Every cyclist is surely familiar with this feeling: you’ve been riding for quite a while, your thighs are burning a bit, but things are actually still going quite well. Your heart rate is under control, your cadence is steady. Yet you start to talk yourself out of it: ‘I could skip that last climb. Actually, I’ve had enough for today. There’s always tomorrow.’
Physical exhaustion is irrelevant at this point. It is the brain that pulls the brake lever – long before the body reaches its physiological limits. This phenomenon occurs time and again during training, but can also cause problems on longer rides. It’s all about endurance – but not that of the body. It’s about what some people call the ‘most important muscle’: the brain. And this muscle can also be trained when it comes to endurance.
Effort is a perception
Over the past 15 years, the Italian-British sports scientist Samuele Marcora (University of Bologna, formerly of the University of Kent) has developed a theory that fundamentally changes our understanding of endurance: the psychobiological model of endurance performance.
Marcora’s core idea: We don’t necessarily stop exercising because our muscles can’t cope any longer. We stop because the rating of perceived exertion (RPE) reaches a point at which our brain decides: it’s no longer worth it. This perception is not a figment of the imagination – it is a real neurophysiological signal. But it can be trained.
Endurance training for the brain
Brain Endurance Training (BET), endurance training for the brain, combines cognitive fatigue tasks with normal physical exercise: these include reaction tests, attention exercises, pattern recognition, and specialised tests such as matching colours and words. The idea is that if you systematically accustom your brain to cognitive challenges, your tolerance for mental fatigue increases. People who become mentally fatigued perceive the effort as more intense – and those who remain mentally alert for longer can sustain the same level of physical exertion for a longer period. It sounds fairly simple – but the evidence from studies supports this theory.
A much-discussed study on BET in cycling was conducted by Walter Staiano, Samuele Marcora and colleagues (2023) and published in the *Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport*. Two independent randomised controlled trials involving a total of 50 trained cyclists showed that, following the training programme, the BET group was able to cycle for longer than the control group. Their perceived exertion was lower for the same level of exertion.
There were no differences between the groups in terms of purely physical measures – maximum oxygen uptake, lactate levels and heart rate. However, the cognitive performance of the BET group improved. This means that mental endurance training does not improve fitness in the traditional sense. It alters the way the brain perceives exertion. And that is enough to enable you to keep going for longer. Follow-up studies have confirmed these findings; a recent article summarises: BET is a promising strategy for reducing mental fatigue and improving endurance performance.
A successful strategy in recreational sport
This is particularly exciting for anyone who doesn’t see themselves as a competitive athlete: Brain Endurance Training apparently works even outside the realm of elite sport. In a recent study, Díaz-García, García-Calvo and Ring investigated the effects on 24 generally healthy but largely inactive women aged between 65 and 78. Over eight weeks, both groups trained three times a week – comprising 20 minutes of strength training and 25 minutes of endurance training each session. Only the BET group additionally completed 20 minutes of cognitive tasks. The results: cognitive performance following thirty minutes of mental exertion improved over the eight-week period compared with the group that undertook only physical exercise. Physical fitness in the BET group also increased compared with the group that undertook physical exercise alone. Admittedly, the study was small (24 participants) and short (eight weeks), and the results cannot be readily extrapolated to men or other age groups. But they point in a promising direction: Brain Endurance Training is not a tool exclusively for ambitious athletes.
It could work just as well for those returning to the sport, older cyclists and anyone who wants to improve their mental resilience – on the bike and beyond. After all, what goes on in your head is at least as important as what goes on in your legs.
Brain Endurance Training in Practice
BET is no secret formula – but it does require consistency
This is what a sensible set-up looks like
When? In the pre-season or during winter, for example when training on a roller or ergometer. BET is a stimulus that needs to build up – just like base training. It can also be done in summer, during base training sessions and on recovery days.
How? There are two variants that have been investigated in research: Pre-BET: Cognitive tasks before training (for example, 10–15 minutes). This means you begin your cycling training whilst already mentally fatigued. In this way, the brain learns to perform effectively under these conditions. Post-BET: Cognitive tasks after training, when one is physically tired.
Typical tasks
- Stroop tests (e.g. colour words in the wrong colour: ‘RED’
in blue lettering; the colour shown must be named ) - psychomotor vigilance tests (response to random stimuli)
- N-back tasks (working memory: Was this symbol the same as the one two steps earlier?). There are apps available for this.
How long? Start with around 10 minutes per session, increasing to 20 to 30 minutes over several weeks. The level of difficulty should increase gradually.
How often? Three to four times a week, ideally combined with your regular training sessions.
Who would benefit from brain endurance training?
Mental endurance training is particularly useful for:
- long-distance events (marathons, brevets, bikepacking), in which mental fatigue plays a disproportionately large role.
- Time trials – racing alone against the clock is when the mental strain is at its greatest.
- Training when time is tight – if you’re short on time, you can provide an extra training stimulus without putting any extra strain on your body.
- Stamina – for athletes who know that their limit is more mental than physical.
- For older athletes and beginners – even those who are less active can benefit, and the cognitive benefits are always helpful.
What brain endurance training is not
Mental endurance training is no substitute for physical exercise, a healthy diet and sleep. Furthermore, BET is not mental training in the traditional sense – it involves no visualisation, no self-talk and no meditation. It is a targeted cognitive fatigue stimulus designed to increase the brain’s tolerance to exertion.
Some cyclists spend hours on interval training, nutrition plans and aerodynamic optimisation. But in doing so, we often overlook a factor that is just as important and, at the same time, a limiting one – our brain. BET is a relatively new tool that addresses this. It costs nothing, could be very helpful in maintaining your stamina, and can be integrated into your training relatively easily.
Tim Farin
Editor