RACHEL ATHERTHON (photo above): AGAINST FEAR
Most of us are familiar with this situation: you're rolling down a trail towards roots or a step. Your heart starts beating wildly, you clutch your grips even tighter - and then, at the last second, you yank on the brake levers and refuse to stop. Then you push and swear that you'll come back and ride at some point. Overcoming fear on the trail is not easy. But there are few better feelings than having overcome that fear! Here are my personal tricks against the trail demon:
1. The more often you do something, the less scary it is. That's a fact! Get on your bike as often as you can and go for a spin. You will always encounter different situations along the way, which will become normal over time.
2. prepare yourself well. When I'm nervous or have the feeling of "fear" inside me, I often feel deep down that I haven't actually prepared myself enough. If a jump is too high for me, I look for smaller ones and ride them until I think: OK, now I'm ready for the bigger one.
3. stay relaxed - your bike will find its way. At some point I realised that I can trust my bike. It always wants to roll forwards and find the smoothest line. Hectic steering manoeuvres are counterproductive. If I stay relaxed, it works.
The three E's: evidence, energy, enjoyment
- Evidence: Proof of performance. If you're facing a big drop, think about all the drops you've already managed. This boosts your self-confidence and the chances are good that you will make it again.
- Energy: What have you been focussing your energy on? Don't waste it thinking about what might happen. Direct it to where you know what will happen! For example: I'm going to try this jump. I will start quickly, I will take off, I will land. And another day will come.
- Enjoyment: I always drive best and most confidently when I'm in a good mood. A hearty laugh and everything works 1000 times better. If it throws you - so what? Get up and ride on! If you hurt yourself, you will heal.
You're not made of glass - get in the mud!
There are few things more fun than biking in bad weather. In mud and rain, you often slip and fall. Sure, you might get a scratch, but what you learn above all is that a fall is not as bad as you imagined.
You drive for yourself.
You know best where your strengths lie. So don't measure yourself against others. You ride for yourself. If you are afraid, adapt your tour to suit you. This could be a line through a tricky section. But even if you avoid it or only get over it with awkward gymnastic exercises - the important thing is that you know you can make it to the end. I live by this rule when I'm running, I make things mine. I don't care if someone has whipped straight as an arrow through the super tricky bit, because I know if I find a smoother line, I'll be faster overall. Get out there girls. Get on your bike. And most importantly: have fun!
Rachel Atherton (27) was the first British woman to win the Elite Downhill World Championship.
STEFAN HERRMANN: WOMEN AND RIDING TECHNIQUE
"After almost 20 years as a riding technique trainer, I can say that women are generally more open and interested in taking on new things. At the same time, however, they are less confident and more cautious on the trail than men. But once the knot has been tied, women often have better riding technique. Men, on the other hand, compensate a lot with strength and speed. The aim of my riding technique courses is to dance through the forest. Anyone who played a lot in the forest as a child will find it much easier because they are already familiar with roots, soil and terrain. Women often lack this basic confidence, this carefreeness. But they can learn it - from the head. The muscle itself is stupid and is controlled by the brain. If the head says "I can't do that", then the muscle also tenses up and the human-bicycle system no longer works.
So what helps to clear the blockage in your head? You find out how to do it properly and practise. In the smallest possible steps and many repetitions, you work your way towards the key points. Again and again and again. Incidentally, it is completely normal for three steps forwards to be followed by one step backwards. Some women are discouraged by this, but the step backwards is important for the learning process. You reflect and optimise."
KAREN ELLER - BIKE CAMP ORGANISER
"Specialised women's camps are often ridiculed. But women sign up here who really want to learn the sport and do so with the necessary distance from their job, family and, above all, their husband. Among men, women are quick to think that they have to be strong and fearless when biking in order to keep up. At a women-only camp, however, they learn from like-minded people that they can get a lot further with fun and the right riding technique."
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Gitta Beimfohr
Editor
