Calm, happiness, focus, aggression, excitement, awareness and confidence. According to Canadian pro cyclocrosser, Maghalie Rochette, those are the seven emotions all racers experience throughout the World Cup race season.
Everyone may have their own version of these, some favoring one emotion more than the others, but all seven come together to create the bike racer’s mindset, she argues.
And for Rochette, a three-time Canadian and Pan-American champion, it is when these key emotions come together just right that she finds her winning formula.
She’s certainly not alone in this and to take a deeper dive into the racer’s mindset and its blend of emotions, Rochette —a frequent podcaster— has launched a ‘Emotions of Racing podcast sub-series where each episode is dedicated to one of the seven emotions. For every episode, Rochette is joined by another athlete who strongly identifies with the emotion of discussion. These athletes include Life Time Grand Prix podium finisher Sarah Sturm, US national cyclocross champion Clara Honsinger, Canadian downhill mountain bike champion Miranda Miller and more.
The interplay of Rochette’s race emotions served as the inspiration for apparel manufacturer Rapha’s new Pro Team collection. For the limited edition colourway, each one of Rochette’s identified emotions was given a color. The end result signifies the synesthesia of associating these colors with her emotions.
“Looking down at this kit while racing helps me channel the emotions associated with each of those colors and create the ideal racing mindset,” the 29-year-old Quebec native said in a press release.
The new Pro Team collection includes a Pro Team Aero Jersey and Pro Team Training Jersey —available in Men’s and Women’s— plus Pro Team Socks, Cap and Lightweight Snood.
