Trainer and mountain bike combo works for me.

When i wasn't riding solo the fear wasn't so bad, but now i find it hard to get out on major roads. When i take my road bike out i just go the backstreets and onto a cycleway, the highway has too much crud on the shoulder plus it's a 110kph zone.

I watch the go-pro vids of people who ride in urban areas and i think why bother ? it seems so dangerous as the roads in Australia weren't designed with cyclists in mind.

David,
So you say "riding in groups" is bad but yet you say you should ride with pro-riders and experience cyclist in a group? This is exactly my point. Experienced cyclist will show you the ways of the road through their experience and groups provide a bigger footprint for cars to see. Organized group rides (I'm sorry I wasn't more specific here) with experience friends, family, teams or shops are good things. Maybe I should have said a select group of experience riders willing to help you;-) It doesn't have to be 30 people, but a couple of riders should be perfect. In my experience they are the ones who DO follow the rules and laws because they should be holding each other accountable.

Inconveniencing a car because he has to go around a group or irritating the community are things that are for the most part out of your control. You cannot predict or control other peoples emotions. These should be the least of your worries. A car who is unaware, not paying attention, or doesn't see you is what the poster is worried about.

I feel like posters have lost the point of the original question, and that is How does he build confidence? I'm not sure how putting a light on your bike, waving to people and following the laws (though very good things to do) will accomplish that. Yes it may help cyclist "image" in the community, but I fail to see a stand-out way to breed confidence by doing only those things. Just my honest opinion.

yep, not being critical of you ... was emphasizing what you said about go out and enjoy riding.

I think the idea of having a light, wearing bright colors and so on is that by being safe/controlling everything in his control the OP should then end up feeling more confident.

All good. I think everyone had good options and opinions, I just didn't want to weed the group option out. All depends on the group and the community you ride with I guess...It's a tough question that was asked because what works for some, may not build confidence for others.

But you trust them enough to be on the interstate with them at 75+mph?

From March to October, I ride outdoors, mostly solo. Been doing that for almost 30 years here in NJ, and I have yet to crash. Be alert, choose your roads wisely, act like a car.

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"Go yell at an M&M"

Hi there....
I also live in an area which has a despicable record of driver skill, aptitude and worst of all attitude.. so I understand your concerns...

I'll keep this short...
Train on the road on a road bike, the road bike will afford you better control for the majority of the time and allow faster response to braking simply due to the fact you won't be in the aero position brake less...
Use a TT rig for rides where you have suitable roads, ie low risk few side junctions, and use it at times of lower traffic.. fact is slower reposnse time from the aero to pursuit position of the brakes..
This will make you feel more in control and make for a far more enjoyable ride.

Also ride with others if possible. You have increased road visibility and road presence as a small group, and support if you have an issue.
Just be sure to follow the roads rules and ride smart when in proximity to the other riders. Little pisses off drivers more than a bike pack of selfish douche riders...
And finally try and select routes which afford you the safest passage and where possible ride at times which not only suit you but have lower traffic levels...

Oh and for those that say train off road, totally... MTB and Gravel grinding are awesome.. just don't think for one minute that you will fall off less doing either of these.. :-)

And enjoy it, that small degree of risk is whether we think it or not part of the "thrill" of riding... we'd just rather the rill without the pain..

me too - just finished a century an hour ago, on the roads. On a trainer? - I'd rather have a full frontal lobotomy.

If I couldn't ride on the roads I'd quit the sport - except I'd race motocross again (and MTB) (too afraid of heights for rock climbing :-| )

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I saw this on a white board in a window box at my daughters middle school...
List of what life owes you:
1. __________
2. __________
3. __________

Any outdoor trail is going to get a lot less old than riding the trainer... and while you can't do hills on a flat road, you can't do hills on a trainer either. If you do pretend hills by gearing up and/or turning up the trainer resistance - then do sprint/speed intervals on the trail. Also, riding outdoors prepares you for race-day weather situations.

The best thing you can do with your bike is to play with it so that you become more natural on the bike. Ride the trails; ride offroad; find out where they do bike polo in your area and join them; practice bunnyhops over 2x4s. It's not about getting uber-fit, but learning to deal with unexpected stuff in a more controlled environment so that when you do then get out on a race course, you are more prepared to deal with the unexpected.

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Less is more.

Broke collarbone couple months back due to car forcing me into a curbside drain. I've been having a lot more fear.getting back on the road. Still been doing it though. Bought a mtn bike and have driving a lot on trails now. I don't think there is any solid answer except trying to mitigate risks when on the roads. The few places that there are bike lanes in my area (Fort Worth) they just arbitrarily end or people park there to pick their kids up from school.

What's the name of the map/LBS? I'd like to purchase one.

It the Trek store in Naperville on route 59. I have to go in tomorrow to pick up my bike i was planning on buying one so i will tell you exactly what its called then.

Two things I learned this summer. . .The North Branch trail and then there's an extension of the Lakefront trail all the way to Indiana if you want to extend out your rides

2nd year racing tris. Last year I rode outside by myself and this year I started doing group rides early mornings/week. I feel much safer and get to ride with some really strong riders that make me work much harder than I do by myself on the road. One day a week, I will get on my TT bike and do a really safe 18 mile route that I call a time trial route. It has really wide shoulders and I do it late morning when there is lighter traffic (10:30-11:30).

I did North Branch a few times, not bad.

Lakefront Trail I take about 20 miles.. it eventually turns into South Shore drive and whatever, crosses a bridge, and then dead-ends (about 23 miles from the start of the trail). How do I keep going to Indiana?

You know where it dead ends at the golf course? There's allegedly an extension in there that they built when they did the extension of South Shore Blvd. that eventually takes you to Indianapolis Blvd. where you follow the sign a block or two to get on a long flat trail. There's a place to break off at Wolf Lake (Powers Park) that is a nice scenic ride out into the lake on a causeway which I believe is the extension to Indiana. Some caveats: I have not ridden the new extension only the lake front part and the part from Indianapolis Blvd. south to Wolf Lake and I haven't crossed into Indiana or gone past the break to Wolf Lake. My in-laws live kind of by there and told me about all of this but they haven't done it either. I also don't know what the neighborhoods are like on the extension. The area by Wolf Lake is cops and firefighters so it's safe, but not sure about between South Shore and there. I want to do a leisurely ride with my wife to check all of this out later on this summer and I will report back everything to you if you want.

You can get them off to sleep with stories of your turbo training at night :)

I'm glad that works for you but it saddens me to hear folks missing out on some beautiful moments and emotions out on the bike.. On and especially off road... Still each to their own... I admire your fortitude....

How do you get over that possible fear & get out on the road knowing that the next driver could rage out & put you in a ditch (or worse)?

My guess is the great majority of collisions are caused not by road rage, but by the motorist not noticing the cyclist. And so many cyclists pay no attention to visibility. So get noticed!

1) Avoid riding when the sun is low on the horizon. Your visibility goes to zero. Note that when the sun is in front of you, motorists coming from behind can't see you, but also when the sun is behind you, people making turns into your path might be blinded. I'd say ~+2 hrs above the horizon is acceptable most places, but if you are on a hill then that still might not be enough. If you can't avoid it, then you need a really bright headlight and taillight. No excuses. Just do it.

Avoiding this time of day also tends to avoid the moronic commuter traffic.

2) Wear bright clothing... only and always. Any time you get kit, think about how visible it is.

3) Don't pass cars on the right when you are on shoulder or bike lane... unless you are extremely vigilant and expecting someone to turn in front of you.

Having raced and trained for 35 years with out incident these are the things I do. Never ride into the sun early in the morning or late afternoon. Never listen to or have head phones on with music. Always and I mean always ride with a mirror. When I was in my 20's and 30's draining around to look behind was easy. Now the 50's bones and joints don't twist so easy. Also when you are doing 20 + you can't hear a car coming up. A mirror is the answer. Takes a split second to glance at it. It will give you piece of mind. Just try one.

Klehner, not sure what part of NJ you are in but I envy you. Amazon just built a 1 million plus square foot warehouse in my backyard so I have some traffic issues. I also was hit by a minivan while running about 9 years ago. The driver looked me in the eye and yet still hit the gas and ran into me. Luckily I jumped and was only thrown clear - no injuries other than cuts and bruises. That being said, I do drive in a car and ride on a motorcycle around these people, yes. I think the bicycling issue comes down to I get in a mental place where I don't want to have to worry about people running me over. I'd rather suffer on my trainer 90% of the time and take my chances only in races and on quite weekend mornings.

Patti in NJ

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Patti in NJ

I ride on the roads with this mirror now. Laugh all you want but I have been hit and had a good friend hit from behind and killed. In fact, all my training partners ride with this mirror on both tri and road bikes - young old what ever - dont care about looks.

I can see behind me at all times. Wont guarantee 100% safety but certainly adds an element of safety.

 
Mindful meditation for the fear component - to strengthen emotional regulation.

Environmental risk reduction (location: frequency of cars, frequency of road rides) for the road component.

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Advocating for research & treatment for Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (ME).
http://www.meaction.net/about/what-is-me/

"Suck it up, Buttercup"
(me, to myself, every day)

You need to be sensible.

1. stop letting your perceptions and emotions rule your life
2. learn the facts/real risks of riding on the road in your area.
3. compare the cycling injury and death rate (per mile travelled or whatever) and compare to motoring stats (afterall, thousands die on the road in cars each year, and I bet you still drive?)
4. be sensible about your road riding. Ride at lower risk times and in lower risk areas. Dusk is a bad time as you are hard to see and drivers are tired, plus there are more cars on the road
5. wear a helmet, even if it's not required in your area. Better to be injured than dead
6. have flashing lights on your bike and helmet, front and rear day and night. reflective strips on bike and clothing too. (but no need to look like an OSH worker!)
7. follow the road rules
8. indicate turns and such
9. wear visible clothing. doesn't need to be a hi viz vest (you look ridiculous) but don't go ninja stealth either
10. be predictable on the road (don't weave all over the place, weaving into traffic)
11. take spares with you (tube, patches, pump, enough fluids, cell phone etc)
12. ride with a GoPro or similar to record bad motorists

Enjoy the sights and smells of outdoors rather than your sweaty basement and yet another TdF video :-)

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TriDork

"Happiness is a myth. All you can hope for is to get laid once in a while, drunk once in a while and to eat chocolate every day"

I think your fears of riding intown are justified. If you go to Silver Comet, however, definitely start at least 10 or so miles in, because the first several miles often are pretty crowded, including with kids and pets randomly crossing the trail without warning. I think those stretches way more stressful than riding intown. Personally, I also prefer the places further out such as Cartersville or Silk Sheets, where there is not heavy traffic. Or, Stone Mountain is an option since the speed limit for cars is something like 25 MPH. There are some ST threads about various places to ride relatively nearby.

I ride all over Monmouth County, up to and including Robbinsville, and occasionally Princeton. The area between 195 on the south, Rt 9 on the east, 95 on the west and about Jamesburg on the north is rife with great country roads. Loads of century rides leave LIncroft and head out to that area; Mercer County College is the starting point for many centuries, too. Cyclists stop at the Clarksburg general store every weekend morning; I was there Sunday in the middle of a 50 mile ride.

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"Go yell at an M&M"