The Complete Guide To Cycling Psychology

GCN's The Complete Guide to Cycling Psychology provides interesting insights into the mental side of cycling, which is often overlooked. It makes people aware that there is more to cycling than the mechanics of pedalling or bikes in general! Written by Dr Jim Taylor, with a PhD in Psychology, and featuring anecdotes from endurance rider Mark Beaumont, this is an insightful read whatever level or discipline you ride.

Cycling psychology involves the study of mental processes and behaviours that affect a cyclist's performance. Many people are aware that the mental side of sport can have the greatest impact but devote little to no time to improving their mental preparation. This book is aimed at those who want to find out more about psychology specifically in cycling, with Dr Jim Taylor providing theory, real-life experiences, and activities to help you question how you currently think/behave and providing some useful tools for improvement.

There is a lot of information provided, but you can work through it at your own pace. The book doesn't need to be read in any particular order, and you could start at sections you feel would benefit you most.

It's split into four cycling-relevant sections – Stage I to Stage IV – covering topics from attitudes through to tools you can use to build a mental training programme.

Each chapter is a new psychological component, which is explained in a good amount of detail for people with little knowledge of sport psychology. These include topics such as motivation, confidence, focus and emotions.

Each chapter starts with a quote from a professional athlete and is then broken down into the theory, information, and an example of each topic from Mark Beaumont. I found this breaks up the book nicely and helps keep you engaged.

The anecdotes from endurance rider Mark Beaumont are particularly valuable as he didn't grow up in the sport of competitive cycling and admits he doesn't know everything about bikes. This makes it relatable to a lot of riders, and he reinforces the message that there's no wrong way to ride a bike; we all experience the same doubts and fears, bringing to life Dr Taylor's theory. I feel that any type of cyclist can take something away from this book.

The book is interactive and starts by asking the reader to complete a psychological assessment specific to cycling, where you rate yourself against each attitude. You are also asked to rate each new psychological component throughout the book. This helps to bring self-awareness and provides a good foundation for you to try the techniques from the mental toolbox and then re-assess yourself, allowing you to see improvements. You can refer back to this book time and time again.

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My only gripes with the book are to do with the design. Though it's generally well set out, I found the font size too small to read the book comfortably, and the captions on photos are also very small and in italics, making them blend into the images. I'm sure some of the pictures don't need to be as big as they are, which would have made room for increasing the font size. Some more thought on the background colours and bigger font sizes would have made for an easier read.

Overall, The Complete Guide to Cycling Psychology does a great job of presenting the benefits of mental training to all cyclists at every level and in every discipline through theory and real-life examples, offering thought-provoking ideas. Dr Taylor shows that whether you're a beginner or an experienced cyclist, incorporating these psychological skills into training and racing can help you achieve your goals, but with a focus on getting enjoyment from riding a bike. It offers valuable insights that aren't limited to cycling and can be applied in everyday life, too.

Verdict

Insightful read for both recreational and competitive cyclists, combining theory and real-life examples