It’s the lack of thought pertaining to anything that’s outside of the experience that’s part of the appeal in many ways..

Downhill on my own I’m usualy in a far more Zen like state than the climbs.

Downhill in a group I’m usualy focused on getting a wider entry to the corner than the guy/girl in front allowing me to brake less and then brake in the next section as I’m now too close. Anoyingly if I’m on my own I probably don’t make such good line choices so the excercise is fairly futile. But theres still somethig very Zen about being in the middle of a group on a night ride, allthe line choices/speed have been decided by the guy 10 or 20 places in front and everyone else is just following their lead.

Climbing on the SS is one of three things

This is easy, why did I ever use gears?
This is hurting, wish I had gears (usualy at the end of a ride)
F*** HGGGRRRR HMMMMM HEAVE PANT (where the gradient gets silly and technical)

Not much, which is a great release from the usual worry and internal chatter.

Uphill, I do sometimes think “keep going!”. Downhill, if I think at all, it’s mainly about whether I’m balancing on my feet properly.

It’s the same on the bike as it is off it, so if I’m thinking at all, (rather than being of no-mind) my thoughts are about nothing / everything / anything …

It’s genuinely interesting to read that people do actually think about specific, and/or relevant things whilst riding.

usually ‘hmm should I have gone left back then? I think I’m heading in roughly the right direction…’

Sometimes I sing/hum thing like the star wars theme tune, especially when night riding in woods 🙂

Other times I just try and clear my head of all the work rubbish flying round it

How do you will yourself over that final summit?

no phrases or mottos to get over hills… i just count each time i push my feet into the pedals until i get to the top

If it’s a long hard slog that requires mental strength, then I count in threes – that way you equalise emphasised push across both legs.
And don’t look up/ahead. Keep the summit horizon behind the helmet peak.

What goes through ones mind while in the saddle?

whatever comes to mind. nothing specific.

Nothing… and everything…

But yunki said it better.

Even the commute home is a complete mental irrigation although that could be praise for survival.

I make mental notes for my ride report
I think about the way ahead to be ready to preempt those in front from going the wrong way
I think about light and contrast and pattern and shapes and arses and eyes and boobies
I anticipate the quiet contentment when the ride is over
I think about things that have happened the other times I’ve been this way
I wonder why I haven’t fallen off yet despite being a terrible rider…

yunki – Member

It’s the lack of thought pertaining to anything that’s outside of the experience that’s part of the appeal in many ways.. Perfectly put.

All that I ever think about whilst riding is riding

Mostly yellow frog avoidance on last nights ride.

How to engineer a better sounding freewheel than Chris King did on the downhills.

On the steady bits I generally think about possible sexual encounters with women I know through work, or have seen in a shop that morning or…. etc, I tend to think it through the early bits….possible conversations/situations, and rarely get past the first kiss or first naked bits. On the serious climbs I genrally just want to feel some pain and try to push myself to give it all the beans, and on the fast downs I just think ‘go faster, don’t die’.