Winning an Olympic Gold Medal in cross-country mountain biking takes dedication, training and preparation. BikeRadar caught up with Scott-Odlo rider Jenny Rissveds, who added a Gold at Rio to her Under 23 World Champion title this year, to discover some of the mental and physical training techniques and strategies she uses to perform to the highest level.
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It goes without saying that as an athlete at the top of her game, Rissveds spends a lot of time preparing physically for the rigours of cross country racing. Speaking to the Olympic champion, who has a calm demeanour and a practical, measured approach to racing, it's also clear that mental preparation is a very important part of her training, and one that she credits no small part of her success to.
Mental preparation
1. Bring in expert help
"As a top athlete, you want to overcome everything on your own. You don't need any help from anybody else. I think that's what makes you better, but sometimes you have to accept that you can't manage everything by yourself." Rissveds tells BikeRadar, and her views on this are borne out of a shocking incident in her riding history.
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"I used to do road races as well, and I was at the Junior European champs in Italy when I had a really bad crash on some steep switchbacks. I slipped out and fell over the edge, and was stuck in a tree on the other side. If that tree hand't been there, I'd have been finished.
"After that I struggled a lot. I was so scared on the bike. I didn't want to ride any more; it was a tough time. So I started working with a mental coach. In the beginning, I told him 'I don't need your help, I can do this on my own.' But he sees stuff in a completely different way, from a different point of view. When I first started to understand this, and tried to think in the same way as he thinks, I started to see positive outcomes."
It's self-evident that this approach has worked for Rissveds. From a deep and understandable fear that began with a terrifying experience, she has worked with her coach to develop strategies and techniques that have not only overcome those concerns, but also helped her improve her performance.
2. The power of visualisation
3. Focus on performance, not position
4. Make a plan, but be adaptable
Physical preparation
1. The importance of the off-season
2. Cross training is important, both for fitness and motivation
3. Adapt and evolve your training
4. Consider a training camp (but don't forget to work beforehand)
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