Mental Skills-Adapt and Overcome

We have all heard phrase “adapt and overcome” but when faced with a situation that challenges us it takes skill, practice, and discipline to implement this strategy. To adapt requires flexibility; to overcome- resolve. These skills are not necessarily innate, but can be learned and practiced.

A key mental skill of successful athletes is ability to push on, even excel, despite obstacles, setbacks, and failures. A good example is Craig Walton, winner of Saint Anthony’s International triathlon. Craig entered his swim to bike transition only to find he had left his cycling shoes at home. Instead of giving up on race he excelled. Cycling in his running shoes he caught pack, passed them, and won race.

Here are a few ways you can learn to adapt and overcome.

1.First identify exactly what you want and need out of a situation, and what is most important to you. Many athletes walk back to transition after having a flat that could have been changed in a few minutes and got them back into race. 2.Do not get mired in problem, look for solutions. Try to come up with several solutions to a given situation and then choose best one. Focus on solution and how to implement it; not problem. What are consequences of each decision? 3.Try to take emotion out of your decision making. It is easy to get frustrated, angry, and emotional but this really does not get you anywhere. Again, it causes you to focus on problem and not find a solution or it may keep you from making best decision. It also makes you look like you are not in control. I recently observed a racer screaming at an official to tell him where to turn (as he took wrong one). If this person had just slowed down and listened he would have heard official tell him “left.”

Road Bike Selection and Purchase 101

Road bikes will range in price from $500 to over $5000, and vary greatly in design, materials, and performance. The first decision you need to make is road bike or tri set up. What type of riding are you going to be doing? Are you purchasing bike for multi-sport competition or strictly for road riding, training, and / or racing? A tri bike is used in triathlons and other multi sport events, has aero bars and a more forward (less comfortable) position, can be slightly heavier than a road bike, and is generally less comfortable. The position puts your body more forward over front wheel and has your torso almost parallel to ground. The more forward position makes bike less stable and harder to handle. On some tri handlebars your hands are far from brakes, and handling is quick and less controllable. I do not recommend this type of bike for beginner riders. You may sacrifice a bit of weight for aerodynamics, but unless you are moving pretty quickly, aerodynamics will not pay off much... About 80% of your resistance while cycling comes from air around you, but you must be moving above 20 mph to gain full advantage. If you are a slower beginning cyclist more aerodynamic position is not as much of a factor. I would start off with a road bike. Second decision; recreation or competition? This is really more about your budget and how competitive you are. A $500 road bike can actually be pretty reliable, but is heavier, requires more maintenance, is not as ergonomic, and parts wear out faster. There is a trickle down in technology from top of line road bikes, and an entry level bike can be of surprisingly good quality. Furthermore some entry level bikes can be easily upgraded to make them perform better. An example of an upgrade would be switching to a better wheel set, which perhaps will have biggest effect on increased speed. Competition level bikes usually start at around $1000. Competition level bikes usually start with a Shimano 105 component group or better. Shimano 105 has all features of more expensive groups (Ultegra and Durace), is fully race able and durable, but is a little heavier. Campagnolo also makes excellent bicycle components, but they are usually found on more expensive European models. I have had 105 bikes and full race Durace bikes. The differences are definitely there, but will not be significant to newer rider. If you are just getting into sport, an entry level bike may be good enough for you. But if you think you are going to stick with it, and want to be competitive, you should spend extra money. Third decision; frame type and material. I believe your best value is aluminum. Aluminum is extremely light, stiff, and relatively inexpensive compared with titanium and carbon fiber. Some complain that aluminum transmits road vibration more than other materials, but manufacturers have gotten much better with this. Carbon fiber is more expensive, but will dampen road vibration over long rides. Titanium is even more expensive, and is no longer lightest most exotic material. If you buy a ti frame you are buying a long term investment. I prefer latest technology (I buy a bike every 2 years). Aluminum is going to give you most bang for buck. Manufacturers are starting to use a combination of aluminum and carbon fiber in their frame sets. Another consideration is geometry- compact or traditional. The industry has moved towards (sometimes) lighter compact frames. These frames have a sloping top tube and look smaller. There advantage is quicker more precise handling, but you do not want to take your hands off bars. The disadvantage can be that they often do not come in as many sizes, and can be more challenging to fit. My preference is a compact, but I am a smaller rider and I find a good fit with these bikes.