Cyclists’ Quirks and Superstitions

When you’re a high-level athlete, the goal is usually to win! And to achieve that goal, all actions are directed towards its realization. What we’re interested in in this article is the psychology of these great champions. In particular, these sometimes irrational rituals that some athletes perform. So, are they just quirks, superstitions, OCD, or reflexes? Do you also follow a ritual that helps you feel more confident before an event?

By Jeff Tatard – Photos: All rights reserved

Before trying to answer the question, do you know the difference between tics and OCD? Tics are involuntary movements. These movements are rapid, repetitive, and non-rhythmic. Some of us may have several tics at once, while others have only one. It’s a sudden and rapid contraction of certain muscles, especially those of the face, involuntary and stereotyped, like blinking that lasts for several seconds without stopping.

OCD, on the other hand, is an acronym that stands for obsessive-compulsive disorder. These are repetitive, irrational, but irrepressible behaviors that most often affect children. In general, OCD is linked to the fear of a possible “misfortune.” Who hasn’t turned off their bedroom light 10 times before going to school or checked 10 times that the door was properly closed when they were a teenager? Telling themselves that if they don’t perform the action, they will inevitably encounter a problem…

Well, athletes are not immune to these little gestures, except that they are directly linked to their goals. It’s not cycling, but Rafael Nadal is the first athlete I think of when I talk about tics and OCD. But in cycling, these same habits are also very pronounced. We know that cyclists are often obsessed with their sport, with little habits and, above all, a host of unwritten rules that come from who knows where. Some of these (unwritten) rules take on exaggerated importance. And if they are not respected, you risk missing your goal. Do you also feel concerned? Congratulations, you’re a true cyclist!

There’s the one who can’t wear any other jersey than the one they won with. For example, I knew a former elite rider – whose name I won’t mention since he’s on the 3bikes.fr team (laughs…) – who had, among his 10 jerseys that made up his package at the beginning of the year, the one he called the victory jersey. He had put a cross on it to identify it, and when he knew he wanted to achieve a result, that was systematically the one he put on. In the same way, which of you hasn’t attached their lucky safety pins to their bag?

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It’s like smooth, carefully shaved legs. All serious cyclists who meticulously shave their legs have been asked this question at least a hundred times in their lives: why shave your legs? True or false? And the answers are always amusing: “it’s for the massage,” “it’s in case of a fall,” “it’s for aerodynamics,” “it’s for perspiration,” etc. But do you know the real answer? It’s simply the best indication of the level of involvement in the performance process. If you have hair on your legs, you risk being kicked out as soon as you get to the race numbers. Is that true or not?

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And the ideal sock? Not to mention the color. The ideal sock of the 2020s should be halfway between the calf and the ankle. And if it’s lower or falls down, do you risk giving up? Is that true or not? Do you recognize yourself here too? The arms of the Oakleys: under or over the helmet straps? In any case, put them under if you want to look like a real one… and even more so if you’re obsessed because there too you risk losing the wheels of the right breakaway.

And I’m not talking about the valve cap, Weleda oil, pre-race pasta or town sign sprints the day before, the height of the bib shorts, the tire inscription aligned with the valve, the folded race number, the 8 hours of mandatory sleep the night before the race, the kiss before leaving, etc., etc…

Great champions are no exception. But you know what, now that we’ve had a good laugh and made fun of it? For these guys, these OCDs, discreet or very visible depending on the individual, make them even more unique individuals. There are plenty of anecdotes… And yet these rituals sometimes allow them to further engrave their legend in the mythology of sport. Legend even tells of an old champion from the 50s who used to get up before dawn every day to move a huge stone at the bottom of his garden, before going back to bed, while more modern ones content themselves with ab, core, and stretching sessions even on rest days.

But the truth is that this routine is a way to put oneself in the best possible conditions. The fact of setting very marked performance routines allows one to enter a kind of bubble and psychologically settle into an optimal state of performance and concentration.

In a routine, you can put a little bit of whatever you want, which allows the athlete to be sure not to forget anything. This is confirmed by several great champions I’ve had the chance to meet, for whom having a routine is inherent to the human species. Human beings need routine and a certain stability to ensure a good result.

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Great champions always put things that are truly important to them in order. Of course, they train perfectly every day to give them confidence and guarantee them some peace of mind, to know that things will go well.

For many truly great champions, these rituals are not superstitious. Some call it superstition, but apparently that’s not as often the case. And what makes me write that is that if it were superstition, why would they keep doing the same thing over and over again, whether they win or not? In truth, it’s a way of placing oneself in a pattern of success. The athlete organizes their environment so that it follows the order they seek in their head. And by instinctively repeating this routine, the question of dependence can arise. Which of you hasn’t found themselves trapped by this habit?

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What I believe more and more as I get older is that relying on a performance routine is by no means a sign of weakness. On the contrary, in my opinion, it is one of the keys to success. And what I have observed over time is that it is often these people who ritualize what many would call OCD, who will go further than others. And most of the time, they are also the ones who get the best results.

So, is it a simple routine or a truly indispensable superstition for success? And you, do you also have your little quirks and concrete proof that they most often put you in a good frame of mind? Or do you know other obsessed champions?

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