April 19, 2023
How often have you talked yourself out of a big, adventure-shaped challenge? Let’s say you hear about an endurance bikepacking event and you recognize the tingly sensation of excitement in your tummy. Before you manage to submit your entry, The Voice starts swirling around your head. You’re not fit enough. Everyone else is more experienced – you’ll embarrass yourself. Can you even get time off work? Who’ll take care of the dog? Who’ll take care of the kids!
If you do manage to silence the self-doubt, you end up back on the event site a week later, only to find there are no places left.
This is one of the reasons women are underrepresented on event start lines – particularly in cycling. Komoot team member, Gaby Thompson and ambassador Lael Wilcox put together the komoot Women’s Rally to counter this. With two Women’s Rallies under their belts, they were surprised at the level of “mindset muck” the Rally participants reported. After all, these were adventurous and extremely capable women cycling challenging routes with them, yet they were battling self-doubt with every pedal stroke.
In anticipation of the third komoot Women’s Rally, Lael and Gaby hosted a webinar, Get to the Start, to get komoot’s female cycling community in the right headspace before they opened the sign-ups.
In the hour-long webinar, Wendy Ellis, co-researcher on the Turning the Cogs research project, talked through the findings on cycling’s barriers to entry. These are complex and not solvable overnight. So to provide actionable insights for the women in the audience, certified life coach, Caitlin Cockerton shared four steps to get out of your own head and onto your bike!
Watch the full webinar recording below or grab the main takeaways here.
Use visualization to imagine your own success Goals are important, and the bigger and hairier they are, the more important it becomes to channel your most positive thoughts into the challenge. For example, if you want to join a Women’s Rally but find the idea of bikepacking (maybe for the first time) with a bunch of epic ladies on a challenging gravel route equally exciting and intimidating, Caitlin recommends you take a moment to imagine yourself there. See yourself at the top of a tough climb, or setting up your bivvy for the first time, feeling amazed by the scenery. Feeling embraced by the other women you’re riding with. And filled with joy at being able to express your truest self. Focusing on the positive opportunity is the first step in getting yourself to the start line.
Tap into a “resourceful state” from your past Where visualization has you picturing an imaginary future, your resourceful state is all about drawing on a past experience that made you feel strong and empowered. Whether it was a physical challenge related to the adventure you want to take on, or something completely different, like a tough situation you nailed at work, remember how you felt when you had that success. And - importantly - as you picture it, embody that feeling in a physical pose that represents that empowered state. The wide-legged, hands-on-hips superhero stance is a classic. As you’re contemplating signing up for a scary challenge, or even as you find yourself right in the middle of it, use that past state to remind you of your capabilities and your awesomeness. Don’t be shy to strike a pose in the middle of the wilderness if that’s what it takes!
Don’t underestimate the power of an emotionally safe space Emotional safety is vital if we want to bring our full selves to the proverbial party. For this reason, it’s important that you don’t try to tackle intimidating things on your own. Prior to taking on an adventure that makes your palms sweat, find an accountability partner with whom you can share your progress, and who can help rationalize your fears about an upcoming challenge. A fellow sportswoman is great, but a trusted friend or partner is just as supportive. And when you find yourself at a welcoming event, do your bit by being open and sharing your own vulnerability too because sharing your fears and anxieties out loud turns the volume down on those little voices in your head. This action gives other people permission to do the same.
Remember the concept of “minutes versus moments” Minutes are spent brushing your teeth, driving to work, training on a spinning bike – the humdrum everyday stuff. But moments are the memories that give our lives shape and meaning – the things that deliver joy and truth and epiphany and surprise and a sense of achievement. When you’re feeling uncertain about whether to go for the adventure and take the risk, weigh up whether it could represent one of life’s “moments.” If it is, it’s probably worth overcoming the nerves and going for it even if it scares you!
Mindset alone won’t fix some of the systemic issues within cycling, but if you are a woman —or anyone— battling self-doubt, that shouldn’t be the thing that stops you showing up for the adventure. Visualize your success, tap into your resourceful state, find a safe space, and embrace life’s “moments”, and we’ll see you and your tingly tummy on the start line.
Want to know more about the komoot Women's Rally events? Visit the Women's Rally profile on komoot.