Training Tips

How to take advantage of your brain’s wiring to train enthusiastically amid uncertainty

Finding your motivation during this pandemic

Like many riders, a little more than a year ago, you were probably making plans for your season ahead. You might have had a training camp lined up. You might have worked out a detailed training plan with your coach that would help you perform at your best at a goal event. Then, that all got thrown out the window as the covid-19 pandemic grew and grew. Without those traditional goals and plans, your motivation to train and improve likely took a hit. Or, maybe you were able to pivot and find a way to focus on building your abilities as a cyclist. It all depended on who you are and what motivates you.

So what motivates you? Is it a win at a race or Strava kom? If these things spark your desire to train, you respond to extrinsic motivators. If you train for the sense of satisfaction or accomplishment it provides, you are someone who has an internal or intrinsic motivation.

In cycling, it’s rare for extrinsic motivation alone to carry an athlete. Rewards, and in turn extrinsic motivation, are usually quickly exhausted. It’s more common that we find our motivation from within, to push the boundaries of what we were previously capable of, to prove to ourselves that we can improve. Positive intrinsic motivation begins with a sense of purpose, knowing why you are doing what you are doing. The training mentality thrives within the intrinsically motivated individual.

The next part of the motivation equation is your personality type: extrovert or introvert. If you get energy from being around people, on group rides or workouts, you’re an extrovert. If you find your energy levels are better when you’re alone or in small groups, you have more introverted tendencies.

The intrinsically motivated introvert has no problem training alone with Zen-like focus. She rarely depends upon the group ride or race to stay on track. She can measure relative progress toward her goals in isolation, but will lack the direct feedback that competition provides.

The intrinsically motivated extrovert relishes the chance to sprint for a town sign or to chat with friends during the coffee stop. For this athlete, the act of cycling is more than pure competition: it fulfils a social need, which can often come at the detriment of training and performance goals.

Needless to say, the covid-19 pandemic has had a negative effect on each of these athlete types. The introvert has lost the valuable experience of direct competition: the increased focus and fervor that comes with pinning on a number. She has lost the experience that typically draws out the full potential of the athlete in a way that training can’t match. The extrovert has lost his social outlet, the camaraderie and the fun. While these losses may actually have a positive effect on the extrovert’s training because he faces fewer diversions that can steer him away from his training focus, it all comes at the expense of fun. And what is cycling without fun?

With all this in mind, we’ve created four pandemic-friendly activities to help