Connecting with Nature and Getting into Road Biking

Strictly speaking this isn’t a Derailed Podcast and we’re touching on two subjects here. We’re passionate about helping people get outside and also onto bikes so with this week being Mental Health Awareness Week and the theme being Connecting with Nature we wanted to touch on this subject in some way.

Getting into Road Biking - 100 miles at a time.

A few weeks ago my sister took on a cycling challenge. While she’s been an avid runner for a few years cycling wasn’t a major past time after a crash at a Clan mountain bike training day put her off. It was exciting to hear she signed up for this ride but she had a load of questions, understandably being apprehensive about getting on a bike again. This was the perfect opportunity to document her journey and share this with anyone who wanted a little help and encouragement to get on a bike for the first time or after a long period off.

We put together a short video and chat (podcast style) to touch on some tips and answer some questions she had. It was an amazing chance for my sister Laura to get outside and enjoy some time cycling.

Moving on and expanding on the theme of connecting with Nature we’ve teamed up again with Jen Price to talk more about Mental Health and wellbeing. We were super excited when Jen got in touch and after the collab around International Womens day we were excited to get Jen back involved with The Contour Collective.

Mental health is everyone’s business by Jen Price

We all have mental health just like we do physical health... it’s just a matter of where we sit on the scale of good or poor mental health at any given time - and this can change, more frequently for some people. To improve our physical health, we need to move our bodies, ride our bikes and we need to fuel our bodies with nutritious food, when we can. So to improve our mental health there are so many things we can “practise” to feel better amongst the chaos, busy-ness or even the quiet that can be in our everyday lives! 

Appreciate and connecting with Nature while out riding - spring flowers and herdwicks.

Mental Health Awareness Week’s theme is NATURE! As a lover of the outdoors, particularly mountain biking, I know how much riding my bike and connecting with nature can help me to feel more calm, less anxious, gain clarity and feel reset, ready to tackle the challenges in my day or put aside the challenges I have faced.

There’s plenty of research out there to back up this notion that nature supports the growth of positive mental health. It doesn’t need to be climbing up massive mountains, riding the fastest or the techiest trails or any grand adventure - although we do recommend these too. Sometimes just a pedal through nature is enough to get that sense of calm and clarity. Breathe in the fresh air, smell the scents from the trees, stop and admire the view and just enjoy the space around you. 

We all have a role to play in supporting each other’s mental health and of course our own. There is so much advice out there so let’s think about how we can link this with biking, whether this is mountain biking, gravel biking, road biking – whatever your thing happens to be. We have all heard about the positive impact of random acts of kindness, meditation, breathwork and mindfulness but how can we apply these kinds of things to biking? 

Riding with friends and appreciating the freedom of being in the outdoors. Feeling grateful for the time outside.

First up, KINDNESS! Random acts of kindness make people feel good and science backs this up too! The hormone oxytocin (known as the love hormone) is produced when you GIVE or RECEIVE, which contributes to our overall mood and wellbeing. And kindness doesn’t have to be grand gestures. The small effortless acts can be the most powerful, like a smile or quick check-in to a stranger as you pass by on the trails, help someone with a mechanical, give someone a hoot of encouragement on the trail or climbing that steep ascent. Maybe even send someone you’ve not seen for a while a message to invite them out for a bike ride. You never know what battles people are fighting behind their smiles. Kindness is always a good idea. 

MINDFULNESS – is simply about awareness. How many times have you ridden up a climb and forgotten to take in the views, the smells or the sounds of nature? Next time you are out for your bike ride, I urge you to pay attention to what is around you. Embrace nature for the beauty it is, even if it is the splash of mud on your face. Bring your senses to life. Think of mindfulness on your bike as a form of meditation on the move. Slow down and take it all in. 

BREATHE – we do this every day (over 20,000 breaths per day) and yet how aware are we of our breathing? Consciously breathing can improve how we feel and our mindset, but also our fitness related performance. But do you breathe into your belly or your chest? Which is most optimal? Quick answer is, ideally you should train your diaphragm to contract (on the inhale) down into your belly (and breathe in through your nose) but all of this is harder under the exertion of exercise. So pay attention. Next time you are riding, remember to take in those big deep breaths of fresh air. Maybe even see how long you can sustain nasal breathing for? Possibly a lot less time than you think. Regardless, this awareness will be insightful and bring you back into the present moment, to enjoy your body (and bike) in nature. 

POSITIVE AFFIRMATIONS – whatever level of rider you are, we are all probably guilty of saying we aren’t good enough from time to time. We probably all want to learn more and get fitter, but what would happen if we stopped the self-criticism and just accept that how we are IS good enough? What could you achieve if you weren’t afraid? If failure was guaranteed not to happen, what would you do? Ok so perhaps we need to exercise some caution here from a practical perspective and not recommend sending it off a 6ft drop without building up the skills, but perhaps it is just shifting how we perceive failure and seeing our learning journey as something to appreciate and not compare to others? 

So whether you slow down a bit when you are out riding your bike to be more present or whether you start to appreciate yourself a little bit more, I hope you can find joy on your bike whatever level, whatever terrain, whoever you are with.  

When the corners are this good it can be hard to take in the views.

Thanks to Jen for contributing and Laura for sharing her journey as she took on her 100 mile challenge. What a way to get outdoors and back into cycling.

We hope this article gives you something new and inspires you to get out and ride and enjoy the outdoors soon.