Introduction
There have been greater riders, but there has been no greater champion than Louison Bobet, winner of three consecutive Tours, of half-a-dozen classics, national championship, and a world title. From his first successes at a national level the French sporting public idolised him: the downside of being idolised, of course, is that your worshippers are never satisfied with anything less than perfection, and when Bobet failed to live up to his early promise the French press savaged him. In addition Bobet had an inordinately high level of self-esteem even for a Breton, and felt he always had to live up to the standards he had set for himself. He too was a perfectionist – someone who has trouble discriminating between realistic and idealised standards. Thus he not only had to cope with the normal external pressure that any sporting superstar may expect, he put tremendous pressure on himself. Like most perfectionists he was rarely satisfied with his performance, anticipated failure, and yet hated losing. He therefore tended to be highly anxious. Bobet was never along just for the ride, and lived constantly on his nerves. The days leading up to a race could be very unpleasant for those around him, and, presumably, for himself as well.

Later his brother Jean would recall: 'Up until Thursday he was very difficult to live with; after Thursday he was impossible.' Most of us would feel that this is no way to live: you have to tell yourself that you can't win them all, that at times you have to be satisfied with a respectable performance rather than sheer brilliance. Nowadays the team sports psychologist might be called in to help Bobet with stress management, and to achieve a better balance.

Arousal and Anxiety
Sport psychologists used to distinguish between arousal and anxiety. Arousal is that necessary condition where we feel that we want to ride this event, are really looking forward to it, and that we'll do the best we can. This necessary lift in intensity required for successful performance may also be referred to as 'competitive anxiety', and at its optimal level is seen as making a positive contribution. We have to feel some 'edge' in order to perform at our best – it's no good being relaxed to the point of being comatose. We all know that the day we don't feel butterflies is the day when we ride below our best.

In recent years arousal has been studied largely as a physiological response, ranging from sleep at one end to high excitement at the other. However, it has important effects on thought processes and emotions, some of them positive (excitement, happiness), and others negative (fear, embarrassment), though these may not correlate with physiological responses. It's possible, for instance, that when arousal is high it influences the motor centre of the brain so that more muscle fibres are recruited, with the result that each individual fibre has less work to do and can obtain more of its energy from aerobic metabolism.

Anxiety, on the other hand, is generally regarded as a negative characteristic. It can get so high that our judgment is impaired, and our results are less than we could have hoped for. You're over-conscious of your weaknesses, you worry excessively about the opposition, you bite everyone's head off, your fingers are all thumbs when you're assembling your bike, you just know that your team-mates are going to sneer at you when you get shelled out, and you feel that the butterflies aren't just flitting happily around in there, they're wearing Doc Martens and kicking you in the groin.

It's important to recognise that perfection is impossible, and that putting in your best effort is more important than winning; not to worry about letting other people down because their expectations of you are so high; and above all to recognise that you're doing this because you enjoy it, this is sport (not war, for instance). Even if you know that your preparation is below its normal level, you're going to get in a good training ride as part of your build-up for the weeks ahead, and you'll be in the action as much as you can.

Athletes have hopes and dreams about how successful they will be. Successful competitors expect to be successful in future. These expectations can be a source of anxiety, especially if they are unrealistic. Athletes have different ways of coping with stressful situations: it was often apparent that John McEnroe's coping strategies did not necessarily result in a poor performance, though responses which distract the competitor from the immediate demands of the task will normally impair performance. Generally, ignoring or discounting the stressful incident is more effective than attending to it by arguing or focusing on the error. This is an interesting area where more research is called for.

Some athletes have a natural tendency to become excessively anxious. They should not deny or ignore this tendency, but acknowledge it and take necessary precautions. Previous experiences of success or failure can trigger anxiety. Some people may prefer failure to success in order to avoid the consequences that success may bring. On the other hand many athletes fear failure; often this fear is tied to the person's equation of sporting success with self-esteem. Those who derive their self-esteem mainly from success in sport are more likely to fear defeat.

What research there has been in the area tends to confirm that athletes with high self-confidence are less likely to become anxious than those with low self-confidence. Martin and Gill (1961) concluded that 'low self-confidence, high anxiety, and ultimately, poor performances are often noted in athletes who hold unrealistic outcome goals. In contrast, athletes who are more concerned with performing well in their sport appear more self-confident and less anxious and may perform closer to their potential'. Confidence-building is therefore likely to reduce damaging anxiety.

Coaching techniques for managing rider anxiety
The coach should be in a better position than most other people to help athletes manage their anxiety. Some, however, habitually use wrong strategies which only increase anxiety. These include: communicating unrealistic goals and expectations; teaching new skills or changing the game plan immediately before the contest; reminding the athlete about how important it is to win; inappropriate or poorly-timed comments or sarcasm; criticising the rider personally, rather than the performance.

However, it is also sometimes necessary to increase anxiety. If the rider seems altogether too laid back, is taking the opposition too lightly, not following directions and instructions, then it may be appropriate to remind him/her that poor performance outcomes, both individual and team, may be the result. Athletes must feel some degree of danger or threat at the competition in order to achieve the optimal level of arousal. The coach's role is not always to eliminate anxiety, but rather to help the athlete manage it.

Be realistic
Perceiving that others have very high expectations of their performance is one of the principal causes of athlete anxiety. It is one thing to encourage the athlete to expect success and to feel self-confident, but the athlete must feel that the coach is not demanding perfection and will accept his/her best effort: 'All I can ask is that you do your best'.

Have fun
In the pre-race talk, reminding the riders to enjoy themselves is a very effective strategy, especially if the opposition is perceived as superior. Sport is (no, really!) supposed to be fun, and often athletes will respond by performing at their best.

Avoid the W-I-N word
Focusing on outcomes ('We're here to win') does not help athletes to feel in control of the situation. Emphasising the importance of winning may induce anxiety and bring about the opposite effect. It's better to put the stress on effort, remind the athletes of their excellent preparation and advantages.

Teach skills, provide feedback
Skill training has a relatively low priority in road-racing, but is more important in cyclo-cross and track racing. Improving skilled performance, and providing the athletes with regular feedback on their improvement, is fundamental to the work of the coach.

Use actual race simulations in training
This is relatively difficult for the road-racing coach, even though the riders themselves may habitually train in race style – the mid-week chain-gang, for instance. It's easier for the track coach who can control things from the centre. Asking the riders to perform new skills/ tactics/strategies that are completely unfamiliar is very anxiety-inducing.

Remember injured athletes
Injured athletes may feel guilt in letting down the team or disappointing people with high expectations of their performance. The coach should keep in regular touch with any athlete sidelined through illness or injury.