Cycling Tips: Train Your Brain

4 ways to keep your head in the game and out of the clouds on race day.

April 30, 2010

By now you've logged enough base miles to have the fitness you need to finish strong, but when all physical things are equal, it's the most mentally fit rider who finishes first. Yet few of us ever bother training our brain. "Mental strength is what sets you apart as an athlete," says Paige Dunn, former sport psychology consultant for Clif Bar and founder of Xcel Sport Psychology Group, in Oakland, California. "You can be the most physically fit athlete, but if you aren't mentally prepared, you won't perform your best."



Breathe to Rid Stress

Racing with unmanaged stress is like riding in a wet suit--your chest feels too strapped to breathe and your muscles too constricted to move. "A little nervous energy is natural and healthy, but too much can cause you to tense up and waste energy," says Dunn. "I have my athletes do 'circle breathing' before a competition or anytime they feel stressed out." Inhale deeply and slowly through your nose, feeling your chest expand from top to bottom, finally allowing your -abdomen to push fully outward. Pause. Then steadily exhale through your mouth, pushing out that last bit of breath so your belly empties. Feel your muscles relax. Repeat five to 10 times. "It helps you focus," says Dunn. "It's physiologically impossible to freak out while doing it."


Rehearse Race Day

French researchers recently found that athletes who mentally ran through specific steps improved their performance even if they didn't physically practice. Succeeding in your brain without putting time in on your bike won't win races, of course, but the combination could, says Dunn. "Come race day, you're almost on autopilot because you've practiced over and over and over in your mind everything you need to do." The night before, visualize how race day will go, then write down every detail. Is it dark when you get up? What are you wearing? What should you pack? What type of warm-up will you do? What do your legs feel like? How's your breathing? Are you psyched up? Are you sitting or standing on climbs? Mentally rehearse every aspect before you fall asleep.


Be Your Own Cheerleader

As we push through the pain during a race, it's natural to talk to ourselves. It's also natural to have an unpleasant conversation. Studies show that both negative and positive self-talk influence performance--you can guess which works best. "When you say, 'Oh, no. Here comes the hill. This is going to hurt,' it will," says Dunn. "Worse than it would without the negative self-talk." Instead, says Dunn, think, "Hills are hard, but I can hang with the pack." If you can't spin your thoughts as quickly as you spin your wheels, develop a mantra to repeat when you need to block negative thoughts from rushing in. "'Relax' and 'spin fast and easy,' are good ones," suggests Dunn. "Or 'smooth, perfect circles.'"


Stay Focused

"People underestimate their pain threshold--and overestimate everyone else's," says Dunn. "Everyone is suffering, not just you. Those who deal with their pain best acknowledge it for what it is and move past it." In other words, when your quads scream, turn your focus to the task at hand: pedaling your bike as fast as possible. "Go back to your breathing and stay in control of your thoughts; you can take more than you think when you keep your mind on your mission," says Dunn.


Selene Yeager, a USA Cycling certified coach, is here each month to give you a solid workout as well as tips for healthy living.