Learning the Ropes

With the idea of a Clan mental coaching weekend floating around in my head, I wanted to show the riders I race with that they already have the skill, and they are fit and they know how to pick lines, so all they have to do is ride their bike. I wanted to give them the tools to succeed.

Racing is quite intimidating. Watching all the guys kitted out looking like Sam Hill or Gee Atherton in the lift line, it’s hard to separate yourself from them. What makes this guy or girl who looks fast with the sweet gear better than me? Is it the cool colour, is it the technical fabric, or is it the fin on the back of their helmet that helps direct air to the faster part of their bike creating a suction of sweet skills propelling them to the bottom faster?

  Clan racers Adriano Digiacinto in 2nd and Jeff Bryson in 3rd at the 2012 Bear Mountain BC Cup. How do you put racers on the podium race after race? Read on to find out…

Before I started racing I always considered myself a good rider, but this didn’t immediately transfer to good race results. In my first ever race I got second to last against a guy with a flat tire. Why? From that day on I learned to prepare my bike, my body and my mind so all I had to do once I was in the start gate is… ride my bike.

  Early in the season we held a team weekend at Crystal’s View bed and breakfast on the North Shore.

Mental preparation: I knew what I wanted the outcome to be – faster racers – but I didn’t know how to do it or how to prove it. I believe racing is 80% mental and 20% skill. If what I believe is true then any rider with any skill can race a bike and do well.

  Does homework make you faster? Every night Sean Verret had us doing something.

People have told me the faster you look the better you perform. I believe the faster you look the faster you “think” you have to go. When you get this in your head you aren’t racing your race, you are racing someone else’s. Going fast is being calm, cool and consistent – the 3C’s. We are all great riders but at the end of the day it’s the rider who rides as fast as they can go, not as fast as they think they need to go.

  Kits look good but do they make you faster?

For me riding my race is just that. The more I prepare before the start of my race the better I perform in my race. Coming to the start line knowing my tire pressure is good, my bike is tuned, I’m confident in the course, I’m warmed up and if its muddy I’ve got my fenders and tear off ready to go. Then, All I have to do is ride my bike; I can go not worrying about the other riders, knowing MY fastest is the fastest I can go.

  A picture of what a race weekend looks like for me and the other riders.

I wanted to give the Clan riders an opportunity to explore the mental side of racing.  I wanted them to understand what I know now so they can reach their racing potential now rather than when they are all old and washed – like me, reaching their potential when it’s too late… jokes, I’m going to be in pro till master 40 plus.

  Lots to do and think about over the weekend.

I called up my buddy Scotty Morgan to get the inside scoop on what he does for mental training. Scotty is a National level gymnast who needs to be at the top of his mental game not only for competitions but to keep himself motivated and the top of his game training. Scotty works with a mental coach named Sean Verret and told me to contact him for some ideas. I called him and we met up for a coffee. Sean being a world level adventure racer and 24 hour mtb racer loved the idea of getting together with me to talk about the Clan. 

  We met here at 7 am each morning to start.

I originally got together with Sean to talk about and steal ideas from him to run my own weekend. After a coffee and batting ideas back and forth Sean asked for the opportunity to take on and lead the weekend for me and the Clan. He looked at it as an opportunity to grow himself while helping some local riders. Sean was intrigued that we are a team of pro riders that train and support each other but at the end of the day we are competing against each other.

  We were together the whole weekend, we had breakfast made for us with orange juice included.

During the weekend Sean took us through a series of tasks and concepts that helped us explore who we are and why we race. Sean feels that pulling back the layers and finding out what drives you in life will help you with your confidence and drive on the bike.

  Sean Verret – Recognizing Vulnerabilities. Achieving Victories.

I also wanted to add a bit of my own experiences to the mix, things that have helped me not only be better on my bike but off it as well. Yoga has been a huge influence in my life making me stand taller and more confident in my own skill. I feel this has really helped me be calm at the races letting me know that when I just ride my bike I am fast. I don’t have to race against the field of pros but just me. As long as I do my best it will be the best and that is all I can do. And at the end of the day, if I do my best I will be happy.

  Lindsay putting together her script for the year.

Designing our own scripts was another topic Sean and I agreed on. We both have done this in the past and wanted to share this with the rest of the team. A script is a plan you put together way before the race, so leading up to the race you have something to follow. You put together your script using past experiences of what worked and didn’t work so you can tailor it to future races.  A script is best put together ahead of time: when you are in the middle of a stressful race weekend it’s something you can look to for direction. When the weekend is through you can take your script and tweak and tailor it for you and only you. After putting these together and talking about them as a team we can now hold each other accountable for our scripts.

  Good preparation led Clan racers to the top of the field in the 2012 BC Cup season. Jeff Bryson with 2nd place overall.

Leaving the weekend it was hard to see if something like this helped – but our results this season speak for themselves. I feel the skills we learned at this workshop are skills we can use not only on the bike but in life as well. I look forward to taking the script from the Clan mental coaching weekend, tailored over the year, and making next year’s even better.

  Stay on your bike Adriano! Digiacinto roosting to 1st overall in the BC Cup season.

I want to put a huge shout out to Sean Verret for taking this weekend on. I would also like to thank North Shore Elements Y Yoga for the supporting the weekend with some passes for the Clan. Looking forward to this year and years to come.

“At the end of the day after the dust has settled, the kits are muddy and music is turned off, the fastest racers have shown their true colors.”

Bryson

www.brysonracingclan.com
www.bikeroom.ca

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Proper preparation is definitely part of the reason successful racers achieve what they do. Did you enjoy this insight into the racer’s mind?