The Mindset of an Ultra-distance Cyclist

The popularity of ultra-distance cycling has grown by leaps and bounds in the last decade, and it’s easy to see why. Riding on roads allows you to be out in nature while competing with other cyclists, it’s also an activity that lets you push your own body and limits while at the same time challenging your mind to keep you going. If you want to be part of this growing community, but aren’t sure if you have what it takes, here are some things to think about before you take your first pedal stroke.

How do I know if it’s right for me?

The best way to know if ultra cycling is right for you is to take a step back and ask yourself why you want to do it. Is it a way to lose weight? A chance to travel around different parts of your area or country? Maybe you just want to try something different, or prove something to yourself. Whatever your reasons, they’re what will push you through those long hours and grueling miles.

What are my goals?

Anyone who’s ridden even a few miles understands that cycling is both physically and mentally demanding. But if you’re just starting out, what are your goals?

- Fitness

- Accomplishment

- Results

What’s your race strategy?

There’s more to planning a cycling race than simply lining up and hoping for a good result. The key to ultra-distance races is pacing, which means knowing when to push your efforts and when to ease off. This type of pacing strategy varies by race distance: some will tell you that if you’re competing in long distance, you can’t ride at top speed from start to finish; instead, you need to gradually increase your effort throughout.

Give yourself permission to succeed

In ultra cycling, you’re always racing against yourself. You’re not competing with other riders and your ride doesn’t need to end at a certain time or location. In fact, you can finish when ever you feel like it! The greatest race is one that you give yourself permission to win. If you plan well and have realistic expectations of your abilities, there is no reason why you can’t finish successfully.

Learn how sleep affects your training

While many cyclists focus on eating healthy and getting plenty of exercise, few pay attention to how their body recovers from training sessions. But recovery is just as important as training—maybe even more so! Recovery starts with sleep. And if you’re not sleeping well, it can have a major impact on your performance in both training and racing. Sleep deprivation can impair your metabolism and immune system, interfere with muscle repair and growth, slow down recovery, and even lead to depression over time.

Stay Positive And Happy On Race Day!

As Ultra-distance cyclists, we are often our own worst enemy. We put ourselves under a tremendous amount of pressure by striving to set records, win races and drop huge amounts of weight in a short period of time. This can be extremely detrimental to both our physical and mental performance on race day! Regardless of your level or experience as an Ultra- distance cyclist, it’s important that you learn how to stay positive and happy during your training and on race day!