A massively under-discussed element of riding well is how we use our imagination. We can’t always see the trail ahead, but we use information from what we do know to predict and imagine what might lie ahead. Mud here means the likeliness of mud elsewhere and what characteristics it’s likely to have. Having a good look at a drop or jump on one run helps us hold its features in our minds when we hit it on the next run. Visualisation might get us most of the way there if we’ve seen something before but our imaginations allow us to fill in some of the gaps.
Read more articles from Dr Kath Bicknell
– Why are Mogo’s trails soooo good?
– Mental tips for riding technical trail features
– How saying no builds confidence
Have you ever let your imagination go a few steps further and found that your riding benefited from something that’s not actually true? Like imagining you’re riding a world champs winning run? Or thinking something disastrous might happen if you don’t get to the top of a hill? (Not recommended, but a lot of people confess to doing this.) Or that if you ride faster, you can get home before those huge dark clouds become heavy rain?
During a climb to a favourite local descent recently, my friends and I started talking about a viral video of Natasha Bradley’s topless run at the 2025 McGazza Fest in Queenstown. Beyond the discussion about how smooth her skills were (and why that wasn’t enough to get 82.5 million views with her jersey on) and our thoughts on topless runs in general, two questions stuck with me as we turned from the climb to the flowy, jumpy, slightly chewed-up descent. How much would a topless run hurt? And what long-term damage might it cause?
My imagination turned to what it would be like riding here and now without one of my most fundamental pieces of riding kit: my Serena Williams-endorsed Berlei maximum bounce protection sports bra.
As I rode this track, imagining the practicalities of a topless run, I found myself picking the smoothest lines I could so as not to cause my boobs to bounce wildly, hurt like crazy, and potentially stretch beyond their ability to stretch back. I picked high lines into corners to stay out of braking ruts. I was smoother than I’ve ever been on all the jumps. I moved my torso with a fluidity I’ve never concentrated on before.
Partway through the descent, my thoughts switched to the practicalities of what it would be like to film the rider in front of me, as if it was her doing this topless run. Knowing that she wouldn’t be keen to repeat this feat again (or ever), I did everything I could to keep her in sight of the imaginary camera I was using to film this imaginary run. I can rarely hold this rider’s wheel on this track, but on this occasion, I could.
After we finished our ride, Strava let me know that I’d beaten my previous time on this trail by a whopping 30 seconds. I didn’t ride faster by buying a new bike, changing my tires, or reminding myself of each small thing I needed to do to ride the trail with more speed. I rode faster by unintentionally focusing on a profoundly feminine cue. One overarching thought helped to coordinate a whole series of actions in a different-to-normal way: line choice, torso movement, the rider ahead, protecting the girls, smoothness at all costs.
People sometimes talk about how distracting themselves from the task at hand is what helps them ride faster. But this imagined scenario wasn’t simply a case of distraction. It was one point of focus that united several others. A way of keeping the cognitive load novel and simple while supporting a thousand small decisions that increased speed and fluidity on the trail.
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Next time you hit a favourite descent, think about what image you can hold in your mind that helps you ride the way you want to. If a topless run works for you, go for it. I’ve also heard of riders thinking about how water finds the fastest way down the hill and using that to guide their own approach. Or imagining a sunny day with friends to stamp out the negativity or pressure they might feel when it’s miserably cold and there’s a timing chip on their number plate.
Play with different images as you ride and be open to being surprised. The best part is, as long as your imagined scenario lines up with a real-life goal you’re working on, the thing you think about doesn’t even have to be real to give you a performance benefit. Take the benefits further by reflecting on what worked and why afterwards, and see if you can integrate those additional skills into your riding more deliberately in future.
Learn more about using your mind to get more out of your time on the bike from Kath Bicknell at:
Web: intelligentaction.cc
Insta: @Intelligent_Action
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