“Mental toughness” is a term often associated with cycling (for a lot of us it comes from the whole sufferin’ thing.) Mental toughness is a necessity. You usually have to dig deep to find it, it’s unique to the individual and it’s difficult to explain. I find it to be the most elusive concept in cycling.
Chris Carmichael, founder Carmichael Training Systems and personal coach to Lance Armstrong, defines mental toughness as “the mind and body working together to achieve goals.” Of all the research I’ve done on the topic this is by far the most tangible explanation. Take a closer look and mental toughness is associated with: motivation, desire, goals, dealing with adversity, focus, planning, confidence, determination, commitment, resilience and control under pressure; just to name a few.
For elite pro racers, mental toughness can represent 90% of what gets them to the finish line. It equates to everyone in the field being at their peak in physical performance and the one with the mental edge – the one who can endure the most pain without distraction while being strategic about every move – rides to victory.
For those of us who use every ride to improve as cyclists and compete in local races, it’s about the mental and physical states continually trading off with each other. When a new milestone is reached, we must draw from mental strength to reach the next level of physical performance. During races and challenging rides the physical and mental work together as one.
More importantly, it’s an individual state that relies on self-motivation in order for it to play out in the most effective ways possible.
For example, crashing out of a race and not dwelling on what went wrong but rather what needs to be done differently the next time. The mentally tough rider thinks in terms of “the next time” rather than “that’s the last time I’ll attempt that.” There are no “I cant’s” or regrets when exercising mental toughness.
It’s also about taking on challenges you know are painful but you do it anyway because it’s going to result in some form of improvement. I strive to be a better climber and know the only way to improve is to incorporate as many hills as possible into my rides. Two weeks ago I rode the Hills of Attrition and treated it as a training ride. It’s a popular route in New Jersey and whoever put it together is a genius. The ride captures some of the most challenging hills in Morris and Somerset Counties; one right after the other covering 55 miles and close to 5,600 feet of climbing. Keeping true to its name, hill after hill one can be tempted to find an alternate route home. But I was determined to finish this ride despite several chain drops and a leaky back tire for the last few miles. I found the mental stamina by reminding myself of situations I am angry about and people who – let’s say – are not in my good favor right now for various reasons (feel free to insert a stronger word here.) PS: I can’t wait to do this ride again – great ride.
I see tremendous sparks of mental toughness in my friends and teammates. Julie Jones of Montclair Cyclists is just hammering through the 2011 NJBA Time Trial Series and has been on the podium for every event including last weekend’s Long Beach Island TT, where she placed #1 under treacherous weather conditions. In her race report she shared that she kept reminding herself of how badly she wanted to win this and repeatedly told herself to PEDAL HARDER. Julie also communicated the importance of avoiding distractions by sharing how she ditched a pair of expensive lenses along the route because the weather was causing them to fog her visual ability. She did whatever had to be done to quickly eliminate a factor that could impact her goal of winning.
Stacey Barbossa of Team Cosmic Wheel placed first in her category in this year’s Tour of the Battenkill Pro Am. For those not familiar with Battenkill, it is considered to be one of the toughest and most challenging road races in the US. While Stacey is one of the most talented cyclists I know, it was evident in her race report that she had a plan for Battenkill and was prepared at every turn and every hill. She trained smart, took advantage of a preview ride and strategically executed a ride that led her to be the first to cross the finish line.
This is one of the most difficult and time-consuming posts I’ve ever written. I’ve been researching for a week and trying to find the most resourceful way to approach the topic. There are so many elements to mental toughness including carrying these qualities over into other areas of your life and vice versa. That’s for another post.
Additionally, I have been drawing from external influences including Sydney Becker, a 12-year old girl from Livingston, NJ who is being treated for a rare form of bone cancer. Sydney is a friend of my niece’s and you can read her story at http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/sydneybecker/. I was on the fence about racing this season but Sydney’s courage through her surgery and treatments made me realize that if a child can face this, I can’t chicken out of racing. I now wear a Team Sydney bracelet on every ride and race.
"Mental toughness is many things and rather difficult to explain. Its qualities are sacrifice and self-denial. Also, most importantly, it is combined with a perfectly disciplined will that refuses to give in. It's a state of mind-you could call it character in action." – Vince Lombardi
Feel free to share the role mental toughness plays in your riding.
NOTE: The Peloton & The Podium will be back next week with coverage of Giro d’Italia.
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