What can cyclists learn from other sports?

Even for those who seem to have reached the pinnacle of cycling, applying principles from other sports can keep progress in motion

Open water swimmer at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio (Photo by ddp USA/REX/Shutterstock )

(Image credit: ddp USA/REX/Shutterstock)

Cycling has become the envy of most other sports in Britain, there's no denying it.

One of our own has won the biggest race, the Tour de France, four times in the last five years; every member of our track team in Rio won a medal; our big sportives are so popular they warrant ballot entry; and we buy more bikes than cars.

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Josephine Perry

Dr Josephine Perry is a Chartered Sport and Exercise Psychologist whose purpose is to help people discover the metrics which matter most to them so they are able to accomplish more than they had previously believed possible. She integrates expertise in sport psychology and communications to support athletes, stage performers and business leaders to develop the approaches, mental skills and strategies which will help them achieve their ambitions. Josephine has written five books including Performing Under Pressure, The 10 Pillars of Success and I Can: The Teenage Athlete’s Guide to Mental Fitness. For Cycling Weekly she tends to write about the psychological side of training and racing and how to manage mental health issues which may prevent brilliant performance. At last count she owned eight bikes and so is a passionate advocate of the idea that the ideal number of bikes to own is N+1.