Jedi Mind Meld

I enjoy Marvin's articles because they relate directly to what I work on with my clients. Most of my coaching energy is spent on helping my athletes connect to their inner voice...that force within aht motivates them to do, or not to do, something. A Jedi Mind Meld thing!!! This article is relevant to the inner dialogue we all carry with us, on and off the bike.

Toolbox: Positive Self-Talk
Tuesday, March 20, 2007 7:04:13 AM PT




There’s a conversation that goes on in your head while you’re riding, and it doesn’t mean you’re crazy. Take a look at it. Are you encouraging yourself? Worried? Beating yourself up? Self-talk can have a big effect on cycling performance. Increasing your awareness of negative self-talk and correcting it could become your most important mental skill.

By Marvin Zauderer

Last month, I explored Goal-Setting, the first of the five core skills of mentally fit athletes. This month, we look at Self-Talk in more depth.

I can’t climb… I didn’t podium, so this race was a waste of time… I rode badly in a century last month, so I’ll ride badly in this century today… I’m so nervous, I just know something bad is going to happen… I’m so much weaker than her – I’m really a weak rider… I can’t win this race, so why bother finishing…? I’m really a lousy climber – I was just lucky today… The team’s going to fire me if I keep doing so poorly… I should be a better rider by now…

Any of those sound familiar?

What you say to yourself needs to be directed toward improving your performance, not detracting from it. And if you don’t train your self-talk, it can get out of control. Then a challenging situation – being dropped, having a bad day, missing the break – may become insurmountable.

Where does negative self-talk come from? Well, yes, it does come from watching too many Woody Allen movies, but where else? A key source: anxiety. Anxiety – and its cousins: fear, stress, worry, tension, and pressure – tends to fuel negative self-talk, and negative self-talk tends to feed anxiety. There are many ways to manage and reduce anxiety; I’ll cover that in more depth in an upcoming article on regulating emotions. But for now, note that you can interrupt the cycle: stop the negative self-talk, and you remove an important source of anxiety’s fuel. With less negative self-talk, you’ll burn less energy on anxiety, you’ll be more focused, and you’re likely to have more fun.

Types of Negative Self-Talk
In the early 1960’s, Aaron Beck, the father of cognitive therapy, researched ways in which our thoughts affect us. He noticed that our minds distort reality at times (no, not those times), and that this can cause negative, unnecessary effects on our feelings and behaviors. He discovered that as we get more objective about situations, sensations, and feelings – what he called “correcting cognitive distortions” – we shift our thinking, and thus our feelings and behavior. Cognitive distortions represent the bulk of most negative self-talk.

Some of the most common cognitive distortions include:

• All-or-nothing thinking. Seeing things in absolute, black-and-white terms. You didn’t podium, and so you think you wasted your time?

• Being ruled by “should” and “shouldn’t”. You should be a better rider by now? Says who? This kind of self-oppression is sometimes also a sign of perfectionism and all-or-nothing thinking, eg. “I’m no good unless I’m perfect.”

• Jumping to conclusions. You can’t climb? So you’ve never ridden 100 meters over a 3% grade? You have? How about a 4% grade? A related distortion:

• Overgeneralizing, where there’s insufficient (rather than no) evidence for your conclusion. You rode badly in a century a month ago, and that’s unshakable proof that you’ll ride badly in a century today? Hmmm. Sometimes this kind of thinking leads to another distortion: Labeling. You say you’re a “lousy climber?” Why? Because you’ve not yet beaten your friends up a 4-mile, 12% grade? Hmmm.

• Magnifying or minimizing. Catastrophizing – dramatically overestimating the chances of something bad happening, like being thrown off the team – is a common kind of magnification. It tends to promote vigilance for the “worst case.” You climbed well today because you were “just lucky?” Sounds like you might be minimizing.

• Focusing completely on the negative. Just because she’s stronger than you (today), you’re “really a weak rider?” Are you seeing the whole picture?

• “I feel, therefore it is.” “Going with your gut” is a good principle, but taking it too far – “emotional reasoning” – can get you in trouble. Yes, you’re nervous, but that doesn’t mean something bad is going to happen. You may just be nervous.

These patterns of thinking often become habitual. Fortunately, they can be unlearned.

Correcting Negative Self-Talk

As with most everything within ourselves that we want to have a chance to improve, self-awareness is the key. On your next several rides, tune in to your self-talk. Without removing too much of your attention from the road, other riders, and road kill, pay attention to any bits of conversation you have with yourself.

For some of you, this may come easy. For others of you, self-talk may be difficult to notice at first. Try this: pay attention to your breathing. For thousands of years, meditators from a variety of traditions have found that paying close attention to the breath cultivates increased self-awareness, particularly of thoughts and feelings. Or, try this: notice any feelings that come up while riding, and see if you can remember any thoughts that came up before the feelings.

You may find it helpful to keep a log of your positive and negative self-talk. And, you may find it helpful to tell someone about it – your coach, a friend, your spouse – not necessarily to get their advice, but just as a way of “giving voice” to your self-talk. Sometimes when you hear it aloud, it can help you to be more sensitive to it next time.

You may also find it helpful to investigate what seemed to influence the self-talk. Were you happy, sad, scared, angry, tired, embarrassed, nervous, hungry, confident?

When you become aware of negative self-talk, you can use these techniques:

• Thought-stopping. Some people use sheer force of will, some visualize a red light or stop sign. Whatever you use, shut that thought down.

• Questioning. When you hear negative self-talk, wait. Ask yourself: What’s the evidence for what your mind is saying to you? What’s the proof?

• Reducing your anxiety. Depending on whether you’re on or off the bike, use whatever you find soothing (and legal): breathing, meditation, imagery, music, being in nature, talking with a friend. You may not become relaxed, but you’re likely to become more relaxed, perhaps just enough to allow another technique to work.

• Thought-replacement. Here’s your counterattack. What could you say (instead) to yourself that would be encouraging, supportive or motivating, while still believable?
- Positive, reality-based counterstatements: (“Given my stage of training, I am climbing well.”)
- Affirmations. (“I am strong and have a good team in this race.”)
- Frequently-used cue words with positive associations. (“Calm and focused”)
- Behaviors. (“I’m going to focus on having good form on this climb.”)

Sometimes, rather than being able to say something positive to yourself, the best you can do is to say something non-negative. For example, “I’m never going to win” could be replaced with “I’ll suspend judgment for the moment on how the race will play out.” That could be progress for you. In your training, notice frequent words and phrases of negative self-talk and develop a plan for responding to them. If you’re competing, review your plan as part of your pre-race routine.

The mind can be a dangerous thing. But you can use your mind to battle your mind – successfully.

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Brooke in the news!!!

It's almost unexplainable for me to read about one of my former athletes...almost euphoric while unbelievable at the same time. I'm not one to live too much in the past but I am still amazed at Brooke's success...I know she's reading this so I'll keep the "I told you so's...." to a minimum. I guess more than anything else I am just really proud of Brooke for her accomplishments and wonder if I can keep up with her on the road!!!

Way to go Brooke!

Sutherland, Teutenberg tops in Redlands crit stages: "The next rider to enter the picture was the up-and-coming California sprinter Brooke Miller of Team Tibco who won the first three NRC races this year.

Teutenberg moves toward the front of the field

photo: Casey GibsonCasey B. Gibson
'Ina's a really aggressive rider and we had expected her to go,' Miller told VeloNews. 'Last year when I didn't know what I was doing, the only advice I got before the race was, ‘Ina can win this race in a bunch sprint, she can win this race in a solo sprint, or she can lap the field.' So last year she'd attacked twice in the first lap, and I stupidly chased her down and worked with Team Lipton to chase her down, and I just literally blew myself.

'And so this year, I'm like, okay, well if Ina goes, it's not my responsibility to chase her down, you know? I need to be smart and let my team work and all this sort of stuff. I saw Ina go, and ... then I saw Van Gilder go, and I thought, ‘Whoa! Ina, Van Gilder up the road, I am not gonna let that happen.'

Up and comer Brooke Miller leads the break.

photo: Casey B. Gibson
'And then Christine [Thorburn] went, and I was on Christine's wheel and so I was bridging up with Christine. And she got almost all the way there, and I buried myself to get all "

More psychology of sport

http://www.pezcyclingnews.com/?pg=fullstory />

Toolbox: Marketing Yourself
Tuesday, March 13, 2007 4:58:20 AM PT

by Josh Horowitz

We love it at the same time as we despise it. Marketing and advertising has been honed into an incredibly precise science through both trial and error along with psychological studies into what makes us tick. So if it can make us develop an all-consuming desire for a lava lamp or a pet rock, why not use it to our advantage and adapt marketing ideas to make us better cyclists?

Psychology of Influence
I recently read an older but interesting book called “The Psychology of Influence” by Robert B. Cialdini, Ph.D. It was written as a guide to circumventing the psychological tactics that so called “compliance professionals” employ. These are the techniques used to sell us extended warranties on a new toaster or undercoating on a new car. As I read, I began to suspect that most readers instead use it as a handbook to increase their own business skills, people skills and even success with romantic prospects.

As I got further into the book, I realized there might be another use. Theoretically we could use these techniques on ourselves to cultivate compliance in our own malleable mind. In this month’s Tool Box I will explore compliance techniques, how they affect the daily life of a cyclist and how we can turn them around to help us set goals and achieve them.

The underlying theory behind Cialdini’s hypothesis is that the world has become too complicated for any individual to gain a solid understanding of every circumstance they might encounter. In order to cope, we have developed certain automated responses to these situations that will work to our benefit most, but not all, of the time.

For instance, you are shopping for a coach. (Since I'm a coach, this is an area I know something about...) Knowing nothing about your choices, you assume that the most expensive one is also the best. It’s an easy shortcut for deciphering what we don’t fully understand, nor have the time or energy, to thoroughly research. Most times this strategy will lead to a correct conclusion; however there are exceptions to the rule and people who will take advantage of these automated inclinations.
(Note to self: raise my coaching rates).


1. Consistency Principle
The Case Study:
The Chinese benefited from unprecedented success in brain washing their P.O.W’s during the Korean War. The prisoner would first be asked to perform a seemingly innocent task such as copying onto paper a written pro-communism declaration. Then they would hold a contest where prisoners would compete to write the best essay on why communism is better than democracy. A small prize such as a couple of cigarettes would be given to the winner. The prisoners reasoned that since they didn’t actually believe what they were writing, the essay couldn’t possibly do harm. The final step was to have the prisoner read their essay out loud to their fellow prisoners.

The Science:
Psychologists studied this case and found that humans are powerfully inclined to be consistent with things they had previously thought or said, even when they know they were wrong. We have been conditioned to think poorly of people (including ourselves) when they go back on their word or are hypocritical. They found that this pre-programmed consistency bug is more powerful when written down, and even more powerful when stated in a public forum. This consistency doesn’t just exist in what we say, but also in our actions. As a cyclist, you might start out as a slow climber and, subsequently, come to identify yourself as a slow climber. Subconsciously you will do everything you can to make sure that your performance stays consistent with that image. Hence, to reshape your self-perception of your climbing talents, positive affirmations are key.

Apply it to Cycling:
Most cyclists, at one time or another, have been told that writing down their goals at the beginning of the season will massively increase their chances of success. Writing goals is a great step, but here’s another recommendation to help you take your goal-setting to the next level: write your goals in an e-mail and send it to every single person you know. The urge to remain consistent in the minds of your friends and peers far outweighs the need to stay consistent in our own minds or even the urge to turn off the alarm clock and sleep another hour.
(Note to Self: Hold essay contest. Subject - Liquid Fitness is the greatest coaching service ever. Post winner’s essay on Pez.)


2. The Power of (a) Reason
The Case Study:
A cyclist is waiting to register in a long line at a century or race. Another rider comes along and asks, “Can I get in front of you in the registration line?” The cyclist says, “No.” At the next event, the cyclist is again waiting in a long line. The same guy comes up again and asks to cut in line, but this time he gives a meaningless reason. “Can I get in front of you in the registration line because I have to register?” The cyclist says, “Yes.”

The Science:
Humans have been conditioned to expect a reason to follow any request. We don’t have the time to process every little request by weighing the pros and cons, conferring with our family and friends and finally asking our local clergy for guidance. To cope, we have developed a shortcut. Instead of waiting to hear a logical reason for a request or favor, the word “because” triggers an automatic affirmative response and cuts down on the time and effort it takes to make a well informed decision. One study found that 60% of the time people agree to let someone get in line in front of them when there is no reason given. When just the word “because” is added to the request the number increases to 93%!

Apply it to Cycling:
If a meaningless word like “because” can increase the rate of compliance so dramatically, imagine the power of a reason like: because I want to be healthy, lose some weight and win a local race. Therefore, in addition to coming up with a list of season goals, writing them down and reading them aloud to your friends, one more step is required for maximum results. Read these examples:

1) I will lose 10 pounds over the winter - so my friends don’t have to wait for me at the top of the hills.

2) I will upgrade from a Cat 4 to a Cat 3 - because the Cat 3 races are longer, more challenging and have better prizes.

(Note to Self: Change essay contest subject to - WHY Liquid Fitness is the greatest coaching service ever.)


3. Contrast Principle
The Case Study:
A man walks into a bike shop to buy a new bike and helmet. His budget is $2,500. He is first shown the helmets and picks out a nice $50 close-out model. Then he is shown a well built $2,200 bike and walks away having spent less than he had allotted. Another man walks into a different shop with the same budget and shopping list. The sales-person first shows him a $6,500 bike but eventually they settle on a more reasonable $2,800 model. The man is then taken to see the helmets where he decides to splurge on the top of the line $150 model.

The Science:
This principle states that people perceive things differently depending on the setting in which they are observed. By itself a $150 helmet seems expensive, but when put next to a $2,800 bike it seems like a drop in the bucket. The same is true with the $2,800 bike when compared to the $6,500 bike. A vivid example can be seen when researchers asked a subject to put one hand in a bucket of hot water and the other hand in a bucket of cold water. Then he simultaneously placed both hands in a bucket of room temperature water. The subject reported that the hand that was in the hot water felt as if it was in cold water while the one that was in cold water felt as if it was now in hot water.

Apply it to Cycling:
Mike Walden once told me, “If you want to reach the moon, aim for the stars.” I thought I understood it at the time, but now that I understand the principles behind this kind of thinking, it makes even more sense. The idea is to set your goals so high that even if you only come close to reaching them, you will still have accomplished a great deal. Try incorporating this into your goal setting at the beginning of each season. Set the bar just a little higher than what you expect to reach. Continue to strive for that unlikely goal and by contrast, the goal that you originally set for yourself will be easier to achieve.

(Note to Self: Switch the order of the training plans on the website so the most expensive one appears at the top.)


4. Rule of Reciprocation
Case Study:
You get hungry on a ride. A stranger offers you a gel ($1 value). Later at the coffee shop you buy him a large caramel macchiato and a muffin ($8 value, plus it will fatten him up so he’ll climb slower).

Science:
Humans have been conditioned to leave no favor un-returned, even if the favor wasn’t requested in the first place. The return favor will often be much larger than the original favor.

Apply it to Cycling:
During your warm up at a race, offer a competitor a PowerBar. Maybe he won’t chase you down when you get in that winning break. This last one has nothing to do with setting goals but it could help you reach them!

(Note to self: Give gift of nominal value to all potential clients)

Thanks for reading.

As a way to say thanks for your continued support, the first 200 readers to send a S.A.S.E to Liquid Fitness, 1641 Armacost Ave, Suite 002, Los Angeles, CA 90025 will receive a free refrigerator magnet. Allow 4 weeks for delivery.

PezCycling News - Hematocrit ...what is it?

This article does a good job of explaining the fundemental elements of the cardiovascular system, its efficiencies and other factors such as blood test levels and what they mean.

PezCycling News - What's Cool In Pro Cycling: "Toolbox: Cardiovascular Fatigue
Tuesday, March 06, 2007 5:56:24 AM PT

by Dr. Stephen Cheung, Ph.D.

The heart is a muscle, and can be trained just like any other muscle in your body. Cardiovascular mechanisms and the inability to supply blood and nutrients to the different tissues in the body remain at the “heart” of many of the proposed models of fatigue, so this seems a good place to start our exploration…

Cardio Basics
One of the things I really focus on with my exercise physiology class is the incredible efficiency of the body, with efficiency defined very broadly. With respect to the cardiovascular system, the resting cardiac output (amount of blood pumped through the heart each minute) is approximately 5 L. That’s also the rough amount of total blood in your body. So at rest, we can make the broad generalization that every red blood cell does one full circuit of your body in one minute.

But with maximal exercise, the body has prepared an incredible reserve capacity, such that highly trained individuals might have cardiac outputs of 30-40 L/min. So that means that same single red blood cell does a full circuit of your body every 7-10 s! All of this is achieved by a pump that is about the size of your fist, and the even more beautiful thing is that it’s all done automatically without any conscious input required.

The capacity of the pump itself is only half of the equation. The other half is the ability of the blood vessels to distribute that blood to the body and especially the muscles. So in real time, the body is able to sense where the blood is most required (e.g., leg muscles for activity, skin for temperature regulation) and maximize distribution there while keeping other systems (e.g., digestive tract) at basic maintenance levels.

Blood and Hematocrit Basics
You almost can’t read any cycling coverage nowadays without hearing about blood tests, so let’s start with the basics of blood composition and the simplest blood test – a hematocrit test. Blood can be broadly categorized as comprising liquid (mainly plasma) and solids (red blood cells that carry oxygen and white blood cells and platelets that ward off infections and help with clotting.


Hematocrit is the percentage of your blood that is composed of “solids.” UCI rules are that hematocrit must be 47% or under for women and 50% or under for men.

Why is more red blood cells or a high hematocrit useful for endurance athletes? More red blood cells mean more haemoglobin, the molecule that carries oxygen. And nothing determines an endurance athlete’s ability more than the amount of oxygen that her body can deliver to the muscles. If you have more red blood cells and blood than your identical twin, you will be able to maintain a lower heart rate at any particular workload, and also be able to work at a higher workload before really having to tap into your anaerobic (without oxygen) metabolism, meaning less lactic acid buildup in your muscles.

Why is a high hematocrit dangerous? A greater fraction of solids in the blood means that the blood is thicker and more difficult to pump throughout the body. Think of putting super thick motor oil in your car and the strain that might put on your engine. Similarly, a high hematocrit puts a lot of strain on your heart and blood vessels, especially when it’s working hard in training or racing. This can lead to heart attacks or strokes. Remember all the young and elite cyclists dropping dead of heart attacks in the late ‘80s and early ‘90s?

Do blood volume and hematocrit change with training? They do, but it’s not a dramatic change and not the prime reason for increased endurance capacity with training. That’s why an overly high hematocrit is so unusual and an easy indirect marker of blood manipulation.

Blood Flow at the Muscles
The crux of the question remains what are the limits of the cardiovascular (heart + blood vessels) system, how does it cause fatigue, and can we train it better? With this in mind, the primary site of improvement comes about at the level of the tissues, with more blood being able to be pumped through the active muscles during exercise. Less is diverted to non-active muscles (e.g., upper body or even non-essential cycling muscles at the leg) and also to non-critical systems like the digestive tract.

I’ve written previously on the use of high intensity off-season efforts by elite athletes previously, and you’ll know that I’m not sure a slavish devotion to a “ceiling” on intensity is appropriate during the off-season. From a physiological perspective, the actual muscle tissues are already saturated with far more capillaries than the body’s capacity to pump blood through them without losing sufficient pressure in the system. So while some capillary building likely takes place, it’s probably not the main training adaptation in the cardiovascular system.

Rather, the main adaptation is likely improving the ability of your body to alter its blood distribution to the active muscles during exercise. So in my earlier example, rather than a red blood cell just coursing randomly through your body 7-10 times throughout your body, you’re training the system’s efficiency such that that red blood cell goes 10-15 times per minute to the important muscles, all without necessarily increasing the overall cardiac output throughout your whole body.

Out on the Road
We all know about the importance of building “base” and putting in the consistent endurance miles. There’s also a stream of thought in coaching circles that you should spend the off-season devoted to keeping a very strict ceiling on your heart rate. The warning typically goes along the lines of higher efforts damaging the process of building the capillaries (the tiny blood vessels actually transferring oxygen to the tissues and muscles in the body). As above, I’m not sure this is the case, but laying down a “groove” in distributing blood to the muscles as efficiently as possible remains a fundamental aspect of training.

That goes hand-in-hand with your muscles becoming more efficient, such that only the muscles most required for a particular movement are activated and there’s less “wasted” motion. Just like golfers spend endless hours trying to perfect their swing so that there is a perfect synchronization of muscle movement, we are trying to perfect the synchronization of our muscles throughout the pedal stroke at the level of both the muscles and also the blood distribution. So from that perspective, pedaling drills, base training and continued focus on steady, “base” like efforts throughout the season remains critical to continued fitness improvement.

In upcoming Toolbox articles, I’ll further explore the process of training the cardiovascular system. Ride strong and stay warm (it just snowed again here in Halifax overnight!).

Fatigue series introduction

Sprint versus endurance training

High intensity training and aerobic performance II

High intensity training and aerobic performance I

---

About Stephen:
Stephen Cheung is an Associate Professor of Kinesiology at Dalhousie University, with a research specialization in the effects of thermal stress on human physiology and performance. He can be reached for comments at stephen@pezcyclingnews.com

How safe is cycling? - 05 Mar 2007 - Opinion, Editorial and reader views - New Zealand Herald

I stumbled across this post on a New Zealand story on cycling and saftedy and was fascinated by two points: 1. that the author things drivers in the US "always wait behind you until it is safe to pass." which isn't true, and 2. that the collission, for lack of a better word, between cyclists and motorists seems to be a global issue.

I will say that I have ridden in New Zealand and feared for my life because of the relatively smaller roads with no bike lanes and the speeds at which motorists generally drive: Kiwis drive like Italians.

Either way, perhaps the continued increase in the price of oil will motivate more people to use bikes for transportation, which will undoubtedly and unfortunately increase the number of accidents until enough attention is raised to implement changes to make it safer for us.


Your Views: How safe is cycling? - 05 Mar 2007 - Opinion, Editorial and reader views - New Zealand Herald: "Your Views: How safe is cycling?
Email this storyPrint this story 12:00PM Monday March 05, 2007
Your Views

Two cyclists are dead and three others are in hospital after a spate of accidents in what was supposed to be a week of awareness-raising for safe biking on roads.

Cycling Advocates Network spokesman Stephen McKernon said it was a great tragedy that two people had died in what had been an otherwise successful Bikewise week.

What do you think?
Send us your views

>> Read the story

>> Also, read views on Auckland's transport woes and public transport issues


Here is the latest selection of your views on cycling:

Simon
I drive about 50,000kms a year, but also regularly ride a bike for recreation. There seem to me to be two main factors that make riding in NZ dangerous. Firstly, the attitude of the small percentage of motorists who lack courtesy and patience to adjust their driving to safely share the road. It adds only moments to a journey to slow down and wait until it is safe to pass a cyclist safely. I have riden extensively in places li"

TOC time trial power numbers

It always fascinates me what pro riders' power numbers look like...not to mention an interesting way to compare.  I weight 30 pounds more than Pou and produce 75 watts less power!!!

 

http://www.velonews.com/train/articles/11806.0.html

The Solvang time trial - at 23km - served as an ideal venue to collect maximum critical power values. This TT saw only two riders break the 30-minute barrier. Remarkably, both Jufre Pou and Aerts opted to forego their disc wheels in favor of racing with a power meter to gain the data. In Jufre Pou's case, that decision probably cost him a top-15 final classification, but in return, he now has data that can be used to help him objectively train for his major goal of the year, the Giro d'Italia.

Jufre Pou, who weighs 147 pounds, averaged 388 watts for 32-minutes. His maximum 10-minute value was an astonishing 400 watts. This is some very valuable data as he starts to prepare for the Giro since the Italian race has a 13km uphill time trial and a 42km flat time trial. He can now use this data to design specific, objective intervals to prepare him for both. The time trial data from California also reaffirms that Jufre Pou's functional threshold power (FTP) is somewhere between 380-390 watts at the time of the Tour of California.

 

Kam Zardouzian Kam Zardouzian Chief Instigator Raceplan Coaching & Racing Kam@Raceplan.com http://www.raceplan.com mobile: 858-414-2624

Add me to your address book... Want a signature like this?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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The Fanatic

"To be a cyclist you must have pride and respect for your team no matter what.  One has loyalty and admiration for the team and its members in general.  One has support for the team and its achievements as well as for the individual team members themselves. You love the team unconditionally and want the best for your team members always.  You stick with the team in good times and bad.  One can almost compare it to a marriage and the vows one takes. The saying that "I bleed blue" is definitely true in my case, because I always want them to do the very best that they possibly can. So when they hurt, I hurt and vise versa.  I love being a representative and graduate of Raceplan and the traditions that go along with it."

WOW!  I was flipping through some light reading on Sports Marketing and the Psychology of Marketing Communication and came across a chapter on the sports fanatic with the above highly modified quote from a UK Wildcats fan.  The book defines a fanatic as a person possessed by an excessive zeal for and uncritical attachment to a cause or position.

 

My first thought was how this football fanatics statement compares to an average fan of the Discovery or CSC cycling team?  Well, I think it's safe to say that when we see someone in full Discovery get up and they're NOT on the Discovery team, we usually think of them as a poser and immediately discount them.  And, this is perhaps, where one of the biggest breakdowns in comparison between cycling and other mainstream sports lies: in mainstream sports it's generally accepted, nay, the absolute norm, to done your team's colors from head to toe.  But in cycling, almost the reverse is true unless you ride for a club team, but even then you're looked at funny.

 

My other thought was on what would happen if everyone on a cycling team really bought into the fanatic's statements: it's all about the team, I want what's best for the team no matter what, it's like marriage, etc.?  WOW again.  Does this type of selfless loyalty really exist in a sport where you are trained to suck energy from those around you and try and go around them for the win at the end?  This would certainly be par with the state of marriages in today's world!  But, can that type of "fanaticism" really exist in cycling?  We certainly see and hear team mates putting all the effort to protect a key rider during major tours and this could be a short-term example of this type of loyalty. But we also hear about individual riders leaving teams for higher salaries and at times with gripes against their former team, usually against management.

 

So, what's the point here?  The point, I think, is perhaps to revisit what it means for us to be on a cycling team.  That perhaps teams should adopt a code of conduct that members are encouraged to follow.  That dosed spirit and fanaticism can be good things in cycling...especially if you view everyone on bike as your teammate.  You might think this to be true the next time you're saved by a fellow cyclist when you're stuck with a flat out in the middle of no-where with no tube and a broken pump.