Mountain biking as a lucky charm: Why flow makes you happy and how bikers can achieve it

Almost every mountain biker has probably heard of have heard of "flow". The term comes from the Hungarian happiness researcher Mihály Csikszentmihály, who first used the term in 1975 to describe a phenomenon that he had observed in his research with chess players, dancers, surgeons and mountaineers. In further studies, Csikszentmihály also came across descriptions of flow moments in other forms of sport and the world of work and finally came to the conclusion that flow is the secret of happiness. Anyone who has had the pleasure of riding a bike and knows flow from personal experience will probably agree with him. Flow can be defined as a strongly positive experience that can occur when performing a physical or mental activity. The person experiencing it has a feeling of lightness in their actions and is absorbed in what they are doing. Sounds good? In order to understand how mountain bikers can get into the flow, we need to explain what this magical word really means.

In flow moments, I am highly focussed on the bike, with which I merge into one unit in these moments. It's just the trail and me. Every other thought is faded out. I ride smoothly without any uncertainties, jumps without doubting and feel no effort at all. Everything works as if by itself. In the flow, I don't feel any physical exertion, I don't worry about risks and I can't estimate how long it will take me to cover the distance. This rush can be addictive. - Jan Timmermann, BIKE editor

>> Here we have tested various flow routes for mountain bikers.

Characteristics of the flow

Csikszentmihály recognised flow as an optimal state of performance, to which there was no ideal path, only an individual approach. However, he was of the opinion that he had identified nine universal characteristics of flow:

1. Balance between challenge and abilityFlow only occurs when the load is perceived as optimal. This is known as the "flow channel" between fear and boredom, over- and underchallenge. The challenge of the situation is perceived as controllable under the circumstances of one's own abilities. One's own ability provides security in action
2. Merging body and mindThe mind of the perceiver no longer makes a sharp distinction between the activity in progress and the body performing it. Environmental factors and the self merge into one unit. The mediating factor between stimulus and reaction is lost. Reflection and consciousness are eliminated.
3. Clear objectivesThe experiencer acts in a clearly process-orientated manner and focuses his or her action goals on the quality of execution
4. Clear feedbackInternal and external requirements and feedback from the action reach the perceiver clearly and without interpretation.
5. ConcentrationThe focus is exclusively on the task at hand and its execution. Optimum concentration blocks out disruptive factors and is not forced, but is generated independently.
6. Control: The perceiver has the feeling of complete control over the merged system of body, mind and environment at all times.
7. Subjective perception of timeThe perception of time is no longer conscious, it can no longer be assessed as a factor.
8. Discarded biasMental limitations such as insecurity, fear and negative thoughts are suppressed from the mind
9. Autotelic experienceThe action is carried out for its own sake, not because of potential rewards.

>> Professional biker Harald Philipp has written his own book on flow. Here's the background.

7 tips: How bikers get into the flow

How and when bikers experience flow can vary greatly. However, based on what we now know about the flow phenomenon, we can derive a few general tips on how mountain bikers can get into flow more quickly.

1. The right routeAs flow is most likely to occur at the intersection of over- and underchallenge, the route must match your own ability. Trial technicians may be able to get into the flow on a bumpy hiking trail, but for most people, bumping is not the way to flow. Flow experiences are also unlikely on a boring piste. It is not without reason that almost every bike park now has a so-called flow trail, which beginners can tackle without fear, but on which bikers with advanced riding technique can also have fun.
2. The right speedHow difficult or easy it is to ride a trail always depends on the speed. The easier the trail, the more speed you probably need for the flow moment. Bikers can play with speed: simply try to ride a simple, well-known trail as fast as possible without exceeding your own limits.
3. The right techniqueFor bikers with good riding technique, the flow channel widens. For pros, it is more likely to reach the optimum state on different routes. Riding technique training (for example on a pump track) can bring bikers closer to the flow.
4. The right materialOf course, the bike and equipment have to match the trail. With the XC race file on the enduro trail? Flow is only for experts. A quiet bike also creates less distraction and makes it easier to merge consciousness and activity.
5. The right effortBikers can also get into the flow uphill - and we're not just talking about so-called uphill flow trails for e-bikers. Just try cranking up as long an incline as possible at a steady pace. The gradient should be challenging but not overwhelming. Here too: The fitter the biker, the greater the flow channel.
6. The right mindsetIf you're stressed and have negative thoughts on tour, it's difficult to get into the flow. Instead of simply rushing through the tour, stop, take a breath, concentrate and only then enter the trail. Some people find music helps to calm the flow of thoughts.
7. Driving just for yourselfBiking with friends is fun. But in a group, everyone has different abilities and differences in speed, fitness and riding technique can mean that no one really gets into the flow. It has been scientifically proven that intrinsic motivation leads to flow experiences more often. Extrinsic motivators, such as the best time on the bike computer and the kilometres collected, should therefore be consciously left at home from time to time.

>> Sociology of biking part 2: Mountain biking in the result society

Does flow really make you happy?

Many bikers, but also researchers, are of the opinion that flow is the easiest way to achieve feelings of happiness. Some even equate flow and happiness. There is undoubtedly a connection between the two constructs that is not always clearly recognisable. Happiness is defined as the absence of negative factors such as discomfort and fear, as complete satisfaction, merging with the cosmos and an altered self-perception. The definitions of happiness and flow are therefore strikingly similar. Immediately after a flow experience, people are usually happy.

In reality, however, the person experiencing the flow is in a kind of tunnel in which they cannot perceive their mind at all. In flow, attention is exclusively process-orientated, feelings of happiness can only occur with a time delay. To be in flow, the person experiencing it does not necessarily have to be happy. A popular example here is the assembly line worker, who is maximally efficient in a state of flow, but not necessarily positively affected. So flow is not the same as happiness. However, flow can be described as an "individual means to the end of happiness" - a means that we mountain bikers can have in our own hands every day if we follow the right tips.