YOUR SUPER SUMMER

Whether we want to see other spaces, ride more races or win podium places, there are some intrinsic elements to every training programme that will remain common for all of us. Tick these boxes, and we promise you your most fulfilling bike-riding summer yet.

- SELENE YEAGER, JEN SEE, ELIOT JACKSON

THE SECRETS OF GOAL-SETTING

Few of us thrive – in training, or in competition - without having a goal in mind.

The theme of 'setting goals' always comes up at the start of a riding season. No matter how well-intentioned, these goals often never last more than a few short months at best.

The popular ride-tracking app Strava refers to 17 January as 'Quitter's Day'; because on average, that's how long most new year's resolutions last. I mean, personally, my resolution to cut down on chocolate and chips this year failed even before that.

Why is that? What makes sticking to goals so hard, and how do we overcome that problem?

Over the past decade, Elliot Jackson has been on the achievement side (as a professional downhill mountain bike racer) as well as on the observation side (doing interviews and commentary on Red Bull TV) of goal-setting. There are three key ingredients, he says, that you need to achieve your riding goals - be they long-term ones you plan out at the start of the riding season, or those that pop up along the way: consistency, persistence, and motivation.

CONSISTENCY

"Most people overestimate what they can do in one year, and underestimate what they can do in ten years." I love this quote by Bill Gates, because it embodies what it means to be consistent. Intuitively, we know we need consistency to achieve success; but we don't take into account just how much consistency we need.