One of the body’s reactions to fear and anxiety is muscle tension. This can result in feeling “tense”, or can lead to muscle aches and pains, as well as feelings of panic, self-doubt and an array of other emotions which are non-conducive to cycling performance. 

Think about how you respond to anxiety, stress or nerves…

Do you “tense up” when...

Focusing on quality over quantity is not a new concept but it is a rather good one, particularly when we hone in on training and racing agendas encompassed within the parameters of your life and work agendas. 

Here’s a quick maths addition to start you thinking:

Total hours in the day: 24

Hours Sleep: 8-10

Time to shower, prepare for day: 1

Transportation to work and home: 1-2

...

A little while ago we walked a young talented rider to the start line of a big event and this particular athlete (exceptional and by far the quickest and most tactful rider to contest the event) was in the best form of his life. 

Quite young and new to the sport, the rider hadn’t yet experienced what it was like to be ‘challenged’ off the track in the warm-up area by...

If you’re familiar with the start line then it’s likely you’ll be all too familiar with the emotional highs and lows of competing and the mental energy it takes to wind down following a result (good, bad or indifferent). 

Without a well-rehearsed mental strategy (or set of strategies) regardless of the outcome of your race, you’re likely to have, what we like to...

Do you wear headphones and listen to music whilst you're warming up and warming down?

Many elite level athletes will listen to music in some capacity to help them mentally prepare to perform, so it’s no surprise that headphones and music are highly rated amongst top track cyclists.

So how does music actually help?

Science has proven that music can enhance performance in sport in the...

Happy New Year! 

On behalf of our team, we hope you've had a wonderful Christmas and New Year break! 

How have you gone with your New Years 'resolutions' so far?

Or perhaps you don't have any resolutions, and instead are continuing on the path of your longer term goals?

Either way, we thought we'd start the New Years by offering a bit of motivation to ensure you start the...

Some of the athletes we work with are exceptional performers in training environments but when it comes to race day, unhelpful mental habits take over, and their performances suffer.

Does this sound like you?

Do your nerves get in the way of your legs powering to personal bests? or

Have you got the ‘angel on one shoulder, and devil on the other’ syndrome where one positive thought...

Getting yourself mentally prepared to perform on race day isn’t an easy task.

Nerves are an imperative part of the process and just like the rest of the physiological preparation plan, requires training like your muscles.

World Champion Shane Perkins talks exclusively about his experience with nerves, and how he utilised them to get the most out of himself to win some of the biggest races...

5.20 AM.

The generic alarm tone that you promise yourself you’ll change, rattles from your mobile phone before you reach over and press any button but ‘snooze’ 

Fast-forward 6 months. A similar noise, but one awash with adrenaline, as the bell resonates for the last lap of the race. 

Two significant moments of misery. Or elation. I guess it depends on where you are...

If you missed Part 1 of this blog, we’d recommend you go back and have a read by clicking here before continuing on to Part 2 below. 

In Part 1 we talked about 3 different types of race mistakes which occur in race events (namely bunch events) and how to avoid them.

Below, we're going to cover three more common factors which influence results and give you a few more...