The Cycling Mind : The Psychological Skills for Peak Performance on the Bike - and in Life

This practical and highly accessible guide by British Cycling's Lead Psychologist explores the importance of psychology in achieving peak cycling performance.

For the last three Olympic Games, the Great Britain Cycling Team has dominated the Velodrome events and is regarded as one of the most successful elite sporting set-ups in Olympic history. The emergence of sport psychology as a critical aspect of the Great Britain Cycling Team's success has sparked wide interest in the psychological skills required to perform. In The Cycling Mind, British Cycling's lead psychologist Ruth Anderson transfers the sport psychology strategies used to assist elite cyclists to win Olympic gold to individuals seeking to improve their own performance and psychological wellbeing on and off the bike.

The Cycling Mind will take the reader through the key stages of an athlete's pathway, from training through to competition, and provide guidelines to developing the psychological skills to compete at their best. In addition the strategies explored in the book can be applied across all high-pressure performance environments, including business and daily life.

“The training is done. The work is in the legs. You've eaten right and rested well. But your head can make or break everything. Don't neglect it!” —Joanna Rowsell Shand, Double Olympic gold medallist and World Champion cyclist

“Ruth Anderson is a game changer. The stronger we become through the mind, the stronger we become physically.” —Shane Sutton OBE, Olympic and World Championship Track Cycling Technical Director