Article published on L'Équipe.fr
French downhill riders Myriam Nicole and Loïc Bruni write mountain bike columns on our site throughout the season. For this fifth column, which comes after the Lenzerheide round in Switzerland, Loïc Bruni looks back on his physical and mental preparation.
"Right now, I don't have the physical condition I need. After the race in Leogang (Austria), I was sidelined for fifteen days because of a crash. I even had to go through the hospital. I lost a lot. During the last two races, I felt completely out of rhythm. Even if the riding was good, my body didn't keep up. The base training last winter was rigorous, but now I realize that's not enough."
"This gap is all the harder to make up because, during the season, we have races almost every weekend. So there is little time to train physically. Right now we have two weeks off, so the idea is to grind so I can do dynamic, powerful runs. I need to get back to top form, to the level I should be."
"I'll have to redo a lot of exercises focused on power and explosiveness to regain the dynamism I lacked in my last two races. I'm going to take out a gym membership to lift weights. Outdoors, I plan road cycling for sprint intervals, and BMX. On a typical day that looks roughly like 1h30 in the gym then 1h30 - 2h of road cycling or BMX."
"I train near my home, in Saint-Laurent-du-Var, and sometimes abroad in countries like New Zealand and Italy. The important thing is to have good weather conditions and be able to ride everywhere."
The key role of the mental performance coach
"If I'm not physically on point, I'm happy with my mental game. I've been working with a mental coach for two years. On the circuit, I'm one of the few. At first, we got to know each other because he didn't know who I was or my sport. And actually, I've realised he mostly acts like a therapist."
"I debrief my races a lot. We pinpoint my weaknesses and try to find solutions. As for my strengths, the idea is to be able to control them."
"My mental coach listens to me a lot and, when he asks a question, it's really so I develop a specific point. I find myself telling him a lot, and there are some things I only tell him. Compared to all that, those around me are a bit reluctant. My family doesn't really understand; they say: 'But why do you need someone like that?'."
"Before working with him, I was very inconsistent, my results were up and down. That's less the case now. For example, when I start a race weekend badly, or when it rains—I hate wet tracks—I still manage to be present, to demystify certain things. This mental work changed me. It's made the difference more than once during the season."
Loïc Bruni
Link : Original article on L'Équipe