The Tomato Technique (Focus. Ride. break. Repeat.)

Mountain bike coaching isn’t just about drilling skills on the trail—it’s also about managing energy, focus, and recovery. That’s where the Pomodoro Technique, a time-management method born far from dirt tracks, becomes surprisingly relevant. By breaking sessions into short, focused bursts followed by intentional breaks, both riders and coaches can sustain sharper concentration, improve skill retention, and reduce fatigue.

For riders, this means progressing faster without burning out. For coaches, it means protecting their own energy so they can plan better lessons, give more thoughtful feedback, and stay sharp across long days of teaching. As GSMBC outlines in its training frameworks, the best lessons balance structure with flow, and the Pomodoro approach reinforces exactly that—focused effort, then purposeful pause