Beware RED MIST

When did you last feel angry on your bike, and where did it lead? Psychologist Dr Josephine Perry explores what is going on under the surface when the red mist descends

- David Lyttleton

Remember that time you aced your turbo session fuelled by anger at your boss who unfairly blamed you for an error of their own making? Or maybe you were infuriated after a call with a utility company that took an hour and got you precisely nowhere. Such short-lived fits of rage can fill our bodies with adrenaline, cortisol, and energy that assist us in hitting wattages and speeds we never thought possible. Perhaps we should get angry more often.

Can anger really be a productive force in your cycling? Could it help you make a breakaway that sticks or get up the hill you usually dread? Maybe, but the trouble is, anger has a downside. It is a complex emotion that tends to crowd out rational thoughts and impede our judgment; it can make us behave badly towards others and lead to serious mistakes that culminate in pain and embarrassment. So should we embrace the odd bout of ire or avoid it at all costs?

Losing control

I put this question to Chris Glover, who is researching anger in sport for his PhD at Glasgow Caledonian University. “I think anger may benefit you up to a point, but cycling is not one of those sports where you need to lash out. A certain amount of anger could help generate power through the pedals to go faster but the minute you go over a certain point psychologically, you are going to start to lose control, and that is not good at high speed.”