07 / MINDFULNESS TRAINING

Recent studies by professor Martin Paulus and his team at the OptiBrain Centre, University of California, suggests a small structure deep in the brain gives cyclists a competitive advantage over others. Paulus, a psychiatrist, argues that the brain’s insular cortex will help you complete RideLondon quicker than your rival because it’s making you more attuned to the signals from your body and upcoming challenge.

“We took elite adventure racers and recreational racers and had them breathe though an inspiratory tool where we could alter the difficulty of breathing”, explains Paulus. “We gave them a visual cue before we changed the load to see how the brain responded to the signal. We found that the adventure racers’ insular cortex was more active. Essentially they were preparing their brain before the challenge occurred so that they physically responded more appropriately. In cognitive terms this is often referred to as ‘proactive control’.”

Paulus suggests that this elite functioning derives from the insular cortex sending signals to the anterior cingulate cortex, an area crucial for decision making, which fires up motor neurons that will execute the correct movement. In cycling terms, this would result in optimum pacing, for example.

This sixth-sense is acute in elite riders training 30 hours a week, but us mere mortals should fear not. According to Paulus, there are interventions that can transform your insular cortex and concurrent neural network into that of an elite and positively impact your riding. “We’ve found that mindfulness training trains the same areas of the brain,” explains Paulus. The OptiBrain researchers discovered that this Buddhist teaching improves cognitive performance during stressful situations, leading you to make better decisions like braking at the correct time. Scan the web for recommended mindfulness apps and mentally (and, to a degree, physically!)