Overcoming a Lifelong Fear of Cycling

Growing up as a young boy, I've come to admire cycling and everything about it. Watching children like me ride it is always a delight. Unfortunately, I wasn't allowed to mingle with children in my vicinity because of the bad history of the place. Aside from that, we weren't that rich, which meant they couldn't get me a bicycle to play with, but on one faithful day I got to ride a bicycle for the first time, and that experience left a lifelong phobia that took over two decades to conquer.

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Like I said, we weren't rich, and those I stayed with couldn't afford a bicycle as a gift or toy for me, but then that isn't much of a problem because most other families are just like us, and only a few could afford a bicycle. But one way these kids get to ride this bicycle is by renting it from a vendor for a few minutes or hours, depending on how much you paid, and then they can ride and ride till they're tired.   On one of those days, my parents weren't around, and that gave me the privilege to interact with the children in our neighborhood. That's Niyi, my childhood friend. He told me he wanted to go ride a bicycle and would be leaving the house soon. Being bored and someone who has always envisioned myself riding a bike, I quickly tagged along with him because I knew my parents wouldn't be coming back anytime soon.

We arrived at the bicycle rental store, and even though he wanted to rent two so we could both ride, I told him I don't know how to ride, and that made him rent one, with the hope of riding and then teaching me how it's paddled later on. After making payment, we left the store, and he rode along the street while I ran cheerfully behind him. That's probably one of the most exciting moments of my childhood, and not long after he rode, it was time to teach me.

And just like a dream come true, I sat on the bicycle for the very first time. I was overwhelmed with joy and beaming with smiles from chick to chick. Well, that joy was short-lived because I then realized I couldn't ride like my friend did and struggled to even move an inch from where I was, so my friend Niyi stood beside me, holding the handle while I also held it, and he instructed me to keep paddling the pedal of the bike.   That continues for a while until I was gradually getting it, but then my mistake was that I mostly focus on what I'm paddling and that make me took my eyes off the road, not long after mastering the paddling a little, he moved to the back and start pushing the bicycle while I sit, paddle and control the handle, things fell apart when I took a sharp turn without looking at the road and I and my friends was hit by a vehicle that got us flying until I landed on a packed car beside the road.

That was a fatal accident that I thought would claim my life because I was shocked by the vehicle and how I flew in the air before landing. Fortunately, both of us only sustained a few bruises, although I think I had some internal injuries. But I dare not tell my parents I'm injured, because that'll make them ask how I got it, and the secret will be exposed, and so I developed the fear of riding bicycle.

How I Conquer the phobia

That event made me develop cyclophobia , and from then on I ran away from anything that had to do with bicycles because each time I saw it or remembered what happened to me back then, the shock came back to life. I was in that state for over two decades, but I was lucky to overcome the fear, learn, and ride again during my national service year in the north.   On a normal day, I wouldn't have easily overcome the phobia, but after seeing children between the ages of 4 and 14 ride perfectly during my time at my national service year, I felt embarrassed and decided to just get rid of the phobia, and that's how I began to learn from some other corps members like me.   And before you knew it, I was riding swiftly within the neighborhood, then I moved to the main road until I became perfect and fulfilled my childhood dream as an adult. It was exciting, though I still have minor accidents while riding, but no one could detact me from them any longer.

That's about it for now. I hope you enjoyed the read. I once briefly wrote about this inside when I was writing about my greatest fear a few months ago, but this article covers all the experience, how it plays out, and how I overcame the phobia.   Thanks for your time. Stay blessed.