I was recently interviewed by Bicycling magazine about the role of stress and enjoyment in cycling. If you’re a roadie or an MTB rider, you may find it interesting. The article offers six stressful cycling habits and how to fix them.

Here’s the introduction:

Cycling—like most exercise, we’re told—should ease stress. But sometimes we psych ourselves out and approach rides with a debilitating mindset, or poor habits that translate to poor performance. Life is busy, and negative energy from the daily grind can seep into your cycling routine, whether you’re gunning at max effort or just trying to enjoy a spin with friends. Good news is, if you’re aware of the problems, you can fix them.

“If you’re stressing out because you’re riding, you want to take a look at what’s going on there,” says cyclist and sports psychologist Dr. Jim Taylor, whose books include The Triathlete’s Guide to Mental Training and Prime Sport: Triumph of the Athlete Mind. “Because riding shouldn’t be stressful; it should be fun. It should be challenging, because that’s one reason we do it. But stressful? No.”

Here are the six top ways Taylor says we stress ourselves out on rides—and how to handle them for better, more enjoyable riding. Read more…