When mountain bike returnee Albert Miethaner went into the rematch with the final opponent of the BIKE Mission 3000, he was confronted with many mental challenges. Among them the failed first attempthis broken bike, pain and the knowledge that he was physically weak. Nevertheless, the BIKE reader made it and rode the first 3000 metre climb of his life in complete solitude. Hardly anyone knows better than Paul Schlütter how much an athlete's success can be influenced by pain. In this interview, the psychologist from the German Cycling Federation (BDR) gives valuable tips on how to deal with mental lows and analyses Albert's emotional state during our altitude challenge.
Albert's very personal video documentary also gives an insight into his state of mind during the preparation for the BIKE Mission 3000: Watch now!
Interview with sports psychologist Paul Schlütter
BIKE: Albert had to abandon his last attempt. What does such a setback mean for an athlete with a goal?
Paul Schlütter: That depends on how strongly goal-orientated you are and how many resources you have invested in it. Excessive goal-orientated thoughts would be, for example: 'I have to manage the 3000 metres in altitude, otherwise I'm a failure! If I don't make it, I'm bad'. If everything was focussed on one goal in advance and motivation was mainly based on achieving a result, then such a setback can jeopardise self-worth and lead to a low point. Conversely, achieving the goal can also become a problem depending on the personal context of life: What's next? 3500 metres in altitude?
Are there strategies for dealing positively with such sporting setbacks?
One way would be to see dealing with the setback as a further challenge and to reflect: 'The conditions were difficult but I did my best'. Those who derive pleasure not from achieving the goal, but from the activity itself, are more process-orientated. You can even derive pleasure from a hailstorm when viewed as a natural spectacle. Most bikers are familiar with the process-orientated experience of the moment. Having fun despite the physical effort can cushion the impact of not achieving a goal. It is fundamentally important to be aware of why the sport is enjoyable - be it because of the wind in your face, the feeling of exhaustion in your legs or the sporting community. Many cyclists also focus on experiencing nature. Gratitude for the little things when biking and the definition of such process goals are crucial for process orientation: away from the numbers and towards the actions themselves.
What did the botched attempt mean for the starting position of Albert's second chance?
Albert doesn't give the impression that he would throw in the towel at the first opportunity. He is running many projects in parallel, seems very ambitious and seems to enjoy the process itself. If things were different, he probably wouldn't have taken on the challenge in the first place. In the BIKE Mission 3000, a mountain bike returnee was led back to his old passion. It was about achieving the 3000 metres in altitude, but also about an interesting experience and the question: 'What can I get out of myself? If Albert can look back on the last attempt and say: 'It wasn't what I had hoped for, but it was still a good experience', then the chances of a process-orientated second attempt are good. Starting the new attempt from this point of view and recognising your own skills in the sense of 'I can do it' may even form a positive basis.
Emotions as a challenge for the psyche when mountain biking
Albert's starting position was anything but good: previous stress, unfamiliar bike, alone. Does that have a negative effect on an athlete's psyche?
People can react very differently to such a situation. In terms of constructivist approaches, every athlete has a very individual reality. Of course, the initial situation can preoccupy an athlete - but it doesn't have to, it is purely a matter of perception. It is a matter of comparing resources: 'Which ones do I need for the challenge and which ones do I bring with me? If the comparison is negative and the athlete has the impression that they do not have the necessary resources, then they are more likely to perceive the challenge as a threat. This can result in anything from a drop in motivation to self-sabotage. Albert took on the challenge again and didn't even have the conditions he had when he cancelled the attempt. Nevertheless, he could also see the circumstances and his own skills in a positive light: 'I've almost made it in much worse weather conditions.
Albert's challenge was an emotional rollercoaster: pain, joy, self-confidence, doubt. Is that typical?
In my experience with ultra-endurance athletes, I would say that this range of emotions, thoughts and physical signals is normal. How we perceive things can always change within the relevant context. What is important here is a mindful approach and recognising the highs and lows as part of the experience. They do not necessarily have to have an impact on your own actions. You have to differentiate between situations that you can change, such as a lack of food, and things that cannot be influenced. If Albert was aware of what he had done to reach the final summit, then he was certainly able to enjoy the moment more.
What can help you get through lows?
Demonstrating the ability to suffer is a skill that is omnipresent in endurance sports. Being able to endure such states of emotional and physical lows for a certain period of time is what makes endurance athletes special. There are many different strategies for dealing with them. Athletes have also said to me: 'I imagine that one of my family members is bleeding out on the summit and I have to get there quickly! Of course, this can have a motivating effect. Others concentrate on the here and now. The focus is solely on the next step, everything else is irrelevant at that moment. It helps many athletes to focus their entire concentration on the action that is necessary to achieve the goal they have set themselves. However, this requires practice. There is a lot of research on the positive self-talk of endurance athletes. Thoughts full of motivating instructions can help: 'The gel is about to kick in, I can do it! But the exact opposite can also help: Distraction by focussing on the landscape, for example.
The role of willpower in mountain biking
What role does the will to achieve the goal play?
I am of course biased and say: everything! At least from a purely experimental point of view. If two athletes have the same physical requirements, but only one is aware of his resources and sees the task as a positive challenge, he is more likely to master the challenge. Someone who talks themselves down and is not aware of their competences will not perform as well. Willpower can make a huge difference when it comes to the ability to suffer. It's interesting that Albert estimated his own chances of success at 75 per cent. In the literature, 60 to 80 per cent is the golden range for achieving a goal. This makes the task seem not too difficult but not too easy either.
Can willpower be trained?
The deliberate experience of negative states is essential in endurance sports from the point at which the body starts to scream. Athletes naturally have varying degrees of this. Of course, you can also put yourself in this state and train how to deal with it, whether at home on the roller or during nasty intervals on the mountain. You could also call it stress resistance training. As with training any other technique or skill, it is important to see the whole thing as a learning process in which time must be invested.
Can willpower also become dangerous? For example, when it drowns out signals from the body?
Of course! The head can do a lot of good, but at some point a physical limit is reached. However, most athletes are able to recognise such limits. In an altitude challenge such as the Mission 3000, for example, you simply can't go any further. This is different from athletes overestimating themselves on a downhill course. Anyone who can endure pain as a bio-psychosocial construct very well and goes beyond a certain point could also jeopardise their own health.
What is a healthy level of willpower?
To a certain extent, this is a matter of experience. Athletes should think in advance about where their own limits lie and stick to them accordingly - in the sense of: 'I should stop at the latest when I've thrown up four times on the way up'. It can also help to surround yourself with other people who then demand this. It is important to reflect on borderline experiences and adjust your own limits if necessary.
Jan Timmermann
Editor
