That statement I have heard a few times. So, what’s the answer? Should anyone with anxiety ride a motorcycle?
Another statement I hear increasingly, is “Why are there so many people these days saying they have anxiety?” Are more people “getting” anxiety, or are more people talking about how they feel!
But what exactly is anxiety? I'm no therapist, but I do know that anxiety can show itself in many ways. Fear, nervousness, apprehension, butterflies, self-doubt and that horrible feeling in the pit of your stomach when you're about to do something outside your comfort zone. Sound familiar?
Well, it certainly does to me.
Let me tell you a story.
Many years ago, back in 2016, I was invited to go for a big ride to Phillip Island for the MotoGP. I was a returning rider and had only been back to riding for about one year when two friends approached me and said “You should come to Phillip Island with us, it will be fun, go on……”
I had a real long thing about this, and after about 30 secs, I said, “Hell no – I have never ridden that far before and I really feel nervous about riding that far in a group of people most of whom I had never met or ridden with”. “Come on” my friends said, “we will be with you, you will be fine.” So, I spoke to my husband, paid my money, and went to the Meet the Group dinner, this was the first time I met the 15 people that I was riding with. But let me tell you one more thing, my friends who had convinced me to go that Phillip Island that year, both pulled out of the ride.
So, after I had finished crying, I decide to pull on my big girl pants, and told myself everything would be ok, waved goodbye to my husband and off I went.
Was everything OK? Hell no.
The group met at Heathcote for the start of our ride. I had borrowed my husband’s bike (Triumph Street Triple), as I felt I would be more comfortable than my bike (GSXR600).
First stop, Nowra to refill with fuel and have a snack. Then we were off to Braidwood for lunch.
Now, picture this. On a motorcycle I was not completely familiar with. Riding with people I had never ridden with before. Didn’t even have my husband with me for moral support. Going on an exceptionally long motorcycle journey for the first time (6 days). Was I nervous, anxious, fearful, apprehensive, did I have butterflies……. all the above.
So, what did I do? I was riding like a complete novice. I wasn’t riding my own ride. I was trying to keep up. I was looking at the person in front of me. I was not correctly dressed and was cold. I couldn’t get the heated hand grips to work. Finally, I went into a corner too fast as I was watching the person in front of me and both of us ended up on the wrong side of the road. Luckily there was no car coming the other way.
Looking back now, as a motorcycle instructor, I can see exactly what was happening. I was allowing the pressure of riding in a group to override my own judgement. I wasn't concentrating on my road position, my speed or my own abilities. I was concentrating on keeping up. And that is a dangerous place to be on a motorcycle.
“Right, that’s it, at Braidwood, I am turning around and going home. This ride is not for me. I have bitten off more than I can chew. This is all wrong and I can’t fix it. “
All my self-doubt was making me spiral down into my own mind and I had totally worked myself up into a frenzy.
We got to Braidwood, I worked out how to turn on my heated hand grips. I put on an extra layer, got warm, and settled down to have a nice lunch. Phew, things were looking up and I decided to continue my journey to Phillip Island.
Unfortunately, my troubles didn’t stop there.
Next stop was Cooma to refuel. It was around 4pm and we had met at Heathcote at around 7:30am. So this on top of everything else, was a huge day riding. But guess what? We hadn’t finished for the day. We were to continue on to the Imperial Hotel at Bombala where we would stop for the night. So I had another one hour or so more to ride. I was not thrilled about this and once again, my head began to spiral. Can I do this? What do I do if I feel like pulling over? Will I be slowing the group down? Everyone is going to hate me! And on and on and on.
I mentioned to our group leader, Simon, that I didn’t think that I should ride with them to Bombala. I should just go by myself as I didn’t want to hold everyone up. “I’ll be ok. Just let me do this by myself.” He immediately sprung into action and said, no to all my requests. He approached another rider, Eden and they both decided to ride with me to Bombala. One in front and the other behind and they road with me in the middle, being protected by these two amazing riders. Now whilst I still felt like a burden, these two wonderful humans insisted with this and my trip to Bombala, was as wonderful as it could be. Not to mention that I had never been to this part of the world before, and the Monaro Plains are something to behold.
We made it to Bombala, and the rest of the holiday is history. I had the most wonderful time that I decided that I should go again the next year. This I did and I’ve never looked back.
This experience taught me so much about who I am and about what riding with a nurturing group is all about. Motorcycling is something that has made me grow as a person, and the once shy, unsure, perhaps anxious person that I was, has developed into a much more courageous and confidence person that I am today.
Looking back at that ride in 2016, I realise how much it taught me. Not just about riding a motorcycle, but about myself. I learnt that it's OK to be nervous. It's OK to ask for help. And it's absolutely OK to say, I need to slow down.
What isn't OK is allowing the pressure of keeping up with others to compromise your safety.
I also learnt just how much of a difference the right people can make. Simon and Eden didn't judge me, rush me or make me feel that I wasn't good enough. They simply supported me and allowed me to find my confidence.
That experience has stayed with me, and it's one of the reasons I am so passionate about helping other riders today.
So, back to my original question. Should someone with anxiety ride a motorcycle?
My answer? Anxiety doesn't automatically mean you shouldn't ride. But you do need to recognise when it's affecting your riding, and be prepared to stop, reassess or get some help. Let the people know who you are riding with that you feel un sure and if you are with the right people, they will be there for you.
Confidence doesn't come from pretending you're not scared. It comes from building your skills, understanding your limitations, and learning to trust yourself.
And sometimes, it comes from having someone believe in you when you're struggling to believe in yourself.
I've come a long way from that nervous rider heading to Phillip Island. And if there's one thing I'd like you to take away from my story, it's this:
You don't have to be the fastest rider. You don't have to keep up. You just have to ride your own ride.
Ride safe. Ride smart.
Kat
Go Kat Go Motorcycle Training
Less Panic. More Riding.
