Modern cycling is no longer a simple equation of physiology, nutrition, training hours and aerodynamics. Gone are the days of simply pushing harder or training longer to increase winning edge gains. World-class riders are exploring, through advancements in science and technology, the vast potential of the brain and its chemistry.
A brief neurobiology lesson: the brain is made up of white and grey matter. Think of grey matter as the brain’s processing centres – dense clusters of brain cells that do the thinking, decision-making and coordination. White matter consists of nerve fibres that act like the brain’s communication highways, transmitting electrical signals between different regions at speeds of up to 120 metres per second.
These messages are carried by chemical messengers called neurotransmitters – molecules that jump across the microscopic gaps between brain cells, carrying information about everything from muscle contraction to pain perception to motivation. Dopamine drives reward and motivation, norepinephrine sharpens focus under pressure, serotonin influences mood and pain tolerance, while GABA (gamma-aminobutyric acid) acts as the brain’s brake system, calming neural activity when needed.
The old saying ‘mind over matter’ may seem cliché, but it’s deeply rooted in our evolutionary biology and neurochemistry. What we’re discovering is that the brain doesn’t just respond to physical stress – it actively regulates it through sophisticated chemical signalling systems.
The Cav Connection
Dr. David Spindler PhD is a neuroscientist currently working with some of the world’s best athletes. You may recall his modest shadow in the background of Never Enough, the Netflix documentary about Mark Cavendish, humbly helping one of the greatest athletes of all time achieve what many thought impossible – that unforgettable 35th Tour de France stage win. Spindler frequently uses the terminology that “brain chemicals matter”. So why do they matter so much?
It’s not as simple as just having a ‘go hard or go home’ mantra. Modern athletic neuroscience is much more nuanced than this. There’s signalling that happens in the race, match, or performance – the acute neurochemical response to immediate demands. Then there’s the longer-term running cognitive state, the baseline chemical environment that determines how resilient and adaptable an athlete’s brain remains across a season and their career.
The brain is an incredibly untapped tool to extend endurance performance, and we’re only just beginning to understand its potential. Increasing time to exhaustion and durability in cycling is the holy grail – only so much genetic lung capacity, hard training, and carbohydrate per hour can elevate gains. The brain and its chemical cocktail needs to do the rest.
Ever wondered why some athletes perform outstandingly on some days and not others?
Chemistry can change. A rider’s dopamine sensitivity might be compromised by poor sleep, their norepinephrine response blunted by accumulated stress, or their pain-modulating systems overwhelmed by inflammation. Optimisation and stability are both core to this concept.
The Chemistry of Going Deeper
When the brain is fresh and the neurochemical environment is optimised, time to exhaustion increases dramatically. Basically, you can go deeper further up the climb, hold that wheel for longer before exploding. This isn’t just about motivation, it’s undeniably more. Firstly it’s about the brain’s ability to gate pain signals. The ‘Gate Control Theory’ of pain is a well-established neuroscience concept where the brain essentially acts like a gatekeeper, controlling how much pain information gets through to conscious awareness. And secondly, it’s about maintaining motor unit recruitment, and sustaining the complex cognitive processes required for tactical decision-making under extreme physiological stress.
Research shows that even small improvements in neurochemical balance can yield significant performance gains. Especially optimising dopamine function alone can significantly improve time to exhaustion in trained cyclists, while maintaining stable serotonin levels enhanced pain tolerance during high-intensity efforts.
Neurochemical optimisation is also intimately linked to resilience. Stable brain chemistry allows mental flexibility and durability in hard moments both on and off the bike. When neurotransmitter systems are balanced, athletes can maintain cognitive function under stress, adapt to changing race dynamics, and recover more effectively from setbacks.
This is why some riders seem unflappable in the chaos of a sprint finish or remain tactically sharp deep into a mountain stage. Their brains aren’t just tougher – they’re chemically dialled in, optimised for sustained performance under pressure.
The Practical Application
So what can we learn from this emerging field? First, that brain chemistry is as trainable as any other physiological system. Sleep quality, nutrition timing, stress management and even specific cognitive training protocols can optimise neurotransmitter function. Second, understanding your individual neurochemical patterns – when you’re naturally sharp, how you respond to different stressors, what depletes your mental resources – becomes as important as knowing your power zones.
The future of cycling performance isn’t just about pushing harder or training longer. It’s about understanding and optimising the 1.4 kilogrammes of neural tissue that ultimately determines whether all that physical preparation translates into results when it matters most.
As we continue to unlock the brain’s potential, one thing becomes clear: in cycling’s endless pursuit of marginal gains, the biggest gains might just be sitting between our ears, waiting to be chemically optimised.
