as a closed ground. Ideally, not many onlookers.
• Learn with other women and a patient instructor. Many learners say they feel braver among people who understand.
• Tell your instructor about any worries, physical or emotional, before you start. Cycling UK’s coaching advice suggests exactly this.

Learn to stop first

Spend your first sessions just walking with the bicycle and squeezing the brakes, then scooting with your feet down. When you know you can stop and put a foot down at any moment, a large part of the fear disappears.

Make goals tiny

• Walk with the bicycle for five minutes.
• Scoot for ten metres with both feet down.
• Glide for one second with your feet up. Then two.
• Pedal five metres, then stop.
• Ride a full lap of the ground.

Each tiny success adds to your confidence. Count them, and celebrate them.

Use your body, not just your mind

• Breathe out slowly before you push off. Tight shoulders make the handlebar shake.
• Look ahead, not down. Your body follows your eyes.
• Relax your hands and keep your elbows soft.
• Stop when you are tired or tense. Cycling UK’s advice for coaches is to end a session before frustration builds, and to let a rest between sessions help the brain absorb the new skill.

If you do fall

• Stay calm. Check yourself for pain before you get up.
• Many coaches advise not to stick out a stiff arm to break a fall. Instead, tuck in and let the side of your body take the touch, ideally on grass.
• Take a minute, drink some water, then get back on, even for a short ride. Ending on a success matters more than the fall.
• If you are hurt, rest and see a doctor.

Celebrate

Every first is a win: the first glide, the first turn, the first ride without help. Share each one with friends. We do.