Tag
Mental Works
Stop talking yourself out of a good performance. Self-talk, Part 2
This article is the second in a series on motivational self-talk. Be sure to read last week’s instalment if you haven’t already. One of the most common limiters to our cycling performance is the inner monologue we have with ourselves on the bike. We’ve got to get our nutrition and hydration right for sure but […]
How getting inner monologue right can improve performance. Self-talk, Part 1
In his recent book, Endure, the renowned endurance sports writer Alex Hutchinson reflects on his early experiences as a competitive runner (yes, I know this is the Bike Hub, but stick with me here for a minute), saying that if he were to go back in time, he would train differently based on what new […]
Motivation: Getting the push and pull right
What does it take to achieve your goals at an event? Whether you’re lining up a specific time at the Cape Town Cycle Tour or just hoping to cross the finish line at the ABSA Cape Epic, there are two things you need to master in order to achieve that goal: firstly, you need to […]
Smiling your way to a breakthrough performance
“Your race photos are ready for viewing”. It’s the line in the email from the race event photographer that grabs us every time. Click. The webpage opens up and …? Aargh! We look terrible in every photo! Ugh, we don’t need the reminder of the suffering we were feeling! Close browser. So we begin to […]
The hurt locker: Why quitting is all in your head
Think back to the last time you quit. It may have been as recently as this morning’s training ride where your legs screamed blue murder as the group attacked. Doing your best to hang on to the group, you hit a limit, something in you snapped and you just couldn’t pedal anymore. Forced to say […]
Your mental game is no longer a black box
Nah, I couldn’t do that. That was a colleague’s response after I told him that a friend of mine had just completed the Munga, a 1,000km single stage MTB race across South Africa. In fact, he didn’t just finish it – he smashed a Top 10 result. Boom! Nah, I couldn’t do that. There we […]