When I first turned Pro it was like I had transitioned into a world I did quite understand yet. Everyone racing around me seemed to know exactly what they were doing, how to do it and how to do it to the best of their ability. I was expected to do the same. I was told to train hard, to train right, to eat right, to sleep right, to visualize each track and trail. Some things came naturally, but some seemed like they would never be a part of my pro life.
Over the course of the 2019 season and leading into 2020 so much changed, so much started to click. I kept training, I kept racing, I kept working hard, and I started focusing on the small details – and it is in those small details that I think true success is born.
Now lets take a trip back to August 2019 at the Lenzerheide World Cup in Switzerland. This is when I first began to notice that everything was truly clicking. It was the night before the race, I had my legs up the wall and the pre-race nerves had started to flutter in my belly. I closed my eyes and I raced – I transported myself to the start line and mentally rode every inch of the course, recalling rocks and roots, steep climbs and descents, mental notes on when to shift early, when to breathe and let loose and when to breathe and put the hammer down. I visualized every inch of the trail. The following day I had one of my best results so far in a World Cup race, finishing in 57th place after starting at the back of the pack.
This race made me reflect on my season so far, it made me realize I had naturally started doing what I thought I would always have to think twice about. I was stretching twice a day if not more, I was taking naps when needed, I was putting out phenomenal numbers in all my workouts, I was visualizing my races, I was focused.
Alaina Casioppo 