UNLOCK A FRESH PERSPECTIVE

As lockdown is gradually lifted, sports psychologistJosephine Perry urges cyclists to seize this moment to reappraise our riding and return to what really matters

- Josephine Perry

Possibly the only polite thing we can say about 2020 is that it’s not what any of us expected. The races we thought we’d be storming towards fell by the wayside, as did the spring Classics we’d normally have been glued to on TV, and ditto the early-season sportives we’d booked. Our summer season is being raced on Zwift, our only consolation. As we come out of the strictest level of lockdown, we can’t ride in big groups just yet but at least the length of our outdoor rides is no longer limited. We can’t race, but we can explore. With these external changes out of our control, we need to focus on the internal factors and priorities we can control. This transition period, as lockdown is gradually lifted, is an ideal time to reflect on what we have learnt about ourselves and our cycling during this extraordinary time in our lives – so we can evolve towards a fresh perspective and reignite our cycling fire.

The first step to finding this fresh perspective is to go back-to-basics and remember what got you started in the first place. This gives us a core reason to ride, a reminder of why cycling matters to us, keeping us motivated, even while certain parts of our hobby are restricted. In this way, we can keep our mindset positive and purposeful – let’s return to the core reasons behind why we ride.

To make a difference

For many of us, our reason to ride is not simply to be able to spend time hanging out in showy Lycra kit, or as an excuse to have shaved legs, but because it gets us about much faster. A report last year from Inrix, which studies road data, found that in six major UK cities, it is actually quicker to get around by bike than by car. Many riders have been capitalizing on this benefit during lockdown, in some cases for vital services, getting food and medical supplies to those in need.