Despite his youth, Bend bicycle racer Ryder Uetrecht knows a thing or two about set-backs.

During the staging process at this year’s USA Cycling Mountain Bike National Championships in West Virginia, the Summit High School sophomore was being shuffled with others in his field of 15- and 16-year-olds toward the starting line. Uetrecht, who placed third in the previous year, asked an official if he could begin in the middle of the bunch. The official thought his tone was “rude” — with a flick of his finger he relegated Uetrecht to the rear of the field.

“My (original race) plan went straight out the window. It was more funny because (during the race) I went from dead last to the middle. Then I got caught in a crash and went back to dead last, then back to eighth. When I cramped I went down to 11th,” where he finished, he said. “When I was in the back I kept thinking, ‘There’s nowhere to go but up. It’s all about having fun from here.’ I tried to enjoy the race as much as I could.”

It’s this resilient mindset that allows Uetrecht to race about 50 races a year across several cycling disciplines, including road and cyclocross.

Endurance athletes of all ages battle their peers and pursue personal records while also contending with self-imposed pressure and mental self coaching that may or may not be Zen-like during race time. Competitors interested in not only achieving their season goals, but enjoying their sports for decades, focus on playing the long game by consciously fostering a positive mental attitude.

“Racing is (my family’s) culture, I guess you could say. We live and breathe it,” Uetrecht said. “I love it.”

Like many junior competitors, Uetrecht harbors dreams of making it pro.

He credits his parents and coach — who all continue to race — for cultivating his balanced outlook on riding and racing. Ultimately, he said he “wants to be 80 years old and still on a bike, enjoying it as much as I can.”

Race jitters and ‘self-talk’

Brian Baxter, a mental game coach and the director of Sport Psychology Institute Northwest in Portland, said endurance athletes — such as runners, cyclists and swimmers — have to monitor their head spaces as closely as their training regimens. This involves mitigating race anxiety by having good prerace routines and realistic performance goals.

“I work with some athletes who say they get panic attacks. You need some pressure to perform, but it’s all about managing it. You’re not trying to eliminate it or squash it; you’re trying to use it,” Baxter said.

When Baxter asks any of the dozen athletes he works with what they think about when they’re performing at their highest level, “They say, ‘Well, nothing.’ So it’s about (achieving) that meditative state, where you’re just existing in what you’re doing.”

Negative thoughts can disrupt that calm, however, Baxter said, because endurance sports events are hard, repetitive and painful.

“During the race, (it’s a matter of learning) how to win the self-talk battle in that it’s just you and your mind. You’re either thinking positive self-talk, which is ‘This feels good. This feel great. I love doing this,’ he said. “Negative self-talk is ‘This hurts. When is this going to be over? Why am I doing this to myself? I should just quit,’” Baxter said with a laugh. “There’s more to it, but those are the two most basic elements to it.”

Controlling self-talk and anticipating negative thoughts go a long way. Baxter recommends reinterpreting the thought “I feel tired,” as “OK, I’m tired. Good. That means I’m right where I need to be.”

Self-talk doesn’t have to devolve into an elaborate back and forth between voices in your head. Baxter, who is a competitive soccer player, said his inner pep talks involve simple bits of encouragement, such as, “You’ve got this, keep going.” When his legs become fatigued from the constant running up and down the field, a mantra reoccurs in his head: “It only takes one chance.”

Baxter continued, “In soccer, there are so few opportunities to score a goal. For me, If I get frustrated and stop playing, I’ll miss my opportunity. That’s what keeps me running and keeps me going.”

Good, not great, expectations

Accrued mental fatigue — which can result from setting too lofty goals or racing too often — can make itself known in numerous ways. Professional triathlete and coach Matt Lieto, 39, has competed in nearly 1,000 races in his lifetime. The Bend resident owes his racing career’s longevity to setting goals that are as motivating as they are realistic. In the beginning, Lieto, who was once 80 pounds over-weight, strove to merely finish races. He developed himself into an elite athlete in incremental steps. In 2005, when Lieto entered his first year as a professional, he set his overall goal to “get my ass kicked.” He definitely accomplished that goal, he admitted with a laugh.

“If you go in with correct expectations, there are less ups and downs,” Lieto said. “If you go into your first cyclocross race ever and think you are going to win the (advanced) Category-Two race, there is going to be some s— going on in your head that will not be positive.”

Positive vibes

As Uetrecht considers the 2018 USA Cycling Cyclocross National Championships in Reno, Nevada, he’s reminded of the mechanical failures that plagued his two most recent appearances. In 2015, Uetrecht crashed with half a lap to go. Despite two flat tires, he still finished fifth in the 13-14 age category. The next year, freezing temperatures caused Uetrecht’s saddle to snap off its post when he remounted his bike after a barrier. That caused the junior racer to complete the remaining half lap saddleless as his placement yo-yoed from seventh to 20th. He still managed to finish in 11th place. In either instance, Uetrecht never considered dropping out. To remain positive despite set-backs, Uetrecht has taken the advice from a mental game coach to heart.

“In cycling, stuff happens. It’s just the way things are. When you get passed by someone, you can’t get bogged down by it. You have to dig in and catch up,” he remembered her saying. He added that he finds it helpful to focus on the small things he’s doing right.

“When you pass someone, giving yourself a mental (pat on the back). Like, ‘Yes! This is working.’ If you’re not racing well, you have to find little things, like, ‘Oh, I hit that corner really well. Let’s see if I can do it again.’”

As for the upcoming junior national cyclocross championships in January, Uetrecht has an ambitious goal. In his second year competing in the 15-16 age group, the Summit sophomore hopes to place at least in the top five.

“Finishing in the top five would make me happy. A podium (or top-three placement), would really make me happy,” he said.

What happens if he’s dealt another set-back, such as two flats, a broken saddle or a rear of the pack starting relegation?

“I would be sad, but I’d use it to propel me forward and make myself work harder and train even more,” he said. “I’d try my hardest to use it for a positive.”

— Reporter: 541-617-7816, pmadsen@bendbulletin.com