The 5 key lessons I learned from cycling on how to be a better leader

I've been a casual bike rider most of my life; however, last year, I finally decided to get serious about it and got my first bike. It was a Specialized hybrid bike, and I remember the first time I was so afraid to ride the new bike that I asked one of my friends to ride it, and I rode a Citi bike!

Fast forward a year later, I completed six bike races and rode over 3500 miles, including four century rides.

NYC duathlon race photo

This is me, competing in my first duathlon (bike & run), three months after I started riding.

I felt intimidated riding a hybrid bike in sneakers and running shorts in that big crowd of pros with expensive road bikes and performance cycling kits!

It felt like everyone was looking at me, wondering if I was lost and ended up there by accident.

The pain was real, as you can tell from the expression on my face! However, I overcame my fears and completed the race in 2:57 hours.

A few months later, I discovered and joined NYCC, a fantastic community of passionate cyclists who strive to encourage others to get into the sport and establish a comfortable space for new riders to learn and grow together.

After several rides with NYCC groups, I realized there are synergies between leading a group of cyclists and leading a team and how the leadership principles in cycling can seamlessly apply in the business world.

Lesson no.1

In cycling, the ride leader's main priority is to ensure that everyone gets to the final destination safely as a group. However, that's more challenging than it sounds! The ride leader has to constantly monitor the group to see if the riders can keep up or if they are struggling with the pace, and keep count of the riders to ensure that nobody gets lost.

Copyright: Classic Car Club

The ride leader has to ensure that the path they take is safe for the group, as the people riding behind have less visibility on what's ahead. And the ride leader must ride predictably and always focus on the road, looking far ahead for possible obstacles. When avoiding obstacles, they need to ensure that the group can follow and has time to adapt to the change in course. The ride leader can't make sudden moves to avoid an obstacle as the person behind won't have enough time to react and might end up hitting that obstacle and taking down the entire peloton.

Copyright: Lanterne Rouge/YouTube

The same is true in business; a team leader needs to be transparent and mindful of the team's potential, be strategic and think long-term. If the company goals continuously change, the team will lose focus and energy and eventually fail or leave.

Also, the traditional management structure, where the flow of information from the top down is limited and there's no transparency, forces employees to make decisions in the dark without understanding the big picture and undermines their ability to build strategies that align with the long-term vision of the company.

Lesson no. 2

In a large group of cyclists, you can encounter people with different personalities, big or small egos, and different skill levels, so ride leaders must be able to handle different characters and be empathetic, supportive, and firm when necessary. Finding that balance is vital for the safety of the group. There are situations where someone's ego can put the entire group at risk. So the ride leader needs to ensure that everyone follows the rules and rides in a manner that is safe for the group.

Similarly, to build a successful team, the leader has to create an environment where team members work together and support each other, helping the team to build relationships based on trust, commitment, and cooperation, as well as a sense of accountability towards the common goals.

Lesson no. 3

In road cycling, the ride leader and the group use specific hand and voice signals to communicate changes in direction and warn each other of obstructions, hazards, speed changes, and unexpected stops. This method of communication is crucial to ensure that the group stays safe and avoids dangers on the road. It is also vital to be fully focused and pay attention to the riders both in front and behind, and the surroundings. Losing focus for a second could mean missing an important update from the person in front, which can lead to a disaster.

In a business environment, team communication is just as critical. The leader must cultivate and encourage an open communication culture in the workplace and ensure a clear framework for how the team communicates. There needs to be a process where team members provide status updates for each project, inform other groups of any blockers, and are transparent about their challenges. Any delay on their end can affect the work of other teams and eventually impact the business.

Good communication leads to effective decision-making, engaged team members, and successful projects. The lack of clear and proactive communication can cause a high-stress environment, low performance, and low team engagement.

Lesson no. 4

In cycling, the ride leader needs to be prepared to help riders when experiencing mechanical problems and be able to help solve most of the common issues. A ride leader can never leave a rider stranded!

Similarly, team leaders are responsible for removing any blockers for their team and helping the team succeed. When something unexpected happens, the leader needs to work with the team to address the issues and get back on target.

Lesson no. 5

And as a final thought, in cycling, as a result of drafting, where a group rides tightly together, the people riding behind the leader spend 20 to 40% less energy. That's because the leader, while cycling forward, creates behind them a low-pressure space with reduced wind resistance. Hence, it requires less energy to pedal for people behind.

Another benefit of drafting is that it also reduces the energy expenditure of the leader, as the riders behind reduce the turbulent airflow coming off the leader, and less swirling air behind makes the leader more aerodynamic. Additionally, drafting in a group helps riders build that mentality of working together and trusting each other, also having a psychological effect from following the person in front and pushing to keep up.

The concept of drafting is relevant in business by understanding that a great leader needs the strength to get the team to the finish line, be supportive and nurturing, and help the team grow and become this well-oiled machine that moves in unison. We can only go so far alone, but with a strong team behind, we can move faster and get farther!

Conclusion

Being an effective leader presents endless new challenges, especially in today's fast-changing environment. Hopefully, this unique perspective will equip leaders with the right skill set to build trust and excellence, establish a culture of transparency, motivate the team, and empower them to be successful.