We have spent a lot of bandwidth over the past 13 years honing your physical fitness. However, thats only part of the story. Mental fitness and racing smarts are just as important to your overall success in cycling. Luca Paolini just gave us a master class at Gent-Wevelgem, so lets look at some lessons learned.Your legs may be made of steel, but if your brain is made of oatmeal, youre not going to get very far in a sport as tough as cycling. Looking back to 2002, the difference in my breakthrough first-ever win in a race (well try to avoid mentioning that it was also my only-ever win) was not just having great legs, but the incredible mental focus I had throughout every single metre of the entire race. Watching Luca Paolinis jaw-droppingly brilliant ride at Gent-Wevelgem this weekend, I was again reminded of just how important the mental side of cycling is. This applies not just to classic sport psychology, but also the nuanced little decisions and tricks that can make or break your race. So lets reflect on some of the things that Luca did in his romping victory, and what we can learn for our own riding and racing.Change of PlansIn all the pre-race hype, the Katusha game plan was clear work for a small or big group sprint for Alexander Kristoff. Paolini already showed that he could do that to near-perfection at Milan-San Remo the week before. And Kristoff has certainly showed he had the...
View the full article
View the full article
