I was mid-training recently when I caught my mind drifting. Not dramatically. Just the quiet, creeping kind of distraction that pulls you half a step out of what you’re doing. The kind where you’re still pedalling, still moving, but you’re not quite there. So I said something to myself. “I am someone who is focused…

I was at a race recently. Standing near the warm-up area, watching athletes get ready. Or not get ready, as it turned out. One rider caught my attention. Helmet on, legs spinning, looking good. Then a mate walked past. They chatted. Someone else rolled over. More chatting. A phone came out. Before long, twenty minutes…

There’s an equation I keep coming back to. It’s simple. Almost too simple. But once you understand it, you can’t unsee it. Performance = Potential – Interference That’s it. Two levers. Everything else is noise. Where it came from In 1974, a tennis coach named Tim Gallwey wrote a book that was supposed to be…

The Question Athletes Always Ask “What training are the top riders doing?” It’s a reasonable question. If one rider is winning races, standing on World Cup podiums or making giant leaps in performance, surely there must be something special hidden inside their training program. Maybe it’s a secret interval session. Maybe it’s a unique periodisation…

One of the most powerful habits athletes can develop is learning how to train with intention. Not just completing sessions. Not simply “getting it done”. But understanding: “What am I actually trying to improve today?” This is especially important in XCO where performance is made up of many small skills and abilities layered together over…

One of the challenges in junior endurance sport is that young athletes don’t just race with their legs. They race with emotion. Sometimes that emotion can be incredibly powerful: frustration disappointment wanting to prove themselves chasing respect feeling pressure to respond after a mistake trying to force the race back under control The problem is…

One thing I’ve noticed repeatedly with junior riders and particularly when there’s a lengthy gap between races, is how easy it is to forget the basics. Not fitness.Not skills.The basics around race preparation itself. Things like: packing equipment checking tyre pressures organising nutrition understanding race schedules warming up properly hydration recovery between events managing nerves…

5min read One of the most misunderstood parts of racing is how much the brain influences performance. Athletes often think poor performances are always physical: not fit enough not strong enough not enough power bad legs But sometimes the limiter isn’t the body. Sometimes it’s mental overload. Racing Requires Mental Energy XCO racing demands constant…