Mental coach helped mountain bikers: ex-banker is behind Lars Forster’s victory comeback

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It is a mountain bike fairy tale that Lars Forster (29) writes on Sunday. A week before the European Championships in Krakow, the St. Gallen rider beats everyone in Austria and records his second World Cup victory.

The first was four years ago – but since then Forster has had some rough times with falls and injuries. The result: at the end of 2022, Nino Schurter’s (37) teammate at the time was looking for a change.

Now Forster is only back on top in the third race in his new Thömus racing team. The family team from Bern immediately became a success factor for the two-time European champion.

Forster found his inner peace

Another factor in his sensational comeback to the stage is working with a former banker. The man’s name is Sandro Stäheli (37), he left the financial sector for his second career as a sports mentality coach and now coaches athletes. Motorcyclist for one and a half years.

Before the start of the season, Forster says: “I used to get in my way a lot. The bad things outweighed the positives. I had to undo this button. Now I am very happy with it. I’m glad I found inner peace.”

The two-time European champion often put too much pressure on himself. He argued, doubted and worried. Topics that Stäheli covered. The mental trainer from Zurich used to have a ZKB branch – nowadays he makes athletes like Forster strong.

The coach tells Blick: “Lars always made his luck dependent on results. We then shifted the focus from results to performance, so that Lars can concentrate on the tasks in the race he needs to achieve very good results.”

Relax deeply until shortly before the start

And Forster also had new ways to prepare for the race he was shown. “It shouldn’t be about the race for as long as possible,” says Stäheli. “Lars only has to build up the tension just before the start.” Steer clear of the pressure that often slowed Forster down. All kinds of distractions and autogenic training for deep relaxation can help.

Forster also had to reacquire himself simply to enjoy his work as a top athlete again. The winner of Leogang: “It’s actually simple things. But you have to straighten them out first so that you are happy with yourself.”

Forster and the mentally ill Stäheli talk to each other about every two weeks. Sometimes also about God and the world. Often via video calling, but sometimes the duo also cycle together. Stäheli is himself an ambitious cyclist and ski mountaineer. Forster’s trainer Florian Vogel made the contact. The idea is a bull’s eye.

Source : Blick