Predicting the future at the best of times is difficult, now even more so, but with the return to road racing, at least on the continent, many of us will be thinking about taking that next step.
Whether it’s a return to TTs or track racing or just getting back out in small groups on a club run, here are a few things to think about in order that this happens as smoothly and efficiently as possible from a psychological point of view:
- Be careful out there! Unless you live in a very large household you will have been riding with your face in the wind since late March. It will take time for everyone to get used to riding again in groups close to the wheel and the habit of being fully aware of what riders around you are doing will take time to re-establish. The last thing anyone wants to do is to end up on the floor on the first group training ride or race. You will need to transition gradually from solo/household riding so try to increase group numbers steadily rather than jumping in at the deep end. No matter how experienced you are, your senses and reflexes will need time to re-adapt to the close proximity of other riders and won’t happen overnight. You also need to be aware that other riders may not have thought about managing this transition so be on the lookout as everyone will be raring to go.
- Re-set your goals. We still don’t know what form the remainder of the season may take, so it is important to be flexible and realistic about your goals. If you’re a professional, chances are you will have been training consistently so fitness and motivation to race shouldn’t be a problem. Be wary, however, of placing too much pressure on yourself in the first few races in particular. For some, it will be up to 9 months since your last competition, so again it is important to give yourself time to adjust in the same way you would with traditional early season races. You are not necessarily going to “hit the ground running” no matter how fit you are so don’t be hard on yourself in the first few races if results are not what you hoped for. It will take time to become mentally attuned to competition again.
- Fine tune your mental recovery. Another change to the normal flow of racing is that it is likely to be compressed into a shorter time scale so ensuring mental recovery between races will be crucial. Those likely to do best in races during this period are those who have taken care of themselves mentally as well as physically during lockdown and emerge in a positive state of mind. Make sure you do not neglect this as you prepare to resume the season.
- Lockdown fallout. The last few months of lockdown have been difficult for everyone, some more than others. We have been disconnected physically from friends and family, limited in our social contact and working relationships and possibly negatively affected financially. The long term impact of this period on everyone’s mental health is as yet an unknown quantity. Over the next few weeks it is important to be aware that this experience may have affected us all in ways that we cannot imagine. Just because lockdown is coming to an end doesn’t mean that everyone will be now ok psychologically. Also, although it sounds strange, there may be negative effects of lockdown ending as we become reminded of life issues and problems that temporarily have taken a back seat. Like the issues mentioned above it is a period of readjustment and change, which can be stressful and negatively affect well-being. Keep an eye on mood, sleep patterns and anxiety levels and speak up and seek help if you are having difficulties.
