Mountain Biking’s 5 Biggest Mental Challenges and How to Overcome Them

Today I’m joined by Dr Chris Hartley, who is a lecturer in sports psychology at the University of Stirling and also a passionate mountain biker with a love for enduro and downhill. We sat down to discuss mountain biking's 5 biggest mental challenges that we find out on the trails. Encountering our weak points, dealing with negative mindset, fear of the unknown, pushing our comfort zones and dealing with crashes and injury. Chris ran this as an open discussion with me on my experiences here, offering advice and techniques along the way. It has definitely given me lots to think about and apply out on the trail and I hope it helps you too. So sit back, hit play and listen to this episode with Dr Chris Hartley. You can find Chris on Twitter at twitter.com/DrChrisHartley and at his website sportpsychologyscotland.co.uk. The books that Chris mentions in the episode are The Happiness Trap by Russ Harris which you can find here and The Chimp Paradox by Steve Peters which you'll find here. Supporting Partners Magura I’ve been using the Magura MT7 Pro brakes since late last year, and I recently posted that they were the best brakes I’ve ever used. A couple of people got in touch to as if that was really the case and my honest answer is yes they are. The power is insane, but it’s totally controllable, and they are the only brakes that I’ve been able to keep working just as well as when I first fitted them. What’s more, Magura have their #customizeyourbrake programme which allows you to get the brake set up perfectly for you, as you can change the brake lever, the pads, the discs and make some aesthetic changes too. You can check out the entire range of Magura brakes, and the #customizeyourbrake programme over at magura.com. Leatt I’ve been using some of Leatt’s most recent collection of clothing and I’ve been really impressed. For me there have been a few stand out items. The Trail 1.0 Jacket is super small and lightweight and is the perfect jacket to get you out of trouble. Stick it in your pack and forget about it. The Trail 1.0 Jersey is ultra-lightweight and has panels of Ice Yarn which is made of recycled coffee and has a cooling touch effect. The