Whether you’re racing or going for a long training ride this weekend, you’ll most likely test your physical limits. That’s the beauty of this thing we do. But there comes a point in any race or long training ride where it comes down to mental fortitude. Can you push yourself harder? Further? Do you have anything left? When I’ve faced these points in my own riding career, it’s usually true that I have something left physically – the question simply is whether or not my mind can take me to that place. Sometimes the answer is yes. Sometimes no. When it’s “no,” I’ve usually already decided in my mind. After the pain goes away, I realize I actually did have something left to give but didn’t have the mental toughness, like Jens (no that’s not Jens in the photo above), to say, “Shut up legs, I will ride.”
Either way, I’ve found great inspiration from listening to and reading about stories of suffering through the mental barriers we all possess. Here are a few quotes to remind you that you CAN go harder and further than you think:
“When you want to do something you give yourself up to it completely, and someone who doesn’t want to do it as much won’t go as well because they will feel the pain more.” – Richard Virenque
“You may be talented, but you may not be prepared to suffer.” -Ned Overend on his preparation to suffer
“You’ve got to be willing to rip it all apart, including yourself.” -Steve Woznik
“There are lots of very fit and skilled people out there – people who are pretty much equal to each other – but there’s always going to be one who’s going to win more than the others. I don’t know how to explain mental toughness or killer instinct.” – Juli Furtado
“The real race is not on the hot, paved roads, the tortuous off-road course, or the smooth-surfaced velodrome. It is in the electrochemical pathways of your mind.” – Alexi Grewal
Ride on…
Quotes from The Quotable Cyclist by Bill Strickland
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