5 THINGS I LEARNED AS A PROFESSIONAL CYCLIST
1- LEARN TO LISTEN TO THE BODY
Learning to know how your body responds to training adaptations, how you can maximise your recovery and how to make the best out of your abilities is one of the most important things I have learned from training at high level.
It might take some time but learning to listen to your body, can provide you with a good edge.
2- RECOVERY IS ESSENTIAL
In order to improve and push your limits, you need recovery. It is in those moments when we are resting that the body adapts to the stress of exercise and the real training effects take place.
Giving yourself enough time to recover is sometimes more important than the actual training. This is particularly beneficial and should not be underestimated. In fact, this concept is not fully understood by some motivated riders who struggle with the idea of giving up their training time for rest days.
3- PATIENCE
Learn from your mistakes. Accept losing. Building something takes time and patience and is a special ingredient to becoming a better athlete.
This is also not just a sport related skill, but is also important in life, and cycling has certainly taught me that.
4- SET CLEAR GOALS
Without them where do we get the motivation to move forward?
Having realistic goals keeps you focused on your training routine and encourages you to push your limits.
Have short terms goals for the current season, but also know where you want to go and what you want to achieve in the mid and long-term.
Also, the goal setting skill can be extremely beneficial in many areas of life, not just in cycling or sports.
5- DON'T BE OVERLY OBSESSIVE
Make cycling part of your daily life, not only from the training point of view but also on what comes after, however, keeping a balance is important for your physical and mental energy.
You want to do everything right, but over thinking or obsessing will make you exhausted before you have even started the race.