Living a minimalist lifestyle can take many forms. From buying less and being less materialistic, to clearing your mind and focusing only on what matters, or helping others by giving away things that you no longer need.
For a professional cyclist, it could mean materially being able to pack fewer things in their suitcase to take on the road with them. However, emotionally and mentally, it can mean so much more. Letting things go that no longer serve you. It’s a mantra you often hear in yoga practices, ‘breathe out and let something go’, but to do it off the proverbial mat, and let it enrich other parts of your life is something that can positively impact your entire reality.
The ability to clear your mind and think only about the race, the interval, the hill repeat, blocking out irrelevant brain noise is a skill that every successful racing cyclist thrives on, and something that our own Tata Martins recognises.
“In a sport like cycling, you have to be mentally strong enough to keep going. There are more upsets than positives, so you have to keep going through the bad times. I think it is important to keep going and trust the process, as being patient is key in sport, and in life. Progress doesn’t come the next day, the next month, it takes some time so it’s a privilege to have this kind of thing in our life. We learn from it.
“In general, minimalism has had a big and positive impact on my life, but it also affected my cycling life. Now I can travel lighter with only the things I really need, which is helpful.”