@##=#<1,L>@##=# First you bought that bike — the one that you told yourself, well I can’t blame it on the bike, its more than enough bike for me — then you realized that the wheels could be a bit lighter and more aero — it’s not really the frame, it’s definitely the wheels that make the difference. After that, you were fitted, and now your body is finally taking advantage of all of the power you are generating with proper positioning to squeeze out every watt. Oh, but then you realized that it was all about the engine anyway, so you retained the services of a coach who designed a program to harvest each pedal stroke to maximize your potential. Then came the sports drinks, energy bars, HR monitor, Powertap, PowerCranks – each promising to be the missing ingredient that gets you over the edge. So that must be all you can do to achieve peak performance, right?

The mental aspect of cycling is often the last thing a rider considers, and perhaps the most confusing component to sort out. Most came to cycling late in life, and did not excel at ball sports as kids. Compounding that, cycling is notoriously difficult to do well in (“one winner and ninety-nine excuses per race”), and there is potential for anguish and humiliation at every turn. Most cyclists have developed a shell of self-deprecating modesty to protect an overreaching ambition for glory or at least a bit of acknowledgement. However, this coping mechanism may come with a price to your racing mindset.

Goin’ to Californa in my mind

All the talk about the cyclist’s “mental game” has promoted NYVelocity to delve into the netherworld of performance technology to bring our readers the latest in cutting edge tools. Our search recently brought us to California, where Josh Horowitz, elite amateur racer and renowned coach of Liquid Fitness, thinks this aspect of coaching is vastly underappreciated. To address this void, he has teamed up with Dr. Rick Collingwood to create the “The Ultimate Cyclist CD”, a kind of lactate threshold workout for your mind.

Here is how Liquid Fitness describes their product:

Your own personal, private, professional Sports Psychology session!

The CD combines progressive relaxation techniques, positive affirmations, guided imagery, and Rick’s patented theta rhythm audio technology, which helps induce a deep state of relaxation. The CD is designed to help cyclists improve their relaxation on the bike (a key element to improving efficiency and avoiding mishaps), motivation, and overall enjoyment of the sport.

NLP?

First a little background on Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP): Its premise is that you can change, adopt, or eliminate behaviors as you desire by programming your mind through guided meditations to the sounds of a “theta rhythm” to increase your state of suggestivity. It’s a bold and optimistic program, an outgrowth of the Human Potential Movement.

I turned down the lights, shut the blinds, and double checked that I wasn’t operating any heavy machinery. The CD comes on with some trippy music and it takes me a moment to get used to Dr. Rick’s Aussie accent. I guess you always expect hypnosis to come from a neutral “newscaster” accent, but after a moment I no longer noticed.

I think I can, I think I can…

The first third concerns itself with inducing a deep trance by guiding you through a series of visualizations designed to relax you and open your mind to suggestion. The narrator does not concern himself with the specifics of cycling technique or strategy, but rather honing the cyclist’s ability to relax and concentrate, and then to overcome self-doubt and stop accepting excuses for being anything less than great. “I would if I could is over, I can is your new motto,” Dr. Rick says. You really have to check your irony to use this CD effectively – I kept thinking “if Schmalz was writing this…” But it’s like Dr. Rick tells us: “Normal people rarely accomplish extraordinary things,” which seemed an admonishment to first-time users who might be having second thoughts about the unusual and blunt instructions – like “repeat to yourself, I am a winner.”

I give Liquid Fitness credit for pioneering this overlooked part of the coaching business. NLP programming is being used in a number of different applications and has a growing body of scientific research to validate its practices. So at this point I would imagine that most people have a pretty clear idea of whether or not you would consider this program. Some of you are probably rolling your eyes with visions of crystals and patchouli.

But consider if any of this sounds familiar:

Have you ever hesitated for a split second whether to grab the wheel when you knew you should have right before a sprint? Or helplessly watched the winning break leave even though you realized it was the right move and you had the legs to bridge? Ever changed your race goal the day of the race? Do you settle for poorer results than you know you are capable of because you get too stressed out in a race? Have your ever crashed because you lost your concentration or got too nervous?

So far this is the only product I have come across to address these performance limiting mental lapses. But ultimately, a good pair of aero wheels will reduce your drag coefficient no matter what you are thinking; in the case of this product, you have to believe in it to realize any gain.

$34.95 at www.UltimateSportsPsychology.com