{"id":202033,"date":"2025-09-16T05:00:33","date_gmt":"2025-09-16T05:00:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.welovecycling.com\/wide\/?p=202033"},"modified":"2025-09-11T05:06:22","modified_gmt":"2025-09-11T05:06:22","slug":"finding-balance-mental-health-and-managing-nerves-in-cycling-by-kasia-niewiadoma","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.welovecycling.com\/wide\/2025\/09\/16\/finding-balance-mental-health-and-managing-nerves-in-cycling-by-kasia-niewiadoma\/","title":{"rendered":"Finding Balance: Mental Health and Managing Nerves in Cycling by Kasia Niewiadoma"},"content":{"rendered":"

Each year, the season becomes even more intense. There are always new races added to the calendar, and compared to men\u2019s teams with around 30 riders, we usually have 15\u201316. With injuries or illness, that number can shrink even more, which means other riders have to fill gaps and take on extra races. The season can feel endless.<\/strong><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

For me, the best medicine for mental health<\/a> is creating environments that remind me of home \u2014 or actually bringing home with me. That\u2019s why I love having my husband with me on long altitude training camps; it gives me a sense of normality. Beyond that, it\u2019s all about planning and understanding my program. When it\u2019s time to work, I give everything, but when I have days to rest, I try to use them for non-cycling things. For some riders, total rest works. For me, I like fun, easy bike rides with friends, simply enjoying being outside in nature. I don\u2019t recover well mentally when I\u2019m stuck indoors \u2014 all I need is fresh air and sun on my cheeks.<\/span><\/p>\n

Small routines that keep me grounded<\/strong><\/h2>\n

It might sound super simple, but my morning coffee routine is something I travel with everywhere. Preparing a V60 coffee<\/a> in silence gives me a calm, quiet start to the day \u2014 my own little ritual. Another thing I enjoy is going grocery shopping. After so much time in hotels, with food prepared for you, it feels good to get back to an \u201cold routine\u201d of strolling, choosing what you need, and making something for yourself. As you can see, it\u2019s not about trendy mindfulness tasks for me, but about keeping things basic.<\/span><\/p>\n

Knowing when it\u2019s time for a break<\/strong><\/h2>\n

When my mind is burnt out, it usually gives me loud signals: feeling down, unhappy, easily triggered, frustrated, or lost in what I want to do with my day or my life. On those days, nothing feels satisfying, not even training or completing tasks. This kind of small mental fatigue happens quite often because I push my body to the max daily. Usually, I cope with it by taking a day or two completely for myself, with no plans or schedules, just so I feel in control again.<\/span><\/p>\n

I had a bigger \u201ccrisis\u201d when I was 25, but then COVID happened, and the break from racing actually helped me rebuild my passion and love for the sport. On the physical side, when my body has had enough, the signs are different: sleepless nights, getting sick easily, powerless legs that can\u2019t go deep even if I try. That\u2019s when I know I need to listen.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Kasia<\/a>
Each year, the season becomes even more intense. There are always new races added to the calendar. \u00a9 Profimedia<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Joy and reset outside of cycling<\/strong><\/h2>\n

I love being in the kitchen, experimenting with recipes I\u2019ve saved throughout the season. It\u2019s fun to create something healthy and delicious at the same time. I\u2019ve also become interested in real estate and spend time learning about how it all works. During the off-season, I really enjoy travelling, visiting places I\u2019ve never been, or exploring cities in more detail when I didn\u2019t have the time before. This year, my husband and I are planning a European trip, exploring street art, museums, and of course, good food.<\/span><\/p>\n

Do I still get nervous before races?<\/strong><\/h2>\n

To be honest, I don\u2019t really get nervous the way I used to when I was younger. I still feel the weight and importance of certain races, and I care deeply about delivering good results, but now that motivates me more than it stresses me. The only time I really feel nerves is at the start of a new season. After a long winter of preparation, there\u2019s always uncertainty about where you stand \u2014 and that unknown can be stressful.<\/span><\/p>\n

When I feel nervous at the beginning of the season, I usually go back to my TrainingPeaks.<\/a> I analyse the work I\u2019ve done, the training I\u2019ve put in, just to reassure myself that I\u2019m strong, prepared, and capable. Sometimes I need that tangible proof to feel calm.<\/span><\/p>\n

Race day rituals<\/strong><\/h2>\n

On race day, I like to close myself off in a little cocoon. Travelling to the start, I put my headphones on, listen to music, and stay uninterrupted. That quiet space helps me digest everything I need to go through before the race. During races, the energy is 100%, so taking that private moment for myself is really important.<\/span><\/p>\n

How my relationship with nerves has changed<\/strong><\/h2>\n

It has changed a lot! There\u2019s a beauty in growing up and maturing. You go through experiences that aren\u2019t always uplifting, but they always teach you something. I\u2019ve cracked under pressure before, but over time, I realised that pressure is something we create for ourselves \u2014 it doesn\u2019t really exist. The moment I understood that this is my career, my life, and all that matters is believing in what I do, I stopped letting pressure control me. As long as I give my best, I can\u2019t mess up.<\/span><\/p>\n

The role of my team<\/strong><\/h2>\n

It helps so much to have people around you who are ready to listen, especially after a disappointing race. Sometimes, just unloading the sadness lightens the load and allows me to move forward. It also means that when I go home, I bring less stress to my family and friends, which makes a big difference for them too.<\/span><\/p>\n

My advice on balancing mental health and nerves<\/strong><\/h2>\n

My advice to amateur cyclists \u2014 or anyone taking on a challenge \u2014 is to zoom out or zoom in and remember: you\u2019re doing it for yourself, for your own goals. The people around you are there to support you, not to judge you. It\u2019s your time, your life. Fill it with joy and good memories. Go and create them.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Each year, the season becomes even more intense. There are always new races added to the calendar, and compared to […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":99,"featured_media":198063,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[332,329],"tags":[2809,2043,2720],"global-categories":[3366],"class_list":["post-202033","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-health-and-training","category-road-cycling","tag-cycling-and-mental-health","tag-kasia-niewiadoma","tag-pro-cycling","global-categories-cycling"],"yoast_head":"\nFinding Balance: Mental Health and Managing Nerves in Cycling by Kasia Niewiadoma - \u0160koda We Love Cycling<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Each year, the season becomes even more intense. There are always new races added to the calendar, and compared to men\u2019s teams with around 30 riders, we\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.welovecycling.com\/wide\/2025\/09\/16\/finding-balance-mental-health-and-managing-nerves-in-cycling-by-kasia-niewiadoma\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Finding Balance: Mental Health and Managing Nerves in Cycling by Kasia Niewiadoma\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Each year, the season becomes even more intense. There are always new races added to the calendar, and compared to men\u2019s teams with around 30 riders, we\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.welovecycling.com\/wide\/2025\/09\/16\/finding-balance-mental-health-and-managing-nerves-in-cycling-by-kasia-niewiadoma\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"\u0160koda We Love Cycling\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-09-16T05:00:33+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/d2p6e6u75xmxt8.cloudfront.net\/2\/2025\/03\/Kasia-Niewiadoma-profimedia-0913144955-CVR.webp\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"990\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"660\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/webp\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"tereza\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Kasia Niewiadoma\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.welovecycling.com\/wide\/2025\/09\/16\/finding-balance-mental-health-and-managing-nerves-in-cycling-by-kasia-niewiadoma\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.welovecycling.com\/wide\/2025\/09\/16\/finding-balance-mental-health-and-managing-nerves-in-cycling-by-kasia-niewiadoma\/\",\"name\":\"Finding Balance: Mental Health and Managing Nerves in Cycling by Kasia Niewiadoma - \u0160koda We Love Cycling\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.welovecycling.com\/wide\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.welovecycling.com\/wide\/2025\/09\/16\/finding-balance-mental-health-and-managing-nerves-in-cycling-by-kasia-niewiadoma\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.welovecycling.com\/wide\/2025\/09\/16\/finding-balance-mental-health-and-managing-nerves-in-cycling-by-kasia-niewiadoma\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/d2p6e6u75xmxt8.cloudfront.net\/2\/2025\/03\/Kasia-Niewiadoma-profimedia-0913144955-CVR.webp\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-09-16T05:00:33+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.welovecycling.com\/wide\/#\/schema\/person\/50f01ecd18718d2333cf72e823c4f926\"},\"description\":\"Each year, the season becomes even more intense. There are always new races added to the calendar, and compared to men\u2019s teams with around 30 riders, we\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.welovecycling.com\/wide\/2025\/09\/16\/finding-balance-mental-health-and-managing-nerves-in-cycling-by-kasia-niewiadoma\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.welovecycling.com\/wide\/2025\/09\/16\/finding-balance-mental-health-and-managing-nerves-in-cycling-by-kasia-niewiadoma\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.welovecycling.com\/wide\/2025\/09\/16\/finding-balance-mental-health-and-managing-nerves-in-cycling-by-kasia-niewiadoma\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/d2p6e6u75xmxt8.cloudfront.net\/2\/2025\/03\/Kasia-Niewiadoma-profimedia-0913144955-CVR.webp\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/d2p6e6u75xmxt8.cloudfront.net\/2\/2025\/03\/Kasia-Niewiadoma-profimedia-0913144955-CVR.webp\",\"width\":990,\"height\":660,\"caption\":\"Kasia Niewiadoma\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.welovecycling.com\/wide\/2025\/09\/16\/finding-balance-mental-health-and-managing-nerves-in-cycling-by-kasia-niewiadoma\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.welovecycling.com\/wide\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Finding Balance: Mental Health and Managing Nerves in Cycling by Kasia Niewiadoma\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.welovecycling.com\/wide\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.welovecycling.com\/wide\/\",\"name\":\"\u0160koda We Love Cycling\",\"description\":\"\u0160koda We Love Cycling magazine\",\"alternateName\":\"\u0160koda WLC\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.welovecycling.com\/wide\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.welovecycling.com\/wide\/#\/schema\/person\/50f01ecd18718d2333cf72e823c4f926\",\"name\":\"tereza\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.welovecycling.com\/wide\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/1f9eb71be33845f0afabce3791bc1c58ecdb0a25c62964987e5dbcf7a20d2ec7?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/1f9eb71be33845f0afabce3791bc1c58ecdb0a25c62964987e5dbcf7a20d2ec7?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"tereza\"},\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.welovecycling.com\/wide\/author\/tereza\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Finding Balance: Mental Health and Managing Nerves in Cycling by Kasia Niewiadoma - \u0160koda We Love Cycling","description":"Each year, the season becomes even more intense. There are always new races added to the calendar, and compared to men\u2019s teams with around 30 riders, we","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.welovecycling.com\/wide\/2025\/09\/16\/finding-balance-mental-health-and-managing-nerves-in-cycling-by-kasia-niewiadoma\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Finding Balance: Mental Health and Managing Nerves in Cycling by Kasia Niewiadoma","og_description":"Each year, the season becomes even more intense. There are always new races added to the calendar, and compared to men\u2019s teams with around 30 riders, we","og_url":"https:\/\/www.welovecycling.com\/wide\/2025\/09\/16\/finding-balance-mental-health-and-managing-nerves-in-cycling-by-kasia-niewiadoma\/","og_site_name":"\u0160koda We Love Cycling","article_published_time":"2025-09-16T05:00:33+00:00","og_image":[{"width":990,"height":660,"url":"https:\/\/d2p6e6u75xmxt8.cloudfront.net\/2\/2025\/03\/Kasia-Niewiadoma-profimedia-0913144955-CVR.webp","type":"image\/webp"}],"author":"tereza","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Kasia Niewiadoma","Est. reading time":"3"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.welovecycling.com\/wide\/2025\/09\/16\/finding-balance-mental-health-and-managing-nerves-in-cycling-by-kasia-niewiadoma\/","url":"https:\/\/www.welovecycling.com\/wide\/2025\/09\/16\/finding-balance-mental-health-and-managing-nerves-in-cycling-by-kasia-niewiadoma\/","name":"Finding Balance: Mental Health and Managing Nerves in Cycling by Kasia Niewiadoma - \u0160koda We Love Cycling","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.welovecycling.com\/wide\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.welovecycling.com\/wide\/2025\/09\/16\/finding-balance-mental-health-and-managing-nerves-in-cycling-by-kasia-niewiadoma\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.welovecycling.com\/wide\/2025\/09\/16\/finding-balance-mental-health-and-managing-nerves-in-cycling-by-kasia-niewiadoma\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/d2p6e6u75xmxt8.cloudfront.net\/2\/2025\/03\/Kasia-Niewiadoma-profimedia-0913144955-CVR.webp","datePublished":"2025-09-16T05:00:33+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.welovecycling.com\/wide\/#\/schema\/person\/50f01ecd18718d2333cf72e823c4f926"},"description":"Each year, the season becomes even more intense. There are always new races added to the calendar, and compared to men\u2019s teams with around 30 riders, we","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.welovecycling.com\/wide\/2025\/09\/16\/finding-balance-mental-health-and-managing-nerves-in-cycling-by-kasia-niewiadoma\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.welovecycling.com\/wide\/2025\/09\/16\/finding-balance-mental-health-and-managing-nerves-in-cycling-by-kasia-niewiadoma\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.welovecycling.com\/wide\/2025\/09\/16\/finding-balance-mental-health-and-managing-nerves-in-cycling-by-kasia-niewiadoma\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/d2p6e6u75xmxt8.cloudfront.net\/2\/2025\/03\/Kasia-Niewiadoma-profimedia-0913144955-CVR.webp","contentUrl":"https:\/\/d2p6e6u75xmxt8.cloudfront.net\/2\/2025\/03\/Kasia-Niewiadoma-profimedia-0913144955-CVR.webp","width":990,"height":660,"caption":"Kasia Niewiadoma"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.welovecycling.com\/wide\/2025\/09\/16\/finding-balance-mental-health-and-managing-nerves-in-cycling-by-kasia-niewiadoma\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.welovecycling.com\/wide\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Finding Balance: Mental Health and Managing Nerves in Cycling by Kasia Niewiadoma"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.welovecycling.com\/wide\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.welovecycling.com\/wide\/","name":"\u0160koda We Love Cycling","description":"\u0160koda We Love Cycling magazine","alternateName":"\u0160koda WLC","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.welovecycling.com\/wide\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.welovecycling.com\/wide\/#\/schema\/person\/50f01ecd18718d2333cf72e823c4f926","name":"tereza","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.welovecycling.com\/wide\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/1f9eb71be33845f0afabce3791bc1c58ecdb0a25c62964987e5dbcf7a20d2ec7?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/1f9eb71be33845f0afabce3791bc1c58ecdb0a25c62964987e5dbcf7a20d2ec7?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"tereza"},"url":"https:\/\/www.welovecycling.com\/wide\/author\/tereza\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.welovecycling.com\/wide\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/202033","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.welovecycling.com\/wide\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.welovecycling.com\/wide\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.welovecycling.com\/wide\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/99"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.welovecycling.com\/wide\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=202033"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.welovecycling.com\/wide\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/202033\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":202035,"href":"https:\/\/www.welovecycling.com\/wide\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/202033\/revisions\/202035"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.welovecycling.com\/wide\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/198063"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.welovecycling.com\/wide\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=202033"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.welovecycling.com\/wide\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=202033"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.welovecycling.com\/wide\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=202033"},{"taxonomy":"global-categories","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.welovecycling.com\/wide\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/global-categories?post=202033"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}