The end of the season is often buzzing with excitement for the pro peloton with many riders announcing new contracts with teams. But for some it can be fraught with worry and angst about what the future might look like with no contract in place or retirement finally looming. With Ian Stannard the latest rider to announce retirement from the sport, this blog delves into what might be going on in the minds and worlds of these athletes right now and some practical advice on how to deal with it.
Any major life change has psychological implications, but the peculiarities of retirement from professional sport mean this usually takes place in a rider’s 30s with many years of non-cycling life ahead.
Life transitions create the potential for mental health difficulties without careful preparation and planning. Problems are more likely if the decision is enforced due to illness, injury or, especially in the current financial climate in pro cycling, simply not being able to get a team contract. If retirement is not through choice, as in Stannard’s case, it is likely to be a more difficult adjustment as the rider has little or no control over the process and may have had little time to prepare psychologically or practically. The mental health charity, MIND, believes that the approach of retirement is a particularly challenging time for elite sportspeople, who have spent their entire lives being defined as athletes and may face problems with self esteem when a sporting career ends.
The main danger is loss of identity. It’s not just a case of leaving a job as sporting identity is something different from most peoples’ relationship with work. It’s a huge part of what defines them as a person. Athletic identity can be described as the degree to which an individual identifies with the athlete role and looks to others for acknowledgement of that role. Neglecting other roles as a consequence of the importance of full time cycling may therefore expose the individual to subsequent identity issues. Research has shown that individuals with a high athletic identity at the time of retirement were more likely to experience a higher degree of emotional difficulty in adjusting to retirement. If a rider depends upon cycling success and achievement as a means of proving self-worth then the ending of a career can lead to a loss of purpose and meaning with consequent mental health difficulties.
Many ex-pro riders, including David Millar, report that lack of structure is a problem. Professional cycling is highly structured, with time dictated by the seasons, the race calendar, periodised training plans and extensive travelling, leaving time “at home” very limited. Transition to unstructured life on leaving the peloton can be difficult, similar to what we have all just experienced in lockdown. The peloton can act as a “Bubble” with riders maintaining few social relationships outside that bubble, apart from immediate family. This also limits a rider’s support structures once they retire, which is often when they need it most.
Other difficulties for the most successful riders can include maintaining the standard of living they have become used to on a professional contract, as well as physical changes due to ceasing intensive training, with a danger of putting on weight affecting self esteem.
Riders can be ill prepared for the changes retirement might bring due to “tunnel vision syndrome” where many elite athletes think only of training, competition and results. As a consequence, they are taken off guard by the balanced perspective required of “real world” career opportunities. Studies have shown that athletes sometimes feel reluctant to engage in career transition planning during their careers as they feel they should be focusing on their performance instead.
So what can be done about it? Here are a few suggestions for best practice to follow.
- Advanced Planning: Riders should begin thinking of retirement as early as possible and look to develop skills and opportunities that may lead to successful career transitions while still engaged in competition. Increasingly many riders are taking advantage of opportunities to continue working in the sport as a DS or Team Manager, or working in media or PR roles. These opportunities are somewhat limited and not open to everyone unfortunately. Simply spending time in formulating a plan of what you hope life would be like after retirement is a good start.
- Find Ways of Structuring Time: Having a plan of even minor activities for each day, week or month can be helpful. Again, skills learned during lockdown can be helpful to counter the sense of being lost without the structure of cycling.
- Broaden your Horizons: Although it’s difficult when engaged in full time sport it is important to broaden horizons so that a rider’s sense of value and self worth is not solely tied up with cycling performance. It is important to find space for other interests and life goals and develop relationships outside cycling, so that the loss of identity following retirement is minimised.
- Prioritise Mental Health: Riders who prioritise their mental health during competition will be less likely to encounter difficulties when they transition, as they will have developed skills, abilities and practices to inoculate against negative feelings and manage the stress of transition to retirement.
- Accept, Acknowledge and Move On: Accept that feelings of loss following retirement are normal. Acknowledge those feelings and allow yourself some time to work through those feelings before picking yourself up and moving forwards.
- Be Realistic: It’s important not to have a rosy picture of what retirement might look like. There will be challenges however well prepared a rider is, so it is important not to have unrealistic expectations.
- Don’t Struggle on Alone: If you are struggling, don’t be afraid to seek help. This is particularly true where retirement is unexpected or unwanted. Talking to a psychologist, or even just someone from your support bubble, will help you vocalise your thoughts and feelings and begin thinking of positive ways to turn things around.
- Take Inspiration from Others: Look for examples of how those riders who seem to have successfully transitioned prepared, such as Jens Voigt, David Millar and Rochelle Gillmore. What skills, activities and connections were useful for them? What can you try in your own life?
There’s no doubt that the transition to a life outside the pro peloton isn’t easy. If you can start preparing early, do some pre-retirement planning and keep your support network close, the future will certainly look a lot brighter sooner.
