Pre-race nerves: what the science says and what you can do

Reviewed by Fred Laguía
Creator of «La Obsesión Ciclista de Fred», the most-listened Spanish-language cycling podcast (6M+ plays). 20+ years building technology, much of it for sport.
Prepared by the FredCoach science team, AI-assisted, from the cited sources · Sport psychologist

In short. Nerves before a race are normal and, on their own, are only weakly linked to performance: your confidence is linked more. What the research supports best is a routine for race morning, rehearsing the race in your head and setting goals about what you control; a few minutes of slow breathing help lower the stress you feel, although they won't make you faster.

Nerves are not the enemy

The churning stomach, the racing pulse on the start line, the bad night's sleep before. Almost everyone goes through it, professionals included. The question is whether it costs you, and the science is reassuring.

A meta-analysis of 48 studies found that worry before competing is only weakly linked to performance, and that confidence that you can do it is linked more. Both links are small and clearly stronger at high-level competition; at lower levels, worry was barely linked at all. These are associations, not causes. In other words, you don't need to arrive calm to have a good race. You need to arrive trusting what you have prepared.

That arousal is also your body getting ready: higher heart rate, more alertness, more energy available. It is not a sign that something is wrong.

Call it excitement

In a series of experiments, telling yourself "I am excited" before a nerve-wracking task worked better than trying to calm down. The idea is not to fight the arousal but to change how you read it. Note that those experiments involved singing, public speaking and maths problems, not endurance events. It is an interesting lead rather than something proven in cycling, but it costs nothing to try: when you feel your pulse on the start line, instead of fighting it, call it excitement.

A routine for race morning

Pre-performance routines improve performance: a little in before-and-after studies and moderately to strongly in experiments, including under pressure. The type of routine made no difference. Most of those studies involve precision skills (a shot, a serve), not endurance, so for cycling what follows is the practice of sport psychologists rather than a trial:

• The night before: bike checked, kit and gels ready, number pinned on. Leave no decisions for the morning.
• Breakfast: one you have already tried before a long training ride. Nothing new on race day.
• Arrival: a time set in advance, with room for the toilet, the queue and the warm-up.
• Warm-up: one you already know from training; how much depends on the event.

The routine removes decisions and keeps your nerves on what you can control.

Rehearse the race in your head

Imagery, mentally rehearsing the event, improves performance, motivation and mood with a medium effect according to a large meta-analysis, it adds to real practice, and it works better the more you practise it. In the days before, close your eyes for a few minutes and ride the course: the start, the first climb at your pace, the feed zone, the moment it gets hard and what you will do then (drink, relax your shoulders, aim for the next landmark). Rehearsing the bad moment too means that when it comes, you already know it.

Goals that depend on you

In sport, process goals (what you control while racing: climbing at your pace, eating to your plan, holding your cadence) are the ones that improve performance most; outcome goals (your position, winning) barely move it. The gap is large, although it comes from few studies of each type, so take it with some caution.

A long event feels more manageable in chunks: reach the feed zone, the next climb at your pace, the next village. That is sport psychology practice, consistent with the above.

And what you tell yourself counts. Two weeks of motivational self-talk training ("keep going, you're doing well") extended time to exhaustion on the bike by 18% in a lab trial with 24 people. In a real 60-mile (97 km) ultra it did not change finishing times, although most found it useful and were still using it months later. It helps, without miracles.

Slow breathing: what it does and what it doesn't

Guided breathing reduces the stress and anxiety you feel, with a small-to-moderate effect according to a meta-analysis of trials. In a study with students, five minutes a day for a month of cyclic sighing, box breathing, fast breathing with breath holds or meditation all lowered anxiety, and cyclic sighing improved mood a little more than meditation. No technique has been shown to beat the others: pick the one that suits you.

A simple way: breathe slowly, about six times a minute, letting the air out a bit longer than you take it in (for example, four seconds in and six out), for about five minutes (five to ten). You can use it the night before to unwind and in the start pen.

What it doesn't do: it does not improve endurance performance, and its effect on heart rate variability fades soon after you stop. And a warning: never hyperventilate and then hold your breath. It can make you pass out without warning. If you feel dizzy, stop and breathe at your own pace.

When it is more than nerves

If the anxiety doesn't stay in the days before the race, if it lasts for weeks, keeps you awake or gets in the way of work, stops you enjoying things you used to like or shows up outside sport too, talk to your doctor or a psychologist. It is common in athletes as well, it can be treated, and asking for help is part of looking after yourself, not a weakness. And if you ever think about harming yourself, don't wait: contact your local emergency number or crisis line.

FredCoachBETA

In FredCoach

In the days before your main cycling goal, FredCoach adjusts your week according to how you are arriving, so you are fresh on race day without losing your edge. And the coach is with you: you can tell it how you feel, prepare your race-morning routine together and break the race into goals that depend on you. In Progress you have "Breathe with me", a guide with three techniques (slow breathing, cyclic sighing and box breathing) so you can pick the one that suits you. Request access at coach.freds.cc (we are in beta).

Request access at coach.freds.cc

FAQ

Is it bad to be nervous before a race?

No. Nerves are normal and, according to a meta-analysis of 48 studies, are only weakly linked to performance; confidence in what you have prepared is linked more. Your body is gearing up to compete.

How can I sleep better the night before a race?

Get everything ready so no decisions are left for the morning, and try 15–20 minutes of slow breathing before bed: in two small trials in healthy people it improved sleep. Sleeping worse the night before is very common: in a survey of elite athletes, two in three had experienced it, mostly from thinking about the race.

Which breathing technique is best for nerves?

None has been shown to beat the others: slow breathing, cyclic sighing and box breathing lower anxiety by a similar amount. Pick the one you find comfortable and avoid hyperventilating or holding your breath for long.

Does visualising the race help?

Yes. Mentally rehearsing the event improves performance with a medium effect and adds to your training. Include the hard moment too, and what you will do when it comes.

Sources

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