50 Shades of Alexey; Handling the Mental Game

For those of you who have worked with me over the years you know that there is nothing I love more than a good challenge when trying to push an athlete to the next level. My interest sometimes settles on the mental aspect more than the physical aspect- to the extent that I will try to challenge athletes to focus more on mental building blocks than the physical! I will ask you to try to pin point your cut off point- I will push you to nail down the anxiety that pops up when your heart rate sky rockets- I will try to explain to you that the difference between you and the person in first place is likely your brain- I will try very hard to get to know you before I do these things but I will also probably piss you off!

There are so many factors involved when it comes down to competing- from your natural abilities to your mental abilities, all of it plays a roll. Let’s not forget that diet, proper training and experience are a huge part of what makes a competitor. At the end of the day you can line it all up and do it right but your brain can hit the brakes well before you find out what you are actually capable of!

Opening Intrepid has given me a new look at athletes and how they perform indoors and outdoors. I have done experiments during power intervals where I have covered the computer numbers and asked them to go as hard as they can based off of their rate perceived exertion; I watched some of our fastest cyclists lose their power and their minds while others exceeded what they have ever done before. I have sat on my instructor bike and watched from my master computer as athletes heart rates start rising 20 seconds before we begin an interval- because of nerves. I have watched some of the strongest athletes I know stop short because they are afraid of what happens when they max out. All of it is awesome and brings me back to my point: when all of the parts are working as they should, the brain is what makes or breaks our biggest goals.

What better way to learn more about our competitor brain than to sit down with Iceman’s 2019 Pro Winner Alexey Vermeulen! Alexey is one of those guys who exudes such charisma that it leaves us all feeling like we were right there finishing with him. His level of gratitude for the support he receives and even to his competitors is out of this world. Alexey is the kind of guy that you want your kids to hang with and who seemingly shines brighter than the people around him. It was really great to sit down and ask him a handful of questions about how he manages the stress and pressure of hitting the start line with some of the worlds top racers- and he did not disappoint. Thank you, Alexey, for setting an awesome example for those around you and for maintaining your humble and modest character- even in this enormous spotlight. Read on for a fun look inside of Alexey’s race brain:

Dude- YOU WON ICEMAN- give me one sentence that sums that shit up:

Something I only dreamed of became a reality in front of all my best friends, it’s a memory unlike any other!

Are you friends with Sean Kickbush? I wanted to get this out of the way because somehow his names gets’ dropped in every blog I write.

Good ole Sean…I have only known Sean well since Iceman 2018, but in that time, I can confidently say that I have experienced more ‘life’ with Sean in one year than I will with most other human beings. If you are ever bored at work, give Sean a call and ask any question starting with “what’s the craziest” …you will no longer be bored.

He sounds nice! So, we know that you ride bikes…a lot…but what kind of stuff do you do off of the bike?

I put a lot of effort into continuing to have a ‘life’ off the bike. I think to be a successful athlete, you need to be able to hit the pause button, even if just for an hour. I am quite a foodie, and I love to cook whenever I have time. I am also a big fan of everything to do with hockey (kind of my secret to training through the winters in Michigan, shhhh don’t tell anyone!)

Your secret is safe with me and the other six people who read this! Just kidding, your name is in the title so more than six people will read it. Who is your favorite superhero and why?

Part of me wants to say Thor just because I think the process of being chosen/deserving is very noble…but I think Peter Quill from Guardians of the Galaxy is my favorite… because of his constant happiness while getting things done!

Ha Ha- I LOVE that guy! I heard you know Nate Farran- do you think he should grow his hair out again or leave it short? Wait, you may have been in elementary school when his hair was long?!

I CANNOT picture Nate with long hair…I am going to go with leave it? He looks good, and I imagine he is fighting to keep it short right now… and he helped me not ruin a kids weekend at Iceman by lending me his bike!

Nate is a stand up dude- no question about that!

OK- let's get serious for a sec (not that Farran's hair isn't serious) Leading up to a big race- can you summarize the emotions that you go through a few days before hand? How you manage the stress and anxious feelings?

Emotions and stress can make or break a race. I have always leaned on the side of trying to stay as relaxed as possible until the final 12 hours (humor and good friends are very helpful), once inside the count down, you probably won’t enjoy talking to me. I think my belief is that by the time I get to the final days before the race…I can’t ruin anything training wise and now it is just time to enjoy being fit and focused; enjoy the moment because the race will be gone before you know it. In 2018 I felt like I had something to prove, I felt a lot of stress and I know the people around me had to deal with that as well…in 2019 I felt pressure, its different, its this feeling of knowing you belong, that you did the work, and now it’s time to do go race as best you can!

That is HUGE- the feeling of “belonging” and knowing you did the work- that can really make or break someone. Awesome perspective!

You obviously train hard and understand the concept of pushing even when you do not want to- in a world where people often pull back when shit gets tough- what advice do you have for those who find themselves cutting their work short- in any department of life? About holding yourself accountable?

This is a funny question because the second that you put that work in and it pays off in any capacity, I think it becomes so easy to hold yourself accountable…I think this is how young athletes are born, a moment of struggle that gives way to triumph. There are days where I am struggling for motivation, but I try to compartmentalize them and take the workout piece by piece. This is easier said than done, but just getting on your bike or into the gym is sometimes all it takes. Take the step and if you really can’t do it, you will go back home (I bet you don’t).

I agree 100%- you will NEVER regret “follow through.”

I'm a firm believer that what we do in our training when no one is looking- the standard we hold for ourselves that receives zero validation- is the work that matters most- what keeps you digging when you have zero audience?

As a professional athlete on the most extreme end of this question…the simple answer is that who is going to sit around and watch what I do for 30 hours a week? The more difficult reasoning to explain is that I LOVE what I do. I set goals and see the fun in achieving them. If I struggle to get a workout in, that’s okay…as long as it doesn’t become a common theme in my training. Nearly every single week of the season, I have one day that can be completely off the bike, its my choice, as well as a day that is dedicated to just enjoying riding my bike…no power numbers to stay within, no drills or efforts or rules and the best part is, these rides usually have all the efforts anyone would ever need. Constantly reminding yourself WHY you do something is what makes it worth it, not the number of eyes watching you.

Awesome- LOVE THAT.

You hit the front line- your heart rate is already above 90% because you know what is coming- the nerves are hitting hard- it is already hard to breath and you know that you are going from 0 to 100 in less than 10 seconds. What do you do to manage the stress and work through it?

One step at a time and reminding myself of all those hours that I put in alone, without people watching. The first step to managing stress and working through it in a race is reminding yourself -and I mean out loud reminding yourself- that you CAN do this! There were countless times that I yelled at myself during the final 25min solo effort to the finish at Iceman. Racing is never easy, even when you are fit, it is easy for doubt to creep in during difficult moments. Focusing on the entire race instead of each moment is important to ensuring that we do not get caught up in a bad moment and have it ruin the whole races or a moment that goes well and we leave our race plan behind.

Training in the red...power tests....when you know what is coming and you know you will be maxed out and it will be hard to breath and you will want to quit- what pushes you to keep going? How do you keep the anxiety from stopping you in your tracks?

Hard workouts and power tests say a lot about an athlete, and everyone is different…but for me its being in the right headspace and looking at the workout or test as something exciting. For example, all a test is, is as hard as you can go for 20 minutes. What is stressful about that? Being at peace with knowing you did your absolute best on a given day is all you can expect as an athlete. There are days where I feel weak and underprepared, but I still get out there and do what I can. Numbers are just numbers; they are not your real limits and they definitely do not win races. To prove this is real look at my bike for Iceman. I took the powermeter off. I didn’t want it, I wanted to race my race, all out, to the end and know deep in my heart that I had left nothing out on course. Power numbers weren’t going to hold me back or contradict my perceived exertion. I was there to ride my bike as strongly as I could on a given day and after all the months of training, that was all I could ask my body to do.

I cannot tell you how much I agree with that. I see it all the time- getting hooked on numbers inevitably will hold even the best athletes back at times. RPE without numbers is a game changer – I am SO happy you shared that!

I know many people who are super strong but they will not get on the line and race- I'm not talking about people who have zero interest in it- I'm talking about the few that feel they cannot manage the competitive stress- thoughts or advice on that?

This question is similar to my thoughts above, but I think it really shows that your headspace is as important as how much you train. Reevaluating your goals and how you can achieve said goals is very important. Remembering that at the end of the day, all you can do is learn from mistakes and train harder with new wisdom for the next race.

Any last words?

Enjoy what you do, whatever it might be; if it doesn’t put a smile on your face a majority of the time, find a new hobby. Life is too short not to smile; I truly live my life that way and I think that it translates quite well into my athletic career. Do something fun and make some friends along the way and I promise you will hit your goals!

Awesome insight, awesome perspective, awesome dude. Thank you Alexey- I hope to do this again soon. Happy riding everyone!

Liz BeltJanuary 12, 2020