Mental Health: Cycling with Al and me

Hi, my first blog post so be gentle. You may have come across this through either the words “mental health” “cycling” or just plain “Al” has you may be called Al and wonder why I am blogging about you.

Let me explain. I am a 56 year old ‘cyclist’ widely known as a ‘Mamil’, you know those types that block up the road every weekend. Any how I digress. I am in a fairly stressful job, if there is such a thing in local authority, and cycling and running are my stress relief. Five years ago I joined a cycling club, Olympic legacy and all that, and steadily rose to be a ride leader and chairman. Everything is rosy. So who is Al?

I met Al four months ago but yet I felt I had known him years. You know, you see someone and think you know them from somewhere, but can’t place where and you have that feeling that you have known them as I say for years? Al joined me on a ride three or four months ago and it’s fair to say it’s never been the same since. Al is not a real person, Al is my anxiety.

So what is this about after all you have got this far you deserve to know. It’s not a blog where I advise you to go and put a mindfulness app on your phone to ease your mental health issues. That does not work for me, after all I am from Yorkshire and we don’t do stuff like that. But if it works for you great, stick with it. This blog is a story, a ‘journey’ that is aligned with cycling, ups and downs, hard climbs, fast declines and seemingly feeling like it’s never ending. It’s therapy for me, putting thoughts on paper, and how I have been seeking help. Did help work? What is help? All of this will be explored later.

Hope this has wetted an appetite and my next blog will be out soon so stick with me.

All the best,