Anxious about riding in traffic after 20 year absence from cycling I have got back to cycling after 20 years and whilst I can ride easily where there is no traffic, I am struggling with the following:


I am anxious and struggle to maintain balance in traffic when vehicles are coming from behind even though I am in the bike lane.
I feel like I will fall over when turning.


Is this something which is natural and with practice it will be fine? I have ridden almost 200kms but the fear is still there.

[Merida Scultura 400D : 50cm]
Good to hear that you are back on a bike!

From what you are saying about struggling to maintain balance, I suspect that you are riding slowly, and pedaling slowly. The part about feeling like you'll fall over when turning is consistent with that too.

Maintaining control when riding slowly is actually one of the hardest skills to master. So I recommend going somewhere with no traffic and practicing the things you're having difficulty with. Try riding in a figure 8, in as small space as you can, like two car parking spaces end to end, and then in one parking space, without crossing the lines. Aim to do the figure 8 ten times. You'll find you need to pedal and brake at the same time to get the figure 8 really small.

The next skill to learn is to look back without wobbling. Even if you get a mirror for your bike, this is still worth practicing. There are many times when you just have to turn your head and look. So again, where there is no traffic, try riding along a line and turn your head to look back. It's extremely hard to not wobble at all, but try to get the wobble down to, say, 15cm (6 in). You'll find it easier to do if you ride faster, and in a lower gear, so that you are pedaling much faster.

And the next skill leads from that: learn to pedal much faster. Try to pedal as fast as you can count. You're aiming for at least 60 pedal strokes (with each leg) per minute. If this sounds fast, then I should point out that this is the slowest you should pedal. Eventually you should be pedaling at 80 or 90 rpm, or even faster. By pedaling quickly, you will put much less effort into each pedal stroke, and this will reduce the amount of wobble.

The last skill I recommend is to be able to make confident hand signals without wobbling, so that you can do it, and to tell the drivers around you what you intend to do. Practice in the same way as looking back.

When you feel confident to go back to traffic, remember to look ahead and plan your path, so that you can ride in smooth, straight lines. This helps you maintain speed, helps the drivers predict where you will go next, and avoids wobbling at low speed if you have to carefully go around some obstacle, such as a pothole or parked car.

Remember that the drivers are not actually trying to run you over. They are just not bike riders and have no idea how much room you need. You have to take 100% responsibility, because they don't know what they're doing.

So, improve those skills, so that you can ride more confidently when you return to the traffic. Regularly practice new skills. I wrote a list here.

Enjoy!