ICM - Leeds Design Agency

We all know about the tried-and-tested techniques of sport psychology – visualising your goal before achieving it – whilst out on the bike at the weekend I started thinking about how my cycling techniques could transfer into my (and your) daily working life.

Strange I agree, but here goes:

Enjoy the climb
Going downhill fast is undeniably the best bit of mountain biking but what goes down must first drag itself up. A great, technical and twisty climb can do wonders for your bike handling skills and long moorland slogs more often than not reward with the best views. The downhill can then be seen as a bonus.
I suppose this metaphor translates into ‘you will see the fruits of your labour’ and your skills will improve at the same time.

Don’t look at the small rock, you’ll run into it
It’s very easy sometimes to become transfixed on a patch of ground four feet ahead of your front wheel. Don’t! Look further ahead at the larger obstacles and don’t sweat the small ones.

Don’t rely too much on the latest equipment
It may give you great trail-centre car-park kudos but do you really need that full-suspension bike with 8-inch travel? Maybe occasionally but more often than not a much simpler bike will give you the same amount of fun and hone you handling skills much more.
The big message here is don’t jump straight onto the latest gadget, software or piece of technology and expect miracles. Try a pencil and a piece of paper – the results might just surprise you!

Try that new trail
There’s nothing better than riding a new piece of twisty singletrack that you’ve never been down before. Likewise, you should take pleasure in following a dotted line on a map only for it to disappear to nothing in a farmyard. Take a different line (like in the picture above) don’t stick to other people’s wheel tracks.
Always explore new avenues, get lost every now and then – exploring is never boring.

Go out in the rain
More often than not you’ll have the trails/hills/woodland to yourself. A great opportunity to improve your skills, fitness, route choice, whatever.
I suppose this metaphor is ‘exploit every opportunity’ to reap the rewards.

Show courtesy to other trail users
Every now and then you’ll meet a rider that is slower than you. You’ll also have a faster rider come up behind you. Share the trail, share your riding knowledge, say hello to everyone you meet – walkers, horse riders, climbers, farmers*.
There’s lots of contacts in our daily lives, take two minutes to be nice, you never know when you might need them.
*The Farmers will always ignore you

Try not to think about the poisonous snakes
It’s just a sign. And would they be able to get through that fence?