By USAC Level 1 and TrainingPeaks Certified ALP Coach Jennifer Sharp
When I first started racing a decade ago,
cyclingnews.com had a section in their website dedicated to mental training. I gravitated to this section more than tech reviews or race results – I wanted to know what I could do to train my mind to become a champion.
Since discovering a love and passion for all things sport psychology related, my bookshelves and mind are filled with mental tools I’d like to share. Below are a few tips to help you step it up this coming season and prepare for any goals you may have.
Surround yourself with positive people and those you admire. We all have cycling heroes, both locally and abroad. I’m fortunate to work with Alison Powers, the only person in history to win all three USA National Championships in one year and who has mastered teaching technical skills. I learn something new every time I’m around her. What I admire most is that she’s upbeat, positive and loves to teach. Her demeanor has a positive impact on how I approach coaching and training. Surround yourself with people you look up to and that are positive.
Observe habits and ask questions. What is it about successful riders that put them ahead of the rest? What do they do in their down time? What are they reading? How often do they drink while on the bike? What do they do for their mental training? Try some of their habits on for size and see which ones work for you.
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We are headed to Tucson in January for a 7 day training camp. Want to join us? We have a few spots left to fill. The focus will be base miles, 3-5hrs daily and can be tailored toward individual goals and needs. As always, we will include skills training- riding in a group, time trialing, cornering, climbing, and sprinting. Each evening we will have a athlete/coach meeting and a group discussion about training, racing, nutrition, mental preparation, coffee, etc. For more details click
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Find a mentor. Or two. Or three. Mentoring is a personal development relationship in which a more experienced/knowledgable person helps guide a less experienced/knowledgable person. Having multiple mentors can help broaden your knowledge. A mentor is different than a coach since it is relationship based verses task oriented. You hire a cycling coach to get better at cycling. And a mentor can shed some light on cycling but also focuses on the bigger picture.
Branch out. Be open to other learning opportunities such as other sports. Broadening your perspectives can open up new ways of thinking and approaches. Try looking into tennis, golf, basketball or even Formula One to get a grasp of high performance. People are doing incredible things in all areas of life – don’t limit yourself to just learning from cyclists. Study the greats and you can learn new insights.
If you want to step things up this next season, look to those who inspire and motivate you to figure out what they’re doing right and implement it in your mental training. Greatness awaits!
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ALP Cycles Coaching is located in the mountains of Colorado, and is a cycling coaching company with over 25 years of professional sports experience. ALP Cycles Coaching is unique in that it has 3 female coaches, Alison Powers, Jennifer Sharp, and Patricia Schwager. Each brings her own coaching strengths and personal experiences. We work together to create a training plan that works for each and every person.
As an athlete of ALP Cycles Coaching, you will receive monthly training plans, phone calls, e-mail updates, and “hands on coaching” with athlete training rides and/or workout sessions. You also receive discounts toward ALP Cycles training camps, skills clinics, clothing, and race/team tactics lessons.
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ALP Cycles Coaching- Blog 