When people get anxious about obstacles when cycling, it’s often the completely normal and natural worry that they might get injured. This is often a strong response for people if they have recently had a crash and are returning to cycling.

Advice: Keeping calm is key here, as it will allow you to calmly analyse the obstacle to determine whether you think you can navigate it safely. If you feel yourself becoming panicky, take a moment to stop, breathe slowly, and reset yourself mentally. You may also find it useful to walk the obstacle first to see what it looks like from all angles, or roll up to a few times so you can see what it looks like from the bike without the pressure of rolling into it.