Winter Riding: 4 Tips for Staying Mentally Focused
Like most traditionalists, I prefer riding outdoors to indoors — even in the cold (receipts below).
During the pandemic, virtual rides on platforms like Zwift, Wahoo X, and Rouvy created a social space for cyclists, which many yearned for. These platforms allow riders to connect their bikes to Wi-Fi-enabled smart trainers, which simulate the undulation of the course/road. Some focus on the screen as they pedal, while others listen to music; personally, I enjoy watching cycling races (Here’s a link to my cycling YouTube playlist*
.No matter how exciting the race (or even the music), boredom typically creeps in. I'd like to offer some tips on maintaining your mental edge while training indoors.
1. Visualize the Effort: “See the hill,” “Be the sprint,” and “Hear your cadence!”. In near-unanimity, sports psychologists espouse the impact of visualization and self-actualization on performance. Cyclists, like method actors, use past experience to recall and activate the needed effort. Otherwise, think of familiar terrain -- a hill in your hometown or neighborhood, a straightway on a track, even the up and down of a rollercoaster for rolling hills -- whatever activates your body to do more...find it and achieve it.
Cyclocross is what cycling looks like in the winter months. All time great Marianne Vos shows us how' it’s done.
2. Train, do not exercise: Every day isn't race day. I laugh at folks who go for personal records (PR) every day. That’s just not practical. The growing popularity of fitness trackers has everyone looking to break some type of record and then post it on social media.
Your PR should happen because you decided today would be the day to go for it. Buy a cycling training book, research training plans online, or work with a coach. Remember to log your miles on Strava. Their tools provide valuable feedback on your rides.
A recent ride recorded by Strava
3. Be Willing to Suffer: You control three variables on an indoor bike — cadence (how fast you pedal), resistance (the level of difficulty to turn the pedal), and intensity (your level of effort, as a function of time) — as you ride. It won’t always be easy, especially if you’re training, not just exercising. Cyclists call it Sufferlandia, also dubbed the ‘pain cave.’
Embrace the discomfort. “It never gets easier, you just get faster.” said cycling legend Greg LeMond, the last American to win the Tour de France. Your ability to work through the discomfort will bring dividends down the road. If your legs aren’t talking to you, then something is wrong. That little bit of discomfort is your body’s way of saying ‘thank you.’
Cyclists know this as Rule #5.
THe 2018 Giro D’italia featured some fantastic snow stages.
4. Feed your Bike Ego: I’ll admit to rarely finishing first when I ride at studios that track performance – I appreciate you, LifeTime. I’m usually training cadence, but I’ll choose my moments to show off. I never mind when riders go off-script (just not out of the saddle all the time, please!).
Find a song or two to remind yourself how great you are on a bike. Instead of taking recovery, I’ll create a push (30-90-second hard effort) to see how my body reacts. Much like the extra 30 seconds most riders have while riding intervals, it’s a good way to see how much effort you have to give. Remember to pedal to effort, not music!
Below is a race from my cycling YouTube playlist. Strade Bianche is a must-see race each year.
* Paramount+, Peacock, HBO Max, and FloBikes are other online outlets for cycling. — more info here ).