News From The MBRC

A spirited group of cyclists, riding in & around Southern Ontario escarpment for sport and fitness

Image credit: The Triplets of Belleville, 2003.
Image credit: The Triplets of Belleville, 2003.

Digging Deep into the Suitcase of Cycling Motivation

Author: Julia Farell - NCCP Certified Coach
https://www.instagram.com/farellcoaching/ 

As Canuck road cyclists in frigid wintertime, we know we need the hot spark of motivation to smash our next interval sessions or roll out our snowy driveways for the long day; all  in preparation for world cycling domination – or something like that.

Many a conversation have taken place where friends reference access to a deep inner drive to explain how they managed anew to drop others up the local big hill or how they achieved breakthrough PB performances. You may say to yourself, “I needed some of that on my last ride”, – or you may ask yourself, “what is it that drives us to do more?”

intrinsic-extrinsic-motivation

Ah…motivation. It is a bit like the ‘What is Energy’ lesson in your High School Physics class when even your teacher seems unclear about the definition because, really, no one knows exactly what it is- Einstein, Maslow and Aristotle included. Like energy , we know that motivation exists. We can feel it, quantify and harness it, but do not fully understand it – the research is ongoing.

Let us begin with a start, a starting definition.

The impetus that gives purpose or direction to behavior and operates in humans. Motives are frequently divided into (a) physiological, primary, or organic motives, such as hunger, thirst, and need for sleep. And in our cycling realm… (b) personal, social, or secondary motives, such as affiliation, competition, and individual interests and goals. 

When it comes to road cycling your level of motivation is  arguably the defining quality that leads to success in your performances. Sport psychologists know that improved performance in endurance sports is achieved when the commitment to one’s goal overrides the need for comfort or homeostasis. These are bodily systems that work to regulate internal conditions (body temperature regulation, as an example).

In the agonizing last interval of your workout, your one hundred thousand years old ‘modern human’ self preservation DNA code fully expresses itself in powerful ways and screams at you to slow down  – we are hard wired for it. But know that we are also hard wired through additional  processes to push through, adapt, and extend our endurance and physical capabilities, and achieve new limits  - all the while, incredibly, perceiving much less pain of discomfort. Psychologists say the discomfort lessens because it is pain perceived with acceptance – as part of the process in achieving the goal- rather than a message of danger to ease off in self preservation. Buy into that pain acceptance  and, yes Toto, we are in Kansas. Rattle Snake hill will feel like an overpass and the Col du Galibier (2642 m) will feel like… ok, mostly like the Col du Galibier. 

Every true road rider has experienced this inner conflict. That is, the brain ‘pushing’ through ever exponentially increasing physical discomfort (breathing rate through the roof, redlining with lactate blood levels above 4.0 mmol), to reach the desired performance goal against the tempting homeostatic ‘pull’ to ease off in the desire for comfort. 

We see in the research that extrinsic motivators, in the end, wane and fail. It is the intrinsic motivators that are the gold standard, especially in endurance sport. The proven and lasting way that we, as cyclists, continue to work towards and achieve our goal during the push-pull conflict lies in developing a strong self identification with the goal you want to achieve- simply stated ‘be it to achieve it.’

When values and sense of self strongly align with our goals, our motivation skyrockets. It is our powerful human motivational driver; our intrinsic motivation, that gets us there- full engagement in the endurance task for the sake of doing the task. 

The focus of the motivation is not to resolve the ‘push-pull’ inner conflict or to find the effort required to complete the goal. The motivation is coded in our DNA – it surfaces by letting go of all other confusing elements in the freedom of doing a thing simply for the doing of it. Instill that sense into your daily training sessions and events- riding to ride for its sake alone with an air of freedom and choice- and intrinsic motivation will be supplied on demand and your goal reached par excellence.

This evidence based intrinsic motivational approach is derived from the self-determinant theory (SDT). It is used by psychologists and proven to be extremely effective across the board for humans. As cyclists, we can develop our abilities to access our own innate supply of high-level motivation to achieve our goals and with less perceived discomfort as a bonus. 

To move things forward you can look to actively integrate the following three main components of the SDT  into your daily training and racing activities.

  1. There is always choice. Cyclists who have a sense of choice are initiative-taking as they work towards their goal. They do not feel controlled or compelled by others.
  2. Work to achieve competence. Cyclists’ motivations are higher when they feel they are capable; they show improvement and acquire skills as they work towards their goals.
  3. Connect with others. Cyclists’ motivations are higher when they have a feeling of connectedness, with opportunities to relate to other athletes and cyclists, as they achieve their goals. Athletes who make stronger connections in training groups, cycling teams, and/or cycling clubs have greater motivation.

Psychologists and athletes know that extrinsic motivators- the transactional pay offs- can be useful in short-term situations and they may even have some built in autonomy. We also know that reward/punishment dynamics wane over time and effort. It does not cut the mustard… nor the head wind coming home. From our own experiences, we know that the purest, lasting, and most powerful motivation comes from the doing and enjoyment of the doing, itself – as we were, our young, most curious, and free adventurous selves. It is not elusive; the drive is always there. Tap into your deep motivation and the goal is within your grasp.

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