78-Year-Old Harvard Professor Still Smoking: The Tale

Maximizing Your Cycling Performance with the Right Coaching

Imagine allocating $10,000 annually for a personal cycling coach. This was the reality for a rider I competed against in the early 2000s. His coach was none other than Brian Walton, a Canadian former 18-year road cycling professional and silver medalist in the points race on the track in the 1996 Olympics. Not only could he reach out to Walton anytime, but they also held weekly rides to assess his training and form. The result? The rider started winning races and considered the investment as a worthwhile deal.

Is Investing in a Cycling Coach Worth It?

There’s no denying that the rider improved during Walton’s mentorship. Previously just a fixture in the pack, he started winning races. However, the value-for-money part of the equation is up for debate. The races he started to win typically had $100 first-place payouts. So, let’s tweak the question a bit: would you spend $25 on a cycling coach?

The Unexpected Benefit of a Mindful Approach

Unwittingly, that is what I did when I stumbled upon a belief by Ellen Langer while working on a column for RoadBikeRider titled “We Need to Let Things Vary.” Langer’s claim that the mind heavily influences the body’s health and simple alterations in our thinking can dramatically boost our well-being caught my attention. Intrigued, I purchased her book, The Mindful Body (Ballantine, 2023).

As I delved into the book, it started affecting my mindset during rides, breathing life into my weary legs. Langer’s assertion proves equally true when applied to cycling, but the best proof comes from an unusual source: pancreas on a platter in Paris.

A Mindful Dining Experience in Paris

In The Mindful Body, Langer shares a story about a dining experience during her honeymoon in Paris. She ordered a mixed grill that included ris de veau (sweetbread), which she had never tried before. Upon the meal’s arrival, she decided to eat the sweetbread last, but as she reached the “dreaded moment”, she felt nauseated. The twist in the tale was that she had unknowingly eaten the sweetbread earlier and the piece of meat making her sick was chicken.

This anecdote underscores Langer’s core belief that the mind plays a crucial role in determining our body’s health and simple mental shifts can dramatically improve our well-being.

The ‘Counterclockwise’ Study and Its Implications

In 1979, Langer and her team conducted a study where they asked elderly men to live in a retreat resembling life twenty years prior. These men immersed themselves in news broadcasts and other media from that era, resulting in improvements in biological, psychological, and physical areas.

However, those who spoke solely in the present tense during their stay showed greater improvements in joint flexibility, manual dexterity, posture, and gait. Additionally, even vision and hearing scores saw an increase.

The power of the mind in physical improvement became apparent, leading to the conclusion that altering the mindset can allow bodily changes.

So, if you’ve hit a roadblock in improving your cycling performance, consider a different kind of cycling coach—one that might tap into the potential of your mind.

Kevin Kolodziejski has been writing since 1989, with works published in “MuscleMag,” “Ironman,” “Vegetarian Times,” and “Bicycle Guide.” A competitive cyclist for over 30 years, he has won various championships from Pennsylvania State Time Trial to the season-long Pennsylvania 40+ BAR championship.